Bill > S64

This bill aims to increase neighborhood safety and opportunity by making several changes to existing laws. It increases certain fines for offenses, specifically raising the maximum fine from $100 to $1,300 in several instances related to chapter 18 of the General Laws. The bill also modifies penalties and sentencing guidelines for drug offenses under chapter 94C of the General Laws, often by reducing mandatory minimum sentences or increasing maximum fines, and in some cases, repealing certain subsections related to penalties. Additionally, it mandates the purging of records related to past motor vehicle license suspensions under a specific section of chapter 90, and requires that future suspensions under certain subsections be shielded from public access after their expiration. The bill also establishes a "Neighborhood Safety and Opportunity Trust Fund" within the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, which will be funded by savings from reduced incarceration costs and will be used to support job training, creation, and placement programs for individuals facing barriers to employment, with a defined "target population" including those under 25, veterans, individuals with felony convictions, and those living in poverty-stricken areas. Finally, it allows for the transfer of terminally ill or permanently incapacitated inmates to alternative care settings and provides a process for individuals currently serving sentences to petition for resentencing if the offense would have carried a lesser penalty under the new provisions of this bill, with courts having discretion to deny resentencing if there's an unreasonable risk to public safety.