2026 Criminal Law Changes.

The effective date for strangulation penalty changes was extended from December 1, 2025, to December 1, 2026.

A new crime was created making it unlawful to approach or remain near a first responder within 25 feet after receiving a verbal warning, if the intent is to impede duty, threaten harm, or harass.

The time limit for holding a riot suspect without a judicial determination was increased from 24 hours to 48 hours.

Several statutory references and section numbers were updated to reflect the new edition of the bill.

The summary of the bill was updated to explicitly state that it removes the default requirement for sentences to run consecutively, replacing the previous phrasing about requiring consecutive sentences.

The document header was updated to change the version number from Edition 2 to Edition 3 and the committee substitute date from March 18 to April 1.

The footer identifier was updated from H308-v-2 to H308-v-3 to reflect the new version.

Added a new felony crime of habitual domestic violence for individuals with two or more prior convictions involving physical injury.

Clarified that expungements may not be granted for persons with pending charges.

Updated the definition of 'serious bodily injury' in the strangulation statute to include specific conditions like coma or permanent loss of function.

Reorganized and clarified the list of misdemeanors under which an officer may arrest a person without a warrant in domestic violence situations.

Corrected formatting errors and inconsistent text in the original draft, such as removing redundant phrases and fixing line breaks.

Updated the definition of 'serious bodily injury' to include specific conditions like coma, permanent disfigurement, and prolonged hospitalization.

Increased the penalty for strangulation from a Class H felony to a Class F felony when serious bodily injury is inflicted.

Added a new provision stating that misdemeanor domestic violence offenses are not lesser included offenses of the crime of misdemeanor domestic violence.

Added restrictions on expunging criminal records for individuals with pending charges.

Mandated that sentences run consecutively if the court does not specify otherwise.

Revised the criteria for habitual misdemeanor assault to include specific prior convictions and a 15-year timeframe for prior offenses.

Expanded the list of misdemeanors under which an officer may arrest without a warrant, including specific domestic violence and stalking offenses.

Required judges to determine pretrial release conditions for specific domestic violence and stalking charges.

Removed all substantive policy provisions regarding strangulation penalties, domestic violence clarifications, and expunction restrictions.

Removed the original bill's short title, sponsors, and detailed legal definitions.

Added procedural text instructing clerks on how to amend other bills, replacing the actual legislative content.