Sacramento, CA — Mother Lode Republican Assemblyman Jim Patterson is praising the decision of the Assembly Public Safety Committee to hold a special hearing next week on fentanyl.
A handful of bills will be reviewed, including one he authored, AB 1058, which would increase penalties on fentanyl dealers caught with over an ounce of the drug. A week ago, the chair of the committee, Democrat Reggie Jones-Sawyer, stated that no additional fentanyl bills would be heard until a special session in June.
However, there has been growing pressure from families impacted by the drug, and many lawmakers, to take action sooner.
Assemblyman Patterson was pleasantly surprised by the action, stating, “I have been in this Assembly for 10 years, and I have never seen anything like this. The voice of the people broke through the obstruction and bias against holding fentanyl drug dealers accountable.”
Other proposed legislation up for review would create a Fentanyl Addiction and Overdose Prevention Task Force, adding enhancements of penalties for dealers who sell fentanyl to someone who dies from it, directing emergency management agencies to crack down on fentanyl trafficking, prohibiting anyone who is in possession of fentanyl from carrying a gun, and enhancing penalties on fentanyl dealers who target children on social media.