March 22, 2016 - SACRAMENTO— Senator Cathleen Galgiani has announced the introduction of Senate Bill 1182. This bill is a reintroduction of Senate Bill 333 from last year and will help rectify an unintended consequence of
Proposition 47 by creating penalties for the possession of “date rape” drugs. In the November 2014 election, voters passed Proposition 47 which reclassified many crimes from felonies to misdemeanors.“The malicious intent behind possessing and using ‘date rape’ drugs on another individual necessitates an aggressive response from law enforcement,” said Galgiani. “These drugs will render a sexual assault victim completely incapacitated. They also result in a victim having little to no memory of the assault which took place. This allows a rapist to escape prosecution because a victim can’t remember the details of the crime when questioned in court.”
Senate Bill 1182 will restore the ability of district attorneys to pursue felony charges against individuals caught with the most common date rape drugs, including Rohypnol, GHB and ketamine. Similar legislation last year received a large swell of law enforcement support as well as support from crime victims groups and women’s groups. The bill passed through the Legislature with near unanimous, bipartisan support.
Source: Senator Cathleen Galgiani
