Along with several other bipartisan fentanyl bills previously shelved by California lawmakers, Senate Bill 44, which would impose harsher punishments on fentanyl dealers, will also get a second chance at life with a hearing for reconsideration by the state Senate’s Public Safety Committee scheduled for April 25.
Authored by Sens. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) and Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Redlands), the bill proposes the creation of a California Fentanyl Admonishment informing anyone convicted of a fentanyl-related crime of the dangers associated with the drug and the potential for future criminal liability if their actions result in another person’s death.
“This measure is unprecedented in that it has 21 Senate co-authors—a majority of the house,” Umberg told The Epoch Times in a statement April 24. “It’s clear that the Senate and the vast majority of California’s local governments and public safety agencies are calling for this added tool to help them tackle the fentanyl crisis.”
