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State By State Legislative Overview CaliforniaThe Senate Democrats' crime bill, S.9, "The Safe Schools, Safe Streets, and Secure Borders Act of 1999" contains a study on certain effects of the California and Arizona initiatives concerning the medicinal use of marijuana and other controlled substances. Specifically, this legislation would look at: 1. Marijuana usage in Arizona and California Contact Info: ColoradoSenator Dorothy Rupert (D-Boulder) has introduced a prison moratorium bill (S.B.99-95) which would suspend prison expansion in Colorado for three years and establish a legislative task force to evaluate current sentencing policies, particularly their impact on people of color, people with mental illness, women, youth, and families. The task force would also research alternatives to incarceration, reintegration programs for people released from prison, and the current availability (or lack thereof) of affordable drug and alcohol treatment in Colorado communities. Contact Info: FloridaAt a conference in Orlando, Governor Jeb Bush asked 300 top state, local and federal police and prosecutors to help launch a campaign to: 1. Reinstate minimum mandatory prison sentences for people
who sell drugs. Contact Info: GeorgiaThe state Senate unanimously passed a bill yesterday to provide additional prosecutors across the state to go after drug peddlers. Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor proposed the bill last fall during an election campaign in which he also admitted he had used cocaine in his 20s. He was never charged and has since apologized. Hiring, equipping and training one additional prosecutor for each of the 47 judicial circuits in Georgia would cost an estimated $3.6 million the first year. Contact Info: HawaiiGovernor Benjamin Cayetano believes hemp production would be a boon to the economy, and has introduced HB 32. The bill would take the first step of instructing the University of Hawaii, Hilo to, "Study the feasibility and desirability of industrial hemp production in Hawaii." Contact Info: IdahoS.B.1216 is before the Idaho legislature establishing new mandatory minimum sentences for meth offenses. "Any person convicted of trafficking in methamphetamine and/or amphetamine by manufacturing shall be sentenced to a mandatory fixed term of imprisonment of five (5) years and not to exceed life imprisonment and fined not less than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000). The maximum number of years of imprisonment for trafficking in methamphetamine and/or amphetamine by manufacturing shall be life, and the maximum fine shall be one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000)." IowaGov. Tom Vilsack has proposed life imprisonment for anyone who manufactures and/or distributes methamphetamine to minors. MinnesotaLawmakers introduced hemp bills in both chambers of the legislature. State senate majority leader Roger Moe (DFL-Erskine), is the author of SF0122, which if enacted, would, "Classify hemp as an agricultural crop subject to regulation and registration by the [MN] commissioner of agriculture." On the house side, Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL-Minneapolis) is the chief sponsor of HF0064, which is a companion to the Senate bill. New governor Jesse Ventura is an outspoken supporter of industrial hemp. Contact Info: MontanaA bill to reform Montana asset forfeiture policies, HB 595, has been introduced and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. The bill would: 1) Require a criminal conviction before property
could be forfeited; Contact Info: New YorkGov. George Pataki has asked the state Legislature to effectively end parole in New York. The Pataki plan was unveiled as the Republican governor delivered his fifth State of the State address. Under Pataki's plan, parole would be phased out by requiring that all new violent or non-violent felony convictions carry definite sentencessuch as 8 years instead of five-to-10 years with no chance of parole. Contact Info: NevadaAssembly Bill 196, which has been referred to the Judiciary and Ways and Means committees, would set the state's tolerance for driving while using any illegal drug at zero. It states that a driver could be charged with DUI if there is "a detectable amount" of any illegal drug in his system. In addition, it would mandate prison for any DUI involving substantial bodily harm or death. Contact Info: North DakotaHouse Bill 1265 would eliminate hemp from the list of "prohibited noxious weed seeds" in the North Dakota Century Code. The elimination could be a step toward the legalization of hemp crops in North Dakota, something some legislators would like to see. Rep. Dave Monson, R-Osnabrock, introduced the bill. He will also introduce legislation that would classify hemp as a crop. VirginiaVirginia legislators have proposed the following bills: HB1699, 1808 & SB880 Life sentence for juveniles involved in drug sales. Contact Info: WashingtonRep. Ida Ballasiotes, R-Mercer Island, hopes to save money and free up prison beds by altering drug laws. A bill she introduced would reduce sentences for drug offenses not involving weapons or sexual violence. Joseph Lehman, director of the Department of Corrections, said in The Seattle Times that the heavy punishments the state has set up in the past decade have helped deter and imprison violent criminals. But he isn't so sure the prisons should be filling up with drug users. Contact Info: WisconsinA Wisconsin legislator wants to legalize industrial hemp - a virtually non-potent form of marijuana - to provide another cash crop for beleaguered farmers. State Rep. Eugene Hahn (R-Cambria) said Monday that he's drafting a bill to legalize industrial hemp to help Wisconsin farmers facing bankruptcy from plummeting pork prices. Industrial hemp was grown in Wisconsin and other states during World War II to assist in the war effort. Contact Info: (This is a sampling of proposed state legislation, and is not comprehensive.) |
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