House Judiciary

Order. Ms. Shipley, please call the roll. Representative Spacan. Excused. Caldwell. Here. Clifford. Here. Espinoza. Present. Linnell. Here. Garcia. Here. Kelty. Excused. Soper. Here. Is it okay? Here. Carter. Excused. Mr. Chair. Here. Okay, committee members, hopefully we're not in for too long of a night. Let's start out with a simple little bill. Senate Bill 15. Whoever would like to begin. Minority Leader Caldwell. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you, colleagues. Great to be back. I come before you as a proud prime sponsor of Senate Bill 15. Legislation that is not only important, but long overdue. What gives me hope is not just the policy itself, but the extraordinary bipartisan support behind it. Less than two weeks ago, this bill passed the Senate unanimously. That kind of unity is rare, and it sends a powerful message. When it comes to protecting children, we can and must come together. As legislators, we are often pulled in different directions by our constituents, by the political climate, and by our own beliefs. But Senate Bill 15 cuts through all of that. It reminds us of our most fundamental responsibility, to protect those who cannot protect themselves. This is not a…