The Senate committee concurred in a House amendment to Senate Bill 207 that adds a requirement for petition canvassers to inform potential signatories that petition fraud is a criminal offense and makes canvassers criminally liable if they fail to provide that notice.

Sponsor Senator Kim Hammer, joined by Secretary of State staff for technical questions, described the amendment as clarifying the criminal nature of certain petition-related misconduct and said the measure is designed to protect the initiative process by increasing canvasser responsibility. "What we're trying to do here is heighten the responsibility of the signature gatherers to inform the general public," Hammer said, telling the committee the amendment gives law enforcement a clearer path to investigate and prosecute deliberate misconduct.

Leslie Bellamy, elections director in the Secretary of State's office, and Nathan Lee, chief counsel for the Secretary of State, were introduced and available to answer questions; they did not give substantive testimony on record beyond identification.

A private citizen, Carol Egan, testified in opposition. Egan said the notice language could deter people from signing petitions and volunteers from canvassing because the required warning would raise uncertainty about routine mistakes such as address errors. She said: "If I signed this before, is that a criminal offense? Because I don't really remember. It seems like I might have." Egan also warned that the requirement could create he-said/she-said disputes and encourage complaints intended to harass volunteers.

Senator Hammer responded that the statute leaves charging decisions to prosecutors, who will consider intent and severity, and that the provision is intended to inform the public and strengthen enforcement against deliberate fraud. He moved to concur in the House amendment; Senator Dodson seconded. The committee approved the concurrence on a voice vote over recorded opposition.

(Committee transcript: one witness spoke against the amendment; Secretary of State staff were present for technical clarification but did not deliver substantive testimony on the record.)