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Committee advances "Andy's Law" after hours of staff testimony on prison violence and drugs
Summary
The House Judiciary Committee favorably reported House Bill 338, known as "Andy's Law," after testimony from dozens of corrections staff and union representatives who described rising assaults, drug problems inside prisons and gaps in accountability. The committee tabled several amendments that would have altered funding and juvenile-related provisions.
The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday voted to favorably report House Bill 338, commonly called "Andy's Law," after extensive testimony from corrections officers, nurses and union representatives about rising violence and drug activity inside state correctional institutions.
Supporters told the committee the bill is intended to strengthen protections for Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (DRC) staff, increase penalties for in-prison assaults and limit the flow of illicit drugs into facilities. "We at RCI have not been the same since," said Caitlin Newman, a corrections officer who told the panel she responded to the Christmas-day assault that killed Officer Andy Lansing and described repeated, severe attacks on staff. "When an offender commits a violent crime in prison, they shouldn't be given a tablet."
The bill's backers described a package of measures including mandatory consecutive sentences for certain assaults…
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