Idaho Legislature introduces anti-SLAPP bill that sponsor says protects free speech, expression 

A new bill was submitted Monday afternoon by the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee of the Idaho Legislature. According to its sponsor, the bill aims to promote free expression and reduce pointless lawsuits.

The new law was sponsored by Sen. Brian Lenney, R-Nampa. According to Lenney, the bill is comparable to a failed bill he proposed the previous year. In order to safeguard free expression and free speech, he characterized the bill as an anti-SLAPP or strategic litigation against public participation bill.

Lenney said Monday at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise that these lawsuits are used by powerful individuals and/or organizations to intimidate or silence those who speak out against them. They do this by trying to stifle public criticism by making it too costly and/or time-consuming for ordinary people or smaller organizations with limited resources to fight in a courtroom.

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Lenney informed the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee that the bill automatically penalizes those who file SLAPP litigation, permits the winning party to recover attorney fees, and suspends lawsuits if a party submits an anti-SLAPP petition.

Without debating the new bill or asking Lenney any questions, the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee members decided to introduce it Monday afternoon. The bill’s introduction makes it possible for it to be heard in full by the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee.

A similar plan, Senate plan 1325, which Lenney proposed last year, was defeated on the Idaho Senate floor by a vote of 15 to 20. Concerns about the validity of last year’s law prompted members of both main political parties to vote against it.

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After Lenney’s new bill is read across the desk on the Idaho Senate floor, which is expected to happen on Tuesday, it will be given a bill number and made available to the public on the Idaho Legislature’s website.

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