FELONY TO MANUFACTURE DRUGS AROUND CHILDREN

The House Judiciary Committee approved a measure that would establish a new felony criminal penalty for a parent, guardian or caretaker who knowingly allows a child under age 14, or a mentally or physically disabled person under age 18, to be present at a location where illegal controlled substances are being manufactured. The penalty upon conviction would be a class "D" felony, with a maximum five years in prison.

This is primarily aimed at persons who manufacture methamphetamine, a dangerous process, but also applies to other illegal controlled substances. This provision would mirror an existing law in the state's juvenile code which already allows a juvenile court judge to remove a child from a home, if the parents are manufacturing illegal drugs in the child's presence.