Committee advances multiple measures in executive session, including firearms and a marijuana constitutional amendment referral
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Summary
In executive session the committee recommended several bills as 'expedient to legislate' and carried narrow roll-call votes on firearms-related measures and a referendum constitutional amendment concerning marijuana; multiple motions passed by close margins and some items were deferred or noted as already acted upon.
The Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee moved into an extended executive session to act on a list of bills provided by the clerk. The committee debated and voted on several measures in succession.
On CACR 19 (a proposed constitutional amendment concerning marijuana legalization), the chair moved that it be "expedient to legislate." Members debated whether to place the question before voters; the roll call recorded the motion as carrying 11-2. On firearms measures, the committee debated HB 1034 (possession of firearms on school property) and HB 1049 (secure storage of firearms). In both cases members raised public-safety and Second Amendment concerns; the motions to recommend "expedient to legislate" carried by narrow margins (records in the transcript show 7-6 votes on those items).
The committee also addressed other bills (including HB 1058 on carrying a loaded long gun on ATVs and HB 1061 regarding hospital-related measures) and noted procedural issues when some bills had already been reported out of committee. For several bills the chair requested minority reports where required. Where motions passed, the clerk called the roll and recorded votes; multiple motions passed by one- or two-vote margins. The committee ended its agenda after completing the clerk's list and scheduled to reconvene Friday to consider remaining items.
