Judiciary Meets Twice on Monday

Judiciary met this morning and this afternoon.

Markup & Passage

Senate Bill 102 requires all deeds except for a transfer on death deed and transfers between parents and children for consideration of less than $2,000 to contain a notarized acknowledgment of the grantee or grantees evidencing acceptance of the real property being conveyed.

Senate Bill 225 expands the powers of law-enforcement officers of the National Park Service to include the authority to enforce all laws of this state and the authority to investigate pursuant to that authority.

Committee Hearing

Senate Bill 196, Lauren’s Law, increases the penalty for the manufacture and delivery of controlled substances. Two new manufacture/delivery offenses are added for specific drugs, based on weight, and penalties for fentanyl. The bill removes the discretion that judges have for sentencing.

Senate Bill 474 eliminates the diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, training, activities, offices, and officers from the executive branch, primary and secondary schools, and higher education institutions.  The bill requires state institutions to reallocate unexpended funds that would have been expended on diversity, equity, and inclusion projects.

Senate Bill 586 requires appointments to vacancies for the offices of Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, Attorney General, Commissioner of Agriculture, Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals, Judge of the Intermediate Court of Appeals, member of Congress, or in any office created or made elective to be filled by the voters of the entire state, or judge of a circuit court or judge of a family court, to be made from a list of persons of the same political party with which the person holding the office immediately preceding the vacancy was affiliated at the time of the previous election for that office.

Senate Bill 875 permits certain brewers, brewpubs, manufacturers, and resident brewers to make privately labeled nonintoxicating beer or nonintoxicating craft beer brands available for purchase.

Senate Bill 886, the Foster Care Bill of Rights, provides that a child in foster care or a kinship placement must be aware of his or her rights.