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Proposal would add mandatory term for repeat felony drug traffickers, sponsors say
Summary
House Bill 487 would create a 'repeat drug offender' specification adding a mandatory one-year-to-10-year term for traffickers with at least two prior felony trafficking convictions, sponsors said, aiming to target repeat traffickers rather than people with substance-use disorders.
Representatives Williams and Plummer told the committee HB487 would create a repeat-drug-offender specification for defendants convicted of felony drug trafficking who have two or more prior felony trafficking convictions. Under the bill, a qualifying specification would require the court to impose the longest applicable prison term for the underlying trafficking offense plus a mandatory one-to-10-year term for the specification.
Sponsors framed the measure as targeted at repeat offenders who persistently sell drugs and exploit communities rather than people who need treatment. Representative Plummer, a former sheriff, described community harms and argued the measure would hold persistent traffickers accountable. The sponsors said prosecutors should retain discretion about whether to charge the specification and that negotiations would likely address specifications in plea discussions.
Committee members did not record extended debate or formal opposition in the hearing transcript; the sponsors said the bill is a tool for prosecutors and does not remove judicial discretion to deny prison in individual cases.
