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Panel backs higher penalties for witness tampering after prosecutors’ concerns
Summary
Senators advanced a bill to raise penalties for witness tampering—prosecutors had told sponsors that a five-year maximum allowed offenders to choose the lesser penalty relative to underlying crimes. An amendment adding clarifying language was accepted and the bill passed by voice vote.
Senator Hickman (S7) said prosecutors had reported instances in which witness-tampering defendants received only five-year sentences, allowing them to avoid penalties comparable to the underlying crimes. He proposed increasing penalties for witness tampering to better align with the seriousness of the underlying offense and noted the bill's upper limit would not exceed 15 years.
Another member (S8) asked for and offered an amendment to add a reversal clause to clarify how penalties would be applied; the sponsor accepted the amendment. The committee voted by voice to move the bill forward.
"We got people that are getting off because they tamper with witnesses, and we can only do 5 years," the sponsor said, arguing that prosecutors need additional tools to deter tampering.
