Tuesday, 2/13/24:
Reps. Bruce Skaug and Josh Tanner presented H515, capital punishment for aggravated sexual assault of a child, in the House this morning. Reps. Chris Mathias and John Gannon have debated against the bill. The bill passed 56-12-2, with Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen joining the Democrats in opposition.
One bill later, Rep. Mickelsen requested unanimous consent to change her vote to yes. Rep. Brent Crane pointed out that she debated against the bill before voting no. Nobody objected, so her vote will be recorded as yes.
Thursday, 2/8/24:
The new RS has been printed as House Bill 515.
Wednesday, 2/7/24:
Rep. Skaug presented H405 to House Judiciary & Rules this afternoon. They presented it concurrently with a new draft, RS 31164C1, that made minor changes. The committee voted to hold H405 but advance the new RS to the second reading calendar, so it will be up for debate in the House early next week. The three Democrats on the committee, Reps. Chris Mathias, John Gannon, and Mark Stinson (substituting for Colin Nash) voted against the motion.
Wednesday, 1/31/24:
Update: Several members of the committee expressed concern about a clause in the bill that seems to set a mandatory minimum of ten years to life for defendants even when a judge or jury does not find that the highest aggravated status applies. Rep. Skaug agreed to allow the bill to be held subject to the call of the chair for revision.
Reps. Tanner and Skaug presented H405 to the House Judiciary & Rules Committee on Wednesday afternoon. Click here to follow my live updates.
Thursday, 1/18/24:
Rep. Tanner’s bill has been printed and assigned H405.
Wednesday, 1/17/24:
Rep. Josh Tanner introduced RS 30853 in House Judiciary & Rules Committee on Wednesday morning. This would make certain instances of lewd conduct with a minor a capital offense. The committee agreed to introduce the bill and it will be printed and given a number soon.
