Plain English Breakdown
The bill summary and text do not provide specific details on funding for enforcement and reporting requirements.
Law to Make Threats Against Child Care and Religious Institutions a Serious Crime
This law makes it a felony to threaten mass violence against child care centers, preschools, or religious institutions by any means of communication and requires immediate reporting of such threats.
What This Bill Does
- Creates a new Class E felony for anyone who recklessly threatens to commit an act of mass violence on the property of a child care agency, preschool, or religious institution by any means of communication.
- Requires people with knowledge of credible threats against these institutions to immediately report them to local law enforcement and the affected institutions.
- Allows courts to order evaluations of defendants accused of making such threats to determine if they pose a substantial likelihood of serious harm.
- Enables judges to order those convicted to pay restitution for damages caused by their threats, including costs from disrupted activities.
- For juvenile offenders, it requires a one-year suspension of driving privileges or the ability to get a driver's license.
Who It Names or Affects
- People who make credible threats against child care centers, preschools, or religious institutions
- Local law enforcement agencies and affected institutions that receive threat reports
- Juveniles convicted of making such threats
Terms To Know
- Class E felony
- A serious crime with a penalty ranging from one to six years in prison.
- Credible threat
- A threat that causes another person to reasonably expect an act of mass violence will occur.
Limits and Unknowns
- The law does not apply to people with intellectual disabilities.
- It is unclear how much the state will fund for enforcement and reporting requirements.
- The bill has not yet been signed into law or assigned an effective date.