House Bill 1482, which amends State Question 780 passed by voters in November, is gaining support from superintendents. The legislation would declare a drug-free zone around schools and parks allowing prosecutors to charge suspects with felonies. SQ 780 made drug possession, no matter where, a misdemeanor as part of an effort to decrease the prison population and to offer more mental health and addiction services.
“I was absolutely furious to find out that State Question 780 would do away with drug-free school zones,” said Mike Martin, superintendent of Pauls Valley Public Schools. “Not only was the language intentionally withheld from the public but upheld by a court that should be defending public safety. Regardless of what has been done, as educators, we must do all we can to restore protection for our children. House Bill 1482 does that.”
HB 1482 was co-authored by Rep. Scott Biggs and Rep. Tim Downing. It was passed through committee last week and awaits a hearing on the House floor.
If signed into law, HB 1482 would make it a felony to possess drugs within 1,000 feet of a public or private school or public park or within the presence of a child under the age of 12. It also gives prosecutors the discretion to charge the crime as a misdemeanor.
“The bill also leaves the totality of SQ780 fully intact in every single square inch of Oklahoma, outside the presence of children and locations where children are targeted,” said Downing.
