Virginia panel quashes bill allowing murder charges for drug dealers if overdose occurs
VA Democrat-led committee voted 8-7, saying bill could discourage dealers from calling 911
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Democrat-led Virginia Senate committee has voted down a bill that would have allowed prosecutors to charge drug dealers with second-degree murder if a user dies of an overdose
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin had thrown his support behind such a measure, highlighting it in a speech last week.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted the measure down on an 8-7 vote Monday, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported, after hearing from opponents who said it could discourage drug users from calling 911 if they see someone overdosing.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw broke with his fellow Democrats and voted to move the bill forward, according to the newspaper.
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A bill allowing murder charges for drug dealers if an overdose occurs was shot down by a Democrat-led Virginia Senate committee.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The bill's sponsor, Sen. Ryan McDougle, said the bill was needed because of a 2014 ruling from the Virginia Supreme Court that said "if a drug dealer sells the drugs and then leaves and the person overdoses, he can’t be charged."
"How many deaths will it take for this measure to pass?" asked Robert Tracci, a senior assistant attorney general who told the committee that Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares supports the measure.
A House version of the bill will likely continue to advance but will eventually have to clear the same Senate committee that killed McDougle's version.