Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1398 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	hb1398
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1398
8	8	E1 5lr2605
9	9	HB 1245/24 – JUD CF SB 604
10	10	By: Delegates Tomlinson, Bouchat, Guyton, Kaufman, Lopez, Mangione, Miller,
11	11	Phillips, Rose, Spiegel, and Woorman
12	12	Introduced and read first time: February 7, 2025
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, Scottie, Ashleigh, and Yader’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 2024 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 2024 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
47	47	(A) IN THIS SECTION, “DISTRIBUTE” DOES NOT INCLUDE THE SHARING OF 23 2 HOUSE BILL 1398
48	48
49	49
50	50	HEROIN OR FENTANYL OR A CHEMICAL ANALOGUE OF HEROIN OR FENTANY L 1
51	51	WITHOUT REMUNERATION OR THE EXCHANGE OF G OODS OR SERVICES . 2
52	52
53	53	(B) EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE P ROVIDED IN THIS TITL E, A PERSON MAY NOT 3
54	54	DISTRIBUTE HEROIN OR FENTANYL OR A CHEMIC AL ANALOGUE OF HEROI N OR 4
55	55	FENTANYL WITHOUT THE LAWFUL AUTHORITY TO DO SO, THE USE OF WHICH 5
56	56	RESULTS IN THE DEATH OR SERIOUS BODILY IN JURY OF ANOTHER . 6
57	57
58	58	(C) THIS SECTION APPLIES REGARDLESS OF WHETHE R: 7
59	59
60	60	(1) THE DEATH OR SERIOUS BODILY INJURY TO ANO THER OCCURRED 8
61	61	AS A RESULT OF USING HEROIN OR FENTANYL O R A CHEMICAL ANALOGU E OF 9
62	62	HEROIN OR FENTANYL B Y ITSELF OR COMBINED WITH ANY COMPOUND , MIXTURE, 10
63	63	DILUENT, OR OTHER SUBSTANCE ; 11
64	64
65	65	(2) THE HEROIN OR FENTAN YL OR THE CHEMICAL A NALOGUE OF 12
66	66	HEROIN OR FENTANYL I S MIXED OR COMBINED WITH ANY COMPOU ND, MIXTURE, 13
67	67	DILUENT, OR OTHER SUBSTANCE A FTER THE VIOLATION O F SUBSECTION (A) OF THIS 14
68	68	SECTION OCCURS ; OR 15
69	69
70	70	(3) THE DISTRIBUTION OF HEROIN OR FENTANYL O R THE CHEMICAL 16
71	71	ANALOGUE OF HEROIN O R FENTANYL IS MADE D IRECTLY TO THE PERSO N WHO DIES 17
72	72	OR SUFFERS SERIOU S BODILY INJURY. 18
73	73
74	74	(D) IF POSSESSION OF HERO IN OR FENTANYL OR A CHEMICAL ANALOGUE 19
75	75	OF HEROIN OR FENTANY L IS TRANSFERRED MOR E THAN ONCE PRIOR TO THE 20
76	76	OCCURRENCE OF THE DE ATH OR SERIOUS BODIL Y INJURY, EACH PERSON WHO 21
77	77	DISTRIBUTED OR DELIV ERED THE HEROIN , FENTANYL, OR THE CHEMICAL 22
78	78	ANALOGUE OF HEROIN O R FENTANYL SHALL BE CONSIDERED TO HAVE V IOLATED 23
79	79	THIS SECTION. 24
80	80
81	81	(E) A PERSON WHO VIOLATES THIS SECTION IS GUIL TY OF A FELONY AND , 25
82	82	IN ADDITION TO ANY O THER PENALTY IMPOSED FOR A VIOLATION OF § 5–602 OF 26
83	83	THIS SUBTITLE, ON CONVICTION IS SUB JECT TO IMPRISONMENT NOT EXCEEDING 20 27
84	84	YEARS. 28
85	85
86	86	(F) A SENTENCE IMPOSED UND ER THIS SECTION SHAL L BE CONSECUTIVE 29
87	87	TO AND NOT CONCURREN T WITH ANOTHER SENTE NCE IMPOSED UNDER AN Y OTHER 30
88	88	PROVISION OF LAW . 31
89	89
90	90	(G) A PERSON WHO , IN GOOD FAITH, SEEKS, PROVIDES, OR ASSISTS WITH 32
91	91	THE PROVISION OF MED ICAL ASSISTANCE FOR A PERSON EXPERIENCIN G A MEDICAL 33
92	92	EMERGENCY AFTER USIN G HEROIN OR FENTANYL OR A CHEMICAL ANALOG UE OF 34 HOUSE BILL 1398 3
93	93
94	94
95	95	HEROIN OR FENTANYL S HALL BE IMMUNE FROM CRIMINAL PROSECUTION FOR A 1
96	96	VIOLATION OF THIS SE CTION IF THE EVIDENCE FOR THE CRIMINAL PRO SECUTION 2
97	97	WAS OBTAINED SOLELY AS A RESULT OF THE P ERSON SEEKING , PROVIDING, OR 3
98	98	ASSISTING WITH THE P ROVISION OF MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. 4
99	99
100	100	Article – Criminal Procedure 5
101	101
102	102	4–201. 6
103	103
104	104	(J) EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE P ROVIDED IN THIS SECTION, A PROSECUTION 7
105	105	OF A PERSON FOR A VI OLATION OF § 5–602.1 OF THE CRIMINAL LAW ARTICLE MAY 8
106	106	BE BROUGHT IN : 9
107	107
108	108	(1) THE COUNTY IN WHICH THE VIOLATION OCCURR ED; OR 10
109	109
110	110	(2) THE COUNTY IN WHICH THE DEATH OR SERIOUS BODILY INJURY 11
111	111	OCCURRED. 12
112	112
113	113	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 13
114	114	October 1, 2025. 14
115	115
116	116