DRUG LAW CHANGES AWAIT GOVERNOR

ALBANY - Gov. George Pataki has until Aug. 30 to decide the fate of a bill
that would allow an estimated 500 drug offenders incarcerated under the
Rockefeller Drug Laws to appeal their sentences and possibly leave prison
early.

The legislation, passed by both the Republican-controlled Senate and the
Democrat-led Assembly, covers felons convicted of Class A2 crimes, the
second-highest drug offenses. Pataki and legislative leaders last December
agreed to do away with life sentences for both the highest-level Class A1
crimes and A2 crimes, but allowed only A1 offenders to retroactively appeal
their sentences under the new guidelines.

The Senate sent the measure to Pataki Thursday. The governor has 10 days,
starting today and not including Sundays, to sign it, veto it or take no
action, in which case it will automatically become law.

Pataki in June said he had "some concerns" about the bill. Thursday, Pataki
spokeswoman Mollie Fullington said only that the governor will review it.

The bill's supporters say it would continue to reform the harsh 1973
Rockefeller Drug Laws, which mandated life sentences for selling or
possessing relatively small amounts of narcotics.

"The governor has talked a lot about Rockefeller reform, and now we expect
him to walk the talk and sign this bill immediately," said Gabriel Sayegh,
policy analyst at the Drug Policy Alliance, a group in favor of drug law
reform.

But advocates have also been sure to note that the bill doesn't help reduce
the sentences of B-level drug offenders, who make up the bulk of those
serving time on drug-related convictions.