STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

SENATE, No. 60

with Assembly Floor Amendments

(Proposed By Assemblyman GIBSON)

ADOPTED: DECEMBER 4, 1997

      The Assembly Committee Substitute for Senate Bill No. 60 classifies the distributing, dispensing or possessing of controlled dangerous substances or controlled substance analogs in or within 500 feet of a public housing facility, a public park or a public building as a crime of the second degree. In the case of a violation involving less than one ounce of marijuana, the offense is classified as a crime of the third degree.

      Under these Assembly amendments, the definition of "public park" would be amended to include a public recreation facility or area.