Committee chair says criminals must be held accountable, ‘no one should be above the law’

At the opening of a Judiciary: House Committee meeting, the chair said anyone who commits a crime, "especially a violent crime, should be fully held accountable," and added that accountability applies "no matter their citizenship status, race, sex, how much money they do or don't have, whether they went to school or not, or even if they're a government official." The chair concluded: "no one should be above the law."

The comment framed the meeting's opening remarks around accountability and equal application of justice. The chair emphasized that status — including citizenship or public office — should not confer immunity from criminal responsibility. Those remarks set the tone for the session but did not, in the provided transcript excerpt, introduce any bills, motions, or votes.

The transcript excerpt contains only the chair's opening remarks and does not record subsequent discussion, witness testimony, or formal committee actions. No statutes, ordinances, resolutions, motions, vote tallies, funding amounts, or named witnesses appear in the recorded segment.