TWIN FALLS, Idaho — The Idaho House of Representatives passed House Bill 125 on President's Day, which aims to add more stringent penalties for injuries caused by rioters.
The bill, sponsored by Representative Jaron Crane from District 12, was debated on the House floor, where lawmakers discussed adding a felony penalty for personal injury as a result of a riot to the existing felony penalties for property damage, or riots within a jail setting.
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The current state law defines a riot as two or more people acting together to cause damage to persons or property. House Bill 125 seeks to add a penalty specifically for injury to a person caused by a riot. Representative Jaron Crane mentioned incidents brought forward by Nampa PD that highlighted the need for legal clarity, including a fight involving 10 to 15 people where only one suspect was charged.
"We saw how many billions of dollars of private property were destroyed and damaged during the riots in 2020," said Representative Lucas Cayler from District 11. But he said the bill was too broad, referencing the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and the Department of Justice prosecution of January 6 Capitol violence as contexts for his concerns.
"This I thought was a little too broad in some areas," said Representative Clint Hostetler from District 24. He indicated he would vote no, despite liking the bill's intent.
The bill passed the House with a vote of 44 to 26 and will now move to the Senate for further consideration.
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