Item 6: Ratification of IGR Minutes and Direction on Legislative Policy

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Ms. Taylor said she thought the age should be changed to 16. She noted in some states people could get married at 16. Ms. Bettman moved to Support the bill at Priority 2. The motion passed unani- mously, 3:0. HB 2370-A Mr. Cushman explained that the “A” version added language prohibiting the seizure of firearms. He said HB 2652 accomplished the same thing. He said the wording of both bills would actually result in less authority for the Police Department to seize firearms than it had under current law. Ms. Bettman, seconded by Ms. Piercy, moved to Oppose the bill as a Priority 2 with amendments to make seizure provisions consistent with current law. The mo- tion passed unanimously, 3:0. SB 526 Ms. Taylor stated she was concerned with the mandatory sentence of 120 months, which she felt was far too long in a situation where someone did not intend to cause harm. She said that a person who accidentally killed someone would be suffering enough already. Ms. Bettman said the bill related to situations such as a drug dealer who cut heroin with a substance that caused a young person who tried it to die of an overdose. Ms. Taylor agreed that was horrible but thought that person would be filled with remorse. She questioned whether that person would be a threat to society and said the only reason to keep someone in prison for a long time was to prevent repeat offenses. Mr. Cushman commented that the bill was attempting to create a significant penalty related to drugs as a deterrent to situations such as Ms. Bettman described. Ms. Piercy asked if the provisions of the bill would apply if someone under the influence of a controlled substance given to them died in an accident as that did not seem to be the intent of the legislation. Mr. Cushman said that would likely have to be determined by a court. He said staff was not opposed to amendments that would tighten the language to remove that ambiguity. Ms. Bettman moved to Support the bill with amendments as a Priority 3. The mo- tion passed unanimously, 3:0. SB 631 Ms. Bettman stated she wanted to oppose the bill because it meant there would be situations when someone could achieve an early release date and it was not appropriate. Mr. Cushman said there was no objection to opposing the legislation and the drop was recommended in part because of prison overcrowding, but acknowledged that the bill would contribute to the release of some prisoners at an earlier date than they should have been. MINUTES—Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations March 16, 2007 Page 8