Legislators split on added death threat penalties

By SAODAT ASANOVA-TAYLOR
Capital News Service
LANSING – A bill aimed at giving lawmakers additional protection drew high criticism from some legislators. Sen. Darwin Booher, R-Evart, proposed the bill, saying there should be specific laws to protect lawmakers. “When elected officials receive death threats, it affects them, their families, their work and their voting process,” he said. According to Booher, there are laws against intimidation on the federal level and state lawmakers should be protected under the same type of rules. Sen. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, agreed, saying,
“It’s unacceptable just to throw around death threats without any responsibility.”
Last year, both Booher and Casperson received several death threats via phone and mail.