HB 353: Internal Investigation Amendments

This bill never received a vote.

Criminal allegations of public officials can be tricky to investigate. But when it happens, they need to be handled in a way that protects the integrity of the investigation while creating transparency and full accountability for the involved government agencies. In order to accomplish this, Representative Craig Hall is sponsoring House Bill 353.

This bill prevents criminally accused agencies from investigating themselves for those criminal claims. The bill would require a separate law enforcement or prosecutorial agency to investigate criminal claims made against any members or employees of public institutions including law enforcement, prosecutorial, and local education agencies, as well as institutions of higher education.

This bill is a good step to ensure accountability is upheld when serious offenses may have been committed within the walls of government agencies. It’s a short and simple yet powerful piece of legislation that needs to pass to establish legal boundaries for criminal allegations.