House Status:
Senate Status:
Senate Status:
Minutes for HB2139 - Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice
Short Title
Reducing the criminal penalties for most severity level 5 drug crimes and increasing the penalties for offenders in criminal history category 5-I.
Minutes Content for Wed, Feb 10, 2021
Chairperson Jennings opened the hearing on HB2139.
Natalie Scott, Assistant Revisor, provided an overview of HB2139 and the statute it affects. (Attachment 1) The revisor stood for questions.
Randall Bowman testified in support of HB2139 stating passage of HB2139 is an option to manage growth in the prison population with a projected eighty less persons in the facilities. While potentially beneficial, it is not a sufficient number to reduce current prison expenditures. (Attachment 2)
Scott Schultz submitted a Prison Bed Space Impact Assessment and testified in support of HB2139 stating severity level 5 drug crimes are primarily possession only offenses. Mr. Schultz reported research studies found lengthy prison terms do not reduce state drug problems. Further, more than a third of states have lowered penalties for possession of small amounts of drugs with one objective of the changes to save expensive prison space for the more serious offenders. Nine of these states have lowered some drug possession crimes from a felony to a misdemeanor. (Attachment 3) (Attachment 4)
Both participants were available for a discussion and questions from the Committee.
There was no opponent or neutral testimony.
Chairperson Jennings called for final questions from the Committee.
The hearing on HB2139 was closed.
