Latest news with #SenateBill618
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Hillsborough sheriff touts new law that targets juvenile drug dealers
TAMPA — A year ago, two young men bought what they believed were Percocet pills from a drug dealer. Both of them overdosed. One of them, 17-year-old Devin Ramos, died. His death was attributed to the effects of fentanyl, the powerful synthetic opioid that in the last decade has come to rival alcohol as the nation's deadliest substance. Hillsborough sheriff's investigators learned that the person who sold him the drugs was also 17 — too young to be charged with murder under state laws. Devin's was the story that Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister shared in a Wednesday morning news conference that highlighted a recent change to the law, which aims to hold young dealers accountable for the deaths of drug users. 'If he had used a gun, a knife or any other means to take someone's life, he would have faced murder charges,' Chronister said of the person who sold Devin the drugs. 'This dealer, simply because he was a juvenile, could not be held accountable.' Florida's first-degree murder law has long included a provision that allows drug dealers to be charged when users suffer a fatal overdose. That law was seldom invoked until recent years, when the opioid crisis created a surge in accidental overdose deaths along with demands for accountability. But the law specified that it applied only to people older than 18. The sheriff said he attended Devin's funeral last year. He met his mother, Amy Olmeda, and promised he would pursue a change in the law. That promise became a reality in this year's legislative session. Senate Bill 618 allows juvenile defendants to face a third-degree murder charge in cases where they give fentanyl to someone who dies. It carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison. The bill passed the Legislature with near-unanimous support and was signed into law last month by Gov. Ron DeSantis. At Wednesday's news conference, Olmeda spoke of her son as a young man who enjoyed making music, playing basketball and hanging out with his friends. He was a 'kind soul' with a 'huge heart,' she said. Olmeda said she was devastated when she learned that the person who gave him the deadly pills could not be prosecuted. She praised Chronister for pushing for the change in law. 'You will never understand how much this means to me and my family,' she said. 'I don't want to see another mother ever go through what I went through.' State Sen. Danny Burgess and Rep. Traci Koster shepherded the bill through the state Legislature. The law takes effect July 1. Hillsborough State Attorney Suzy Lopez, whose office has prosecuted similar cases against adults, said she believes the new law will prevent similar tragedies. 'It will act as a deterrent to the young drug dealers who are out there who think that age is a shield,' she said. ''I can't get charged if I'm under the age of 18.' That is not the case anymore.' While many adults have faced charges under the law allowing murder charges for fatal overdoses, such cases are tricky to prosecute. The state must prove that the accused knowingly gave the victim the drugs and that the same substance caused the death. Juries tend to favor lesser convictions for manslaughter, rather than murder, in such cases. A notable exception occurred last year in the Tampa case of Anthony Mansfield. A jury found Mansfield guilty of first-degree murder for selling fentanyl to 27-year-old Querraun 'Que' Talley, who later died. Mansfield, 47, received a mandatory penalty of life in prison. Several other overdose-related murder cases remain pending in Hillsborough court. Some of them also involve the distribution of fake Percocet pills. Last June, Hillsborough prosecutors charged Baylee Jacobs, 21, with murder in the death of Eric Schertzer, 19, who died after purchasing a Percocet pill that actually contained fentanyl. Federal prosecutors have also brought cases under laws that prohibit distribution of illegal drugs resulting in death. U.S. attorneys in Tampa last June indicted four men on charges related to the death of a University of South Florida student. In that case, too, the victim was given what were said to be Percocet pills which actually contained fentanyl, according to court records.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Eric's ID' moves from idea to reality, a ‘forever chemical' fail, the mother of all amendments
Del. Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Montgomery), left, poses with Eric and Linda Carpenter-Grantham at the State House on March 6. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters) Butterflies could soon be appearing on Maryland driver's licenses. That's because lawmakers are close to approving 'Eric's ID Law,' which would require the Motor Vehicle Administration to put the butterfly logo above the words 'hidden disability' on driver's licenses, identification cards, even moped licenses, for people with a 'nonapparent disability.' The bill is named for named after Eric Carpenter-Grantham, a 20-year-old Montgomery County resident with autism, one of the nonapparent disabilities identified in House Bill 707, which also includes anyone with developmental or intellectual disabilities that are not immediately noticeable. There is also a Senate version, Senate Bill 618. The House Tuesday give final approval to the Senate bill, which has already been sent to the goveror. The Senate unanimously passed the House version Thursday with minor technical amendments that need to be accepted by the House before it can be sent to the governor, too. The measures are sponsored by Carpenter-Grantham's District 20 representatives, Montgomery County Democrats Sen. William C. Smith Jr. and Del. Jheanelle Wilkins, and co-sponsored by Dels. David Moon and Lorig Charkoudian, among others. Carpenter-Grantham and his mother, Linda Carpenter-Grantham, traveled to Annapolis last month, when the House and Senate approved both measures in their respective chambers on the same day. 'The significance of that bill is that it was an idea that came from a constituent. We went out to coffee, explained some of the concerns with their situation, and that's the majesty of this process,' Smith said in an interview Tuesday. 'Eric and Linda are just amazing people that have really leaned into this process. It's very rare where you get a story, where you can start from a small seed of an idea, and then it grows to like an actual piece of legislation that's going to impact a lot of people.' A bill that would have banned certain PFAS chemicals from pesticides in the state is dead for this year after environmental groups and safety advocates pulled their support, the sponsor of the Senate bill said. The groups initially backed the bills, House Bill 386 and Senate Bill 345, which would have banned the sale of pesticides containing PFAS, chemicals that have been linked to serious health issues and are known as 'forever chemicals' because they are extremely slow to break down in the environment and the body. But the groups reneged after the definition of PFAS compounds was narrowed in the legislation, a change that was backed by some pesticide manufacturers. Under the amendment, PFAS would need to have two fluorinated carbon atoms, a departure from state law, which currently requires only one. Advocates worried that more-narrow definition could be used in other areas of state law dealing with PFAS. That disagreement ultimately sank the bill, said Sen. Benjamin Brooks (D-Baltimore County), who sponsored the Senate version. 'The supporters of the bill, they are just that entrenched, that they just cannot go with the double carbon,' Brooks said. 'So, it would be better to hold off for this session — maybe even next session — and come back.' It's the second high-profile PFAS measure to stumble in the closing weeks of the legislative session. Senate Bill 732 and House Bill 909 would have limited PFAS levels in the sewage sludge that comes from wastewater treatment plants, and is often applied to farm fields as fertilizer. But lawmakers said they could not reach agreement with treatment facilities. Bonnie Raindrop, coordinator of Maryland's Smart on Pesticides Coalition, said she was grateful to hear that the pesticide bill's shrunken PFAS definition would not advance into law. She is fearful that President Donald Trump's Environmental Protection Agency will soon consider the narrowed definition at the request of chemical industry groups. 'We are glad that they won't be able to point to Maryland and this bill as a justification for 'harmonizing' the definition to the 2-carbon definition,' Raindrop said in a statement. The Senate Education, Energy and the Environment Committee had issues with some of the content of House Bill 161. How much of an issue? The committee's amendment struck everything between 'Section 1. Be it enacted' on the first page to 'Section 2. And bi itfurther enacted' on the final page. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX HB161 once prohibited parents from opting their children out of required age-appropriate instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, drawing scathing criticism from House Republicans who argued that those discussions are best held at home, not in the classroom. The Senate amendmments, filed Wednesday, remove all the controversial provisions. Now, the bill simply affirms that counties must align their curriculum to state standards and creates a process to correct county curriculum if it is out of alignment with those standards. The Senate voted to approve the committee amendment Thursday morning, overhauling the legislation and removing the required instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation language in the process. It gave final approval to the amended bill laterin the day, on a 33012 vote. 'The committee saw an opportunity to … create a broader and clearer process,' Sen. Mary Washington (D-Baltimore City and Baltimore County) said when defending the legislation later Thursday. 'While this started in one place, it sort of highlighted a different broader issue and frankly … it wasn't really clear what locals could do if there was some disparity or discrepancy.' The initial version of the legislation arose in response to a Carroll County school board decision to remove certain curriculum related to LGBTQ+ issues. The House has passed versions of the bill to boost instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation, but those efforts have fallen short in the Senate so far. Minority Whip Justin Ready (R- Frederick and Carroll) said Thursday that he appreciated the changes to the bill, although he ultimately voted against it. 'I appreciate that this bill was not moved forward in the way that it came over, because as it was, I think it would not have been the right move for the state,' Ready said. 'The genesis of this legislation, which has been about an ongoing three-year saga, has been a disagreement about what's appropriate for different age groups in the context of sexuality and family life,' Ready said. 'Now the bill tried to do a lot of things that are not in the bill anymore … I do appreciate that a very egregious part of the bill, which was going to try to say that parents couldn't opt their children out of some of that instruction at all, was struck from this bill.' Despite the heavy amendments, Senate Republicans still voted against the bill Thursday. It now goes back to the House, which will have to decide whether it will accept the changes and send it on to the governor, or let the bill die.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oregon Republican lawmakers attempt to mirror Trump's trans athlete ban
PORTLAND, Ore. () — President Donald Trump's executive order blocking transgender athletes from competing in women's sports is drawing a variety of reactions — from condemnations to praise — in Oregon and beyond. There are already reported legal challenges following the executive order. However, some Oregon lawmakers are praising Trump's decision, urging similar action on the state level. PDX officials remain committed to sanctuary status 'No men in women's sports' — that's the bold executive order Donald Trump signed at the White House Wednesday. , sparking a heated debate nationwide. Debra Porta is the executive director of Pride Northwest, the nonprofit organization that's behind the annual Portland Pride event on the Waterfront. Porta told KOIN 6 News she believes the executive order will fuel discrimination and harassment for young people. 'Trans women, as a whole, are amongst the most vulnerable people in our country,' Porta said. 'It does real damage. We think, 'Oh it's just sports, it's just whatever.' But, you know, trans kids are at the top of the list for young folks who are vulnerable to suicide attempt — and success.' As part of his executive order, Trump said schools defying the mandate will lose critical funding, with no exceptions. 'America categorically rejects transgender lunacy,' Trump said. The Oregon School Activities Association says in its handbook that it allows students to compete based on their gender identity. Semi driver found guilty after crash that killed 7 KOIN 6 News reached out to OSAA for comment. In response, they said in part they are reviewing the executive order's impact with the Oregon Department of Education: 'The OSAA has been in contact with the Oregon Department of Education regarding the pending executive order and its impact in our state. We will work to review the executive order with our legal counsel and its potential effect on current Oregon nondiscrimination law and association policy. The OSAA will continue to act under the direction of the Association's members and in compliance with federal and state law to provide opportunities for tens of thousands of Oregon students to participate in interscholastic opportunities.' At the same time, some Oregon Republicans are pushing for similar action with two bills mirroring the executive order. That includes Senate Bill 618, which would divide sports by biological sex and ban biological males from female events, with legal action for violations. Supporting lawmakers said it's all about keeping sports 'fair' for women. Oregon House Republican Leader Christine Drazan also introduced LC 3895, a piece of legislation that would require 'schools to designate athletic competitions and extracurricular sports according to biological sex.' It would also prohibit 'biological males from participating in athletic competitions or extracurricular sports designated for biological females.' Porta said the idea of blocking trans people from participating in women's sports is anything but fair and the fight is far from over. 'We have always been here…and we'll always be here,' Porta said. There are several lawsuits already in the works challenging Trump's executive order. On Wednesday, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced he's exploring legal options to protect the rights of transgender people, including access to gender-affirming care. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
