A controversial bill to change Idaho’s trespassing laws survived a two-hour Senate panel hearing Wednesday, but may be undergoing some changes soon.
The Resources and Environment Committee voted unanimously to send the measure to the Senate’s 14th Order for possible amendments. The vote came after a failed motion to hold the bill in committee.
The measure would enact harsher penalties for trespassers while changing posting requirements for land owners.
Supporters say it provides a needed update to Idaho’s trespassing laws while strengthening the rights of private property owners. The bill is an updated version of legislation 536, a measure that was declared potentially unconstitutional by the Attorney General’s Office and opposed by the Idaho Prosecuting Attorneys Association. Republican Soda Springs Senator Mark Harris, the bill’s sponsor, says the measure has been reviewed by the AG’s Office three times, and the prosecutors group no longer opposesd it.
The bill has been criticized by the Idaho Sheriff’s Association, which still has concerns about how broadly it defines the act of trespassing. Other opponents of the measure include sportsmen’s groups who say that the loosened posting requirements and harsher trespassing penalties could ensnare those who accidentally wander onto private property.
The bill passed the House earlier this week on a 45-22 vote. (magicvalley.com)
