DENVER–In the face of a substance abuse crisis, bipartisan legislation was introduced by Senator Byron Pelton (R-Sterling) and Senator Kyle Mullica (D-Thornton) to raise the penalty for drug dealers that sell substances that lead to the a death of their “customer.”
Senate Bill 23-109 passed the State Senate a month ago. Since then, it has sat, waiting for Representative Mike Weissman (D-Aurora) to give it a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee, where he is the Chair. With the legislative session ending in just over a week, time is running out.
Michael Fields, President of Advance Colorado, issued the following statement:
“What’s the hold up here? If Representative Weissman plans on killing this bipartisan bill by not giving it a hearing on time, he should have the courage to say so. Thousands of Coloradans have lost their lives to drug dealers who have no regard for human life. If Representative Weissman wants to stand with those dealers and not give this bill a chance in his committee, then Coloradans need to know.
It’s also time for Governor Polis to step up. If he is serious about making Colorado one of the top-ten safest states in the nation, he needs to weigh in on SB23-109 and help get it across the finish line.”
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