Jim Rosica
Capping two days of ‘will he or won’t he’ guessing, House Judiciary Chairman Charles McBurney on Thursday did not call up a bill that would change the state’s Stand Your Ground law.
Thursday’s meeting was the committee’s last get-together for the 2016 Legislative Session.
When asked why, the Jacksonville Republican told reporters, “I had concerns from the members, I had concerns from certain groups, I had concerns from victims and victim groups, so we kind of put the pause button on the bill. That’s my decision.”
The measure was a Senate bill, backed by state Sen. Rob Bradley, that “shifts the burden of proof from the defendant to the prosecution” in pretrial hearings on whether a use of force was justifiable, according to a staff analysis. Those hearings determine whether a defendant can claim self-defense at trial.
McBurney also said he talked to the Speaker’s Office about the bill and about a contentious civil citations bill, but denied any backroom dealmaking.
He also was asked whether he had ever intended to hear the bill in his committee. That’s when it got a little uncomfortable.
“It was considered, never planned … well, I don’t think planned is the correct term. But it was considered.”
When asked to clarify whether he intended to put the bill specifically on Thursday’s agenda, he said, “What? No.”
He went on: “I was concerned about the policy. Because of those concerns, I made the decision not to call up the bill. There was no trade off.”
The House’s own version died in the Criminal Justice Subcommittee in November on a 6-6 vote. But the Senate bill passed that chamber last month on a 24-12 vote and was redirected to House Judiciary.
