Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Drug Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House rejects bill to shrink drug-free school zones and tweak penalties
Summary
Lawmakers debated reducing so-called drug-free school zones to 500 feet and adding libraries while removing commercial parking lots. Opponents said shrinking zones diluted protections; the bill failed and was returned to staff for filing.
Representative Harper presented House Bill 231 as a clarification intended to return drug-free zone law closer to its original intent around places where children congregate. He said the bill would reduce the enhanced-penalty zone from 1,000 feet to 500 feet, add libraries to the list of protected places, and remove commercial parking lots.
Critics argued shrinking the zone diluted protection. Representative Clark said the change "is absolutely lost on me" and urged expanding rather than shrinking zones. Representative Mascaro said he would oppose the bill unless boundaries matched enforcement priorities. Supporters including Harper said the changes restore the law’s original focus on children and give law enforcement better-targeted tools.
After floor debate and competing views, the House returned HB231 to staff for filing; the final tally was 23 yes, 43 no, and 9 absent.
The transcript records differing viewpoints about whether the statute should be broadened or narrowed; supporters framed this as restoring original intent, while opponents said it reduced protections for vulnerable neighborhoods.
