
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, March 5, 1990                   TAG: 9003052093
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                 LENGTH: Medium

DEATH BILL ADVANCES

A Senate committee on Sunday endorsed a bill backed by the Wilder administration that would allow the death penalty for murders that occur during drug deals.

The death penalty expansion was among several anti-drug measures approved by the Courts of Justice Committee as it faced a deadline of today for committee action on legislation before the General Assembly.

Two other drug bills would increase traffic and criminal fines by $2 and create a private fund-raising authority to pay for police efforts to combat drugs.

The committee approved the death penalty bill 11-4 with little discussion because it had been aired at a public hearing Thursday. The vote was delayed then at the request of Sen. Moody E. Stallings Jr., D-Virginia Beach, who wound up supporting the measure.

The bill, sponsored by freshman Del. Edgar C. Eck, D-Richmond, has been approved by the House and has the strong backing of Gov. Douglas Wilder.

Wilder, who made the war on drugs one of his chief campaign pledges, also supports the other two drug bills.

The committee voted 7-5 to endorse the $2 fine increase, but voted again after an amendment to delete traffic offenses failed 8-5. The second vote to report the bill was 10-4.

Sen. Dudley Emick, D-Fincastle, who suggested the amendment, said there is "no correlation at all" that justifies making people caught for speeding pay for the drug war.

But Stallings said the bill, sponsored by Del. William S. Moore Jr., D-Portsmouth, provides a good way to fight drugs without raising taxes.

"We need to put up or shut up" in the fight against drug dealers, he said. "Gov. Wilder said he was going to go after these people and he needs the money."

An Eck-sponsored bill approved 7-6 would create the Local Anti-Drug Trust Fund Authority. The authority, which would consist of six legislators, a law enforcement official and a private citizen, would raise private funds that would be sent to localities to fight drugs.

The grants to localities would be decided by the governor and confirmed by the authority, Eck said.

"We're not ready to take the money out of the general fund so why not let the private sector take a crack at it," Stallings said.

by CNB