The Utah House rejected an attempt to require witnesses of certain crimes to call for assistance or become criminals themselves.
Rep. Brian King, a Salt Lake City Democrat and leader of the House minority party, said his HB125 would have possibly saved lives and allowed prosecutors to punish anyone who witnesses a crime, including sexual assault, but fails to help the victim.
He hoped the Republican-controlled House would expand the law that protects minors and vulnerable adults to also protect those in harm’s way.
“When you’re talking about someone who’s being assaulted sexually, when you’re talking about someone who’s being assaulted by their partner in a marriage or a relationship, when you’re talking about someone who’s been thrown from a car in an accident, they are very much as vulnerable as a minor child or a vulnerable adult,” King said.