Nevada lawmaker wants anti-terrorism bill narrowed

State Sen. Dina Titus is looking to narrow an anti-terrorism bill that she and 19 other senators signed on to support, saying it "tramples on civil liberties."

The measure includes a definition of terrorism that could be construed to penalize civil disobedience protests, said Titus, D-Las Vegas.

"Somebody might be out doing a peace protest and they can call it terrorism," she said Wednesday after the Senate Judiciary Committee discussed SB38.

Titus plans several amendments to correct that definition and make other modifications to the measure, whose chief sponsor is Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno.

The definition of terrorism in SB38 includes threats of sabatoge or violence intended to "intimidate or coerce" the public; "disrupt, affect or influence the conduct or policy" of any government entity; or cause "widespread panic or civil unrest" by disrupting public communications or services.

The measure increases penalties for several terrorism-related actions, allows terrorism prosecution without any statute of limitations, and classifies terrorist killings as first-degree murder punishable by the death penalty.

It also outlaws "any substance, material or product that another person reasonably could believe is any weapon of mass destruction," and provides for penalties if somebody was planning to use the substance to "injure, intimidate, frighten, alarm or distress any person."

All 20 senators present signed on as co-sponsors when the bill was introduced on the first day of the legislative session.

"Who's not going to sign on to fight terrorism?" Titus asked. "But the devil's in the details."

The Senate panel is set to reconsider the bill within a few days.