Never mind how the 51 'yea' votes plans to pay for the new law; they just voted to override the 'ignorant' voters who returned them to office just last November. HB1482 is a bill which creates felonies where there used to be misdemeanors. To simply possess a controlled substance without proof of a valid prescription, is now punishable by 5 years in prison, where there used to be a 1 year incarceration cap. What's more troubling is that the "Felony Zones" are hardly recognizable in many of the situations where it would be prosecuted. Aside from the fact that this measure insults and undermines the voters who overwhelmingly approved SQ780, on the same November day that they elected these lawmakers; the weakness of the bill is in the application. HB1482 sets up thousands of invisible "Felony Zones" where penalties jump to 5 times as much prison time. The bill sailed through Rep. Scott Biggs' Judiciary Committee on an 11-1 vote. It passed the House floor vote on a slimmest 51 vote majority. |
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Sooner Politics
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