(KXNET) — A plan that would have penalized people who falsely accuse someone of sexual harassment failed at the state capitol on Tuesday.

House Bill 1256 would have charged a person over 18 who lies about sexual harassment or discrimination under Title Nine with a Class ‘A’ misdemeanor.

Grand Forks representative Eric Murphy wrote the bill, arguing that false accusations on a college campus can be used to hurt someone’s reputation.

“They shouldn’t be used as a weapon,” said Representative Murphy. “They shouldn’t be used as a mechanism to get a proverbial pound of flesh out of somebody. These are really important accusations when they occur.”

The state senate rejected the bill on Tuesday by a vote of 8-39.