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Committee reports substitute adding 'gang' to Anti‑Organized Criminal Enterprise law
Summary
A Senate committee voted to report the committee substitute for Senate Bill 617 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass; the substitute adds gang activity as a qualifying offense under the state's Anti‑Organized Criminal Enterprise statute and defines "gang."
At a Senate committee meeting, members voted to report the committee substitute for Senate Bill 617 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass. Counsel told the panel the substitute "adds gang activity to the Anti Organized Criminal Enterprise Act" and defines the term "gang," while adding other offenses as qualifying conduct.
The committee substitute would extend application of the state's anti‑organized‑crime law to conduct identified as gang activity. Counsel said the gang definition used language pulled from a Department of Justice recommended source. Senator from Brook asked about a numerical distinction in the code: the existing organized criminal enterprise definition applies to five or more persons, while the bill's gang definition targets groups of three or more. Counsel said the organized‑crime definition was not altered by the substitute and that the gang definition was taken from the DOJ source.
There were no amendments to the substitute after discussion. Vice Chair moved that the committee substitute for Senate Bill 617 be reported to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass. The motion was adopted by voice vote and the chair declared the motion adopted; the committee substitute will be reported to the full Senate with a recommendation for passage.
The committee made no formal findings on sentencing ranges, enforcement resources, or fiscal impact during the discussion. The committee record shows the matter will proceed to the full Senate for further consideration.
