HB462

People should not be allowed to capture or record unwarranted, nonconsensual video images of others in their own backyards. What a violation of privacy. We should be safe from threatening, harassing, bullying, annoying uses of video capture, whether or not actually posted online. We give up privacy in so many ways these days but in our homes, in our backyards, the land comprising our curtilage, we have a reasonable expecation of privacy. This is constitutionally protected. Warrantless image capture without consent should be penalized. I'm sure we're all aware of instances of bullying and harassing with backyard-pointing cameras -- the creepy neighbor taking photos of people sunbathing, the bullying neighbor training their camera on a backyard to monitor a neighbor's coming and going for purposes of harassment, the opportunist or stalker who seeks to do harm to person or property. Please support HB462 and establish this a private right of action against these creeps and bullies.

Chairperson and Members of the Committee, I am writing today to strongly support HB 472. This bill is essential to protecting the privacy and security of homeowners and residents from unwarranted surveillance intended to harass, alarm, or intimidate. This past fall, I discovered that a neighbor had installed a cellular-transmitted trail camera in the woods behind my home, positioned to capture video of my back door and yard. When I reported this to the police, they investigated but ultimately informed me that no existing law prohibited this kind of targeted surveillance. I was left with no legal recourse to stop this violation of my privacy. The presence of such a camera was more than an invasion of my personal space—it was a form of intimidation. The knowledge that my movements were being recorded without my consent made me feel unsafe in my own home. No one should have to experience that level of fear and powerlessness simply for existing in their private space. HB 472 addresses this serious gap in the law by providing a private right of action against individuals who install surveillance devices specifically to harass, alarm, or threaten their neighbors. This bill does not interfere with legitimate security measures but instead ensures that surveillance is not weaponized as a tool of harassment. I urge you to support HB 472 and protect the rights of homeowners and residents to feel safe and secure in their own backyards. Thank you for your time and consideration.