The Senate passed Lauren’s Law on Tuesday, legislation to increase penalties for drug-related offenses.
Senate Bill 584 is named after Lauren Cole, a 26-year-old Morgantown native and WVU graduate, who died after ingesting drugs laced with fentanyl in July 2020.
The offenders found guilty of providing Lauren with those drugs are currently serving 15-year prison sentences. Under this legislation, similar offenders could be penalized by up to 40 years in prison. Anyone guilty of transporting a controlled substance into the state would also face stricter penalties if this law is enacted, up to 30 years for more than five grams of fentanyl.
The bill now heads to the House of Delegates for consideration.
Also, on Tuesday, Senate Bill 456, that would define “men” and “women” in state code, was amended by the Senate to state that “nothing could be construed as authorizing an examination of a minor for purposes of determining the minor’s biological sex. The biological sex of a minor is determined by reference to the minor’s biological sex recorded at the minor’s time of birth.”
That amendment takes out an earlier House amendment that would have allowed a healthcare worker to perform a physical exam of a minor without parental consent.
The House of Delegates later accepted the Senate’s amendment before passing the bill. The legislation now heads to the Governor’s desk to await his signature.
The Senate is adjourned until tomorrow, March 12, at 11 a.m.
Afternoon Meetings:
Health at 1 p.m. in 451M
Finance at 3 p.m. in 451M
Judiciary at 3 p.m. in 208W
Morning Meetings for March 12:
Natural Resources at 9:30 a.m. in 208W
