House passes bill increasing penalties and requiring threat assessments after statewide hoax incidents

House Bill 14, sponsored by Representative Wilcox, raises criminal penalties for those who transmit threats about active shooters or mass violence in schools and mandates school-based threat assessments and disciplinary steps for students.

Wilcox framed the bill as a response to a March 29 statewide hoax that triggered lockdowns across districts. "You threaten to kill kids. There's gotta be a relevant consequence, a consistent consequence in our state," Wilcox said, recounting the event and its costs to students, staff, first responders and health systems. He criticized prior misdemeanor-level charges and said the bill elevates penalties "each a level," including felony charges for adults who originate hoaxes and disciplinary measures for students.

Under the approach described on the floor, students who engage in threats may face suspension and an interdisciplinary threat-assessment team would evaluate whether a student needs treatment before returning to school. Wilcox said adults outside the school causing hoaxes would face elevated criminal exposure, including second-degree felony charges in some cases.

Representative Briscoe asked whether suspensions and felony exposures were aimed at in-system students versus outside actors; Wilcox said suspensions target students while the felony provisions are aimed at adults who originate hoaxes.

The House voted to pass HB 14 and will transmit the bill to the Senate. The transcript records one nay vote; a specific yes-vote total was not specified in the provided House floor record.