BACK
BACK UP
BACK UP FOR DISCUSSION TODAY WAS HOUSE BILL 195, WE TALKED ABOUT IT
A FEW TIMES THIS WEEK,
IT'S THE ONE AIMED AT
PREVENTING PROTESTS AT
PRIVATE HOMES.
PROTESTS AND
DEMONSTRATIONS LIKE
THIS ONE AT
REPRESENTATIVE GREG
CHANEY'S HOME
WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
REP. CHANEY IS CO-
SPONSORING THE BILL
AND AS A RESULT,
PROTESTORS SHOWED UP
TO HIS HOME WITH
TORCHES AND
PITCHFORKS ACCORDING
TO CHANEY.
REP. CHANEY TELLS US HE
WANTED TO CO-SPONSER
THE LEGISLATION WITH
REP. BROOKE GREENE IN
RESPONSE TO A STRING
OF PROTESTS WE STARTED
SEEING LAST YEAR.
FROM A MERIDIAN
POLICE OFFICER'S HOME
LAST SPRING TO
CONTINUED PROTESTS AT
ELECTED OFFICIALS AND
HEALTH BOARD MEMBERS
HOMES.
WE'VE HEARD A LOT OF
COMMON SENSE TALK
ABOUT THIS BILL...HOW A
HOME IS SUPPOSED TO BE
THE PRIVATE RETREAT...A
SAFE PLACE FOR
FAMILIES...OFF-LIMITS TO
THOSE LOOKING TO
INTIMIDATE OR HARASS.
ARE THOSE THE SAME
SENTIMENTS SHARED BY
THE PEOPLE OF IDAHO
WHO TESTIFIED TODAY?
JOE PARRIS BRINGS US
DETAILS ON THIS
AFTERNOON'S
COMMITTEE MEETING
AND HOW THEY VOTED --
JOE?
JOE?
AFTER
AFTER ABOUT 90 MINUTES OF PUBLIC TESTIMONY THE HOUSE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE VOTED TO
PASS HOUSE BILL 195.
SIMILAR TO YESTERDAY,
EVERY MEMBER OF THE
PUBLIC WHO SPOKE
TESTIFIED AGAINST THE
BILL.
TESTIMONY AGAINST THE
BILL
BILL ALSO
BILL ALSO INCLUDED THE LEGAL DIRECTOR OF ACLU IDAHO...
"NOW IS NOT THE TIME AT
ALL TO, TO BE ADDING
ADDITIONAL CRIMES TO
THE IDAHO CODE WE
HAVE A CRIMINAL LEGAL
SYSTEM IN THE STATE
THAT IS OVERLOADED AS
IT IS,"
"IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO
HEAR US. HOW CAN WE
MAKE OUR VOICES BE
HEARD."
", EVERY EFFORT HAS BEEN
MADE,
MADE, THAT I CAN TELL, TO SILENCE THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE. IT'S A HUGE
BATTLE JUST TO BE ABLE
TO GET THREE MINUTES
BEFORE YOU ARE TODAY
TWO MINUTES"
"PEOPLE CAN BE ARRESTED
FOR BEING ANNOYING. I
CAN BE ANNOYING, I CAN
BE ANNOYING STANDING
IN HERE, I CAN BE
ANNOYING IN A GROCERY
STORE."
THE BIG VOICES IN FAVOR
OF THE LEGISLATION
CAME FROM THE CO-
SPONSORS OF THE BILL
REP. BROOKE GREEN AND
REP.
REP. GREG
REP. GREG CHANEY. WE HEARD FROM THEM ABOUT THE RECENT
PROTESTS AT ELECTED
OFFICIALS AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT HOMES.
THEY RAISED A QUESTION
ABOUT CIVILITY AND
WHAT TYPE OF POLITICAL
ENVIRONMENT DO WE
WANT
WANT TO
WANT TO HAVE HERE IN IDAHO. "WHERE IN HISTORY HAS IT
EVER BEEN OKAY FOR
SOMEONE TO SHOW UP AT
SOMEONE'S
SOMEONE'S HOUSE WITH PITCHFORKS AND TORCHES. ABSOLUTELY
NEVER WAS THAT PART OF
OUR CONTRACT TO ONE
ANOTHER AS NEIGHBORS."
"THE EXISTING STATUTES
AND CONCERNS
REGARDING THE PERSON
AMENDMENT ARE VERY
IMPORTANT TO US, WHILE
AT THE SAME TIME, THE
SACRED HOMES, OUR
SECRET FAMILY'S WAY IS
JUST AS IMPORTANT"
"IF THIS BILL PASSES, YOU
WILL NONETHELESS, HAVE
THE SAME RIGHT TO
PROTEST THAT YOU HAVE
NOW. IT IS A LOCATION
RESTRICTION, ONLY, AND
IT IS A NARROW ONE.
MAJOR CONCERNS WITH
THE BILL FROM THE 4
MEMBERS OF THE
COMMITTEE WHO VOTED
NO CENTERED ON SOME
OF THE LANGUAGE IN THE
BILL, SPECIFICALLY THEY
POINTED TO THE SECTION
SAYING PICKETING WITH
THE INTENT TO ANNOY,
HARASS,
HARASS, OR ALARM. THERE WERE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY
THAT MEANT AS WELL AS
THE DEFINITION OF
PICKETING.
ANOTHER ISSUE BROUGHT
UP WAS THE PROVISION
ABOUT
ABOUT PICKETING ALLOWED AT RESIEDNCES THAT ALSO SERVED AS A
PRIMARY BUNISESS
LOCATION.
BILL HEADS TO FLOOR
NOW, WE WILL SEE WHAT