Pappas Urges Adoption for Amendment to Close MORE Act Loopholes for Drug Traffickers and Violent Felons

Statement

Today, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) released the following statement ahead of a Rules Committee meeting that will consider his proposed amendment to the MORE Act:

"I support decriminalizing marijuana and passing federal reform so that states can make their own decisions about how to regulate these substances. But the MORE Act as it's written is deeply flawed, and it's unfortunate that the House appears to be rushing to approve the same bill it passed a year ago that has absolutely no chance of becoming law. We must do better. As written, this bill contains loopholes that would allow expungement of federal drug charges for individuals who simply should not be eligible, jeopardizing public safety. The amendment I am submitting would explicitly prevent individuals including violent felons, organized crime leadership, or anyone who has been found guilty of trafficking fentanyl from being let out of prison or having their records expunged. We must close these loopholes to ensure that this bill achieves reform and corrects injustices that have disproportionately impacted communities of color and low-income communities. I urge the Committee to rule this amendment in order and give the House a chance to support it."

As written, the MORE Act includes several loopholes that could make drug traffickers eligible for records expungement.

Pappas's proposed amendment would close these loopholes and ensure that anyone who falls into the following categories would not mistakenly be made eligible for records expungement:

Anyone who has played a leadership role in an organized crime enterprise.
Anyone who has been found guilty of trafficking fentanyl.
Anyone who was found guilty of a crime of violence, a sex offense, an offense causing death or serious bodily injury, a serious violent felony, or has a prior conviction for such an offense.
Anyone who was found guilty of possession of a dangerous weapon or the use or threat of violence in relation to their conviction.
Anyone who was found guilty of distributing drugs in or near schools, or to minors.
Define the term "non-violent," with respect to a federal cannabis offense, as one in which the offense did not involve the possession of a dangerous weapon or the threat, use, or direction of violence.

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