Maryland 2024 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1245 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1245
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1245
8	8	E1 4lr3062
9	9	CF SB 1075
10	10	By: Delegates Tomlinson, Bouchat, Buckel, Kaiser, Lopez, Mangione, Phillips,
11	11	Pippy, Rose, and Stonko
12	12	Introduced and read first time: February 8, 2024
13	13	Assigned to: Judiciary
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
18	18
19	19	Criminal Law – Distribution of Heroin or Fentanyl Causing Serious Bodily 2
20	20	Injury or Death 3
21	21	(Victoria and Scottie’s Law) 4
22	22
23	23	FOR the purpose of prohibiting an individual from distributing heroin or fentanyl or a 5
24	24	chemical analogue of heroin or fentanyl, the use of which results in the death or 6
25	25	serious bodily injury of another; and generally relating to the distribution of 7
26	26	controlled dangerous substances. 8
27	27
28	28	BY adding to 9
29	29	Article – Criminal Law 10
30	30	Section 5–602.1 11
31	31	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
32	32	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 13
33	33
34	34	BY adding to 14
35	35	Article – Criminal Procedure 15
36	36	Section 4–201(j) 16
37	37	Annotated Code of Maryland 17
38	38	(2018 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 18
39	39
40	40	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 19
41	41	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 20
42	42
43	43	Article – Criminal Law 21
44	44
45	45	5–602.1. 22
46	46	2 HOUSE BILL 1245
47	47
48	48
49	49	(A) IN THIS SECTION, “DISTRIBUTE” DOES NOT INCLUDE THE SHARING OF 1
50	50	HEROIN OR FENTANYL O R A CHEMICAL ANALOGUE OF HEROIN OR FENTANYL 2
51	51	WITHOUT REMUNERATION OR THE EXCHANGE OF G OODS OR SERVICES. 3
52	52
53	53	(B) EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE P ROVIDED IN THIS TITL E, A PERSON MAY NOT 4
54	54	DISTRIBUTE HEROIN OR FENTANYL OR A CHEMICAL ANALOGUE OF HEROIN OR 5
55	55	FENTANYL WITHOUT THE LAWFUL A UTHORITY TO DO SO , THE USE OF WHICH 6
56	56	RESULTS IN THE DEATH OR SERIOUS BODILY IN JURY OF ANOTHER. 7
57	57
58	58	(C) THIS SECTION APPLIES REGARDLESS OF WHETHE R: 8
59	59
60	60	(1) THE DEATH OR SERIOUS BODILY INJURY TO ANO THER OCCURRED 9
61	61	AS A RESULT OF USING HEROIN OR FENTANYL O R A CHEMICAL ANALOGUE OF 10
62	62	HEROIN OR FENTANYL B Y ITSELF OR COMBINED WITH ANY COMPOUND , MIXTURE, 11
63	63	DILUENT, OR OTHER SUBSTANCE ; 12
64	64
65	65	(2) THE HEROIN OR FENTAN YL OR THE CHEMICAL A NALOGUE OF 13
66	66	HEROIN OR FENTANYL I S MIXED OR COMBINED WITH ANY COMPOUND , MIXTURE, 14
67	67	DILUENT, OR OTHER SUBSTANCE A FTER THE VIOLATION O F SUBSECTION (A) OF THIS 15
68	68	SECTION OCCURS; OR 16
69	69
70	70	(3) THE DISTRIBUTION OF HEROIN OR FENTANY L OR THE CHEMICAL 17
71	71	ANALOGUE OF HEROIN O R FENTANYL IS MADE D IRECTLY TO THE PERSO N WHO DIES 18
72	72	OR SUFFERS SERIOUS B ODILY INJURY. 19
73	73
74	74	(D) IF POSSESSION OF HEROIN OR FENTANYL OR A CHEMICAL ANALOGUE 20
75	75	OF HEROIN OR FENTANY L IS TRANSFERRED MOR E THAN ONCE PRIOR TO THE 21
76	76	OCCURRENCE OF THE DE ATH OR SERIOUS BODIL Y INJURY, EACH PERSON WHO 22
77	77	DISTRIBUTED OR DELIVERED THE HEROIN, FENTANYL, OR THE CHEMICAL 23
78	78	ANALOGUE OF HEROIN O R FENTANYL SHALL BE CONSIDERED TO HAVE VIOLATED 24
79	79	THIS SECTION. 25
80	80
81	81	(E) A PERSON WHO VIOLATES THIS SECTION IS GUIL TY OF A FELONY AND, 26
82	82	IN ADDITION TO ANY O THER PENALTY IMPOSED FOR A VIOLATION OF § 5–602 OF 27
83	83	THIS SUBTITLE, ON CONVICTION IS SUB JECT TO IMPRISONMENT NOT EXCEEDING 20 28
84	84	YEARS. 29
85	85
86	86	(F) A SENTENCE IMPOSED UND ER THIS SECTION SHAL L BE CONSECUTIVE 30
87	87	TO AND NOT CONCURREN T WITH ANOTHER SENTE NCE IMPOSED UNDER AN Y OTHER 31
88	88	PROVISION OF LAW . 32
89	89
90	90	(G) A PERSON WHO , IN GOOD FAITH, SEEKS, PROVIDES, OR ASSISTS WITH 33
91	91	THE PROVISION OF MED ICAL ASSISTANCE FOR A PERSON EXPERIENCIN G A MEDICAL 34 HOUSE BILL 1245 3
92	92
93	93
94	94	EMERGENCY AFTER USIN G HEROIN OR FENTANYL OR A CHEMICAL ANALOG UE OF 1
95	95	HEROIN OR FENTANYL SHALL BE IMMUNE FROM CRIMINAL PROSECUT ION FOR A 2
96	96	VIOLATION OF THIS SE CTION IF THE EVIDENC E FOR THE CRIMINAL P ROSECUTION 3
97	97	WAS OBTAINED SOLELY AS A RESULT OF THE P ERSON SEEKING , PROVIDING, OR 4
98	98	ASSISTING WITH THE P ROVISION OF MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. 5
99	99
100	100	Article – Criminal Procedure 6
101	101
102	102	4–201. 7
103	103
104	104	(J) EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED I N THIS SECTION, A PROSECUTION 8
105	105	OF A PERSON FOR A VI OLATION OF § 5–602.1 OF THE CRIMINAL LAW ARTICLE MAY 9
106	106	BE BROUGHT IN : 10
107	107
108	108	(1) THE COUNTY IN WHICH THE VIOLATION OCCURRED; OR 11
109	109
110	110	(2) THE COUNTY IN WHICH THE DEATH OR SERIOUS BODILY INJURY 12
111	111	OCCURRED. 13
112	112
113	113	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 14
114	114	October 1, 2024. 15