Republican lawmakers push to get fentanyl bill targeting repeat offenders in front of voters
SACRAMENTO — Republican lawmakers are pushing to get a plan to fight the fentanyl crisis in front of voters.
A state constitutional amendment would require prosecutors to warn repeat fentanyl dealers that they can be charged with murder if their sales lead to death. It's called Alexandra's Law.
But would a warning really make a difference? Assemblymember Joe Patterson of Rocklin said he believes this new legislation has enough teeth to make an impact.
"The Legislature has been focused on education efforts, but we really haven't done enough to hold people accountable who are preying on the children in our communities," Patterson said.
The proposal still needs support from two-thirds of lawmakers to get in front of voters. In the past, it failed in both the California Assembly and Senate.
"This would be 100% proof for prosecutors that, hey, we've already provided a warning to this person that they knew the dangers, and they chose to ignore it, anyways," Patterson said.