Criminal Justice

HB 1249 changes juvenile court jurisdiction by adding "unlawful carrying of a handgun charged as a felony" to the list of offenses where juvenile courts cannot handle cases. This means juveniles facing felony handgun charges would be processed in adult court instead of juvenile court. The bill directly affects young people under 18 charged with this specific weapon-related offense. It modifies existing law by expanding the category of serious crimes excluded from juvenile court jurisdiction, requiring such cases to move to adult criminal court proceedings. The bill passed the House unanimously (74-18) and is now before the Senate Committee on Corrections and Criminal Law.

Makes wearing a mask during the commission of a criminal offense a sentencing aggravator. Makes it malicious littering, a Class A misdemeanor, for a person to place refuse on the property of another person with the intent to cause the owner or occupant of the property to reasonably fear for their physical safety.