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

The Idaho Legislature’s Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee introduced a new bill Monday afternoon that its sponsor said is designed to protect free speech and curtail frivolous lawsuits.

Sen. Brian Lenney, R-Nampa, sponsored the new bill. Lenney said the bill is similar to an unsuccessful bill he sponsored last year. He described the bill as an anti-SLAPP – or strategic lawsuits against public participation — bill designed to protect free expression and free speech.

“These are lawsuits that powerful people and or organizations use to intimidate or silence others who speak out against them, and they do this by attempting to shut down public criticism by making it too expensive and or too time consuming for regular people or smaller organizations without a lot of resources to fight in a courtroom,” Lenney said Monday at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise.

Lenney told the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee the bill puts lawsuits on hold if a party files an anti-SLAPP motion, allows the winning party to recover attorney fees and includes automatic penalties for people filing SLAPP lawsuits.

Members of the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee voted to introduce the new bill Monday afternoon without any debate or questions for Lenney. Introducing the bill clears the way for it to return to the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee for a full public hearing.

Last year, Lenney sponsored a similar bill, Senate Bill 1325, which failed on the Idaho Senate floor on a 15-20 vote. Members of both major political parties voted against last year’s bill after concerns over its legality were expressed.

Lenney’s new bill will be assigned a bill number and posted publicly on the Idaho Legislature’s website after it is read across the desk on the floor of the Idaho Senate, likely on Tuesday.

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