House kills heroin-murder bill

After a long and impassioned debate, the House has rejected HB 178 , which sought to impose murder penalties on heroin pushers whose victims died. Opponents said they agreed with the goal, but felt that prosecutors already have that option when appropriate, and said the measure could have applied disproportionate penalties in some cases, such as when users share drugs. The bill failed on a 26-43 vote. More here.