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Felony eluding bill passes
Senate
Ross
thankful for work to revisit bill from last year
House Bill 1030 passed the Senate today by a vote of 48-1. Known as
the felony eluding bill, the measure died in the Senate last year. The
bill is co-sponsored by
Rep. Charles Ross,
R-Naches, who has worked on the measure since last year.
"I'm pleased that we were
able to work with the Senate to get this passed," Ross said. "I want
people to think twice before they run from the police, and be charged
for putting other people's lives in danger."
A similar bill was
championed by
Ross
last year, the first bill he introduced as a legislator.
House Bill 1198
was named the "Guillermo 'Bobby' Aguilar and Edgar F. Trevino-Mendoza
public safety act" for two young men in Yakima who were killed while another man
eluded police. The bill that passed today had the same penalties as
Ross' bill and was also named after the same young men.
"It was an honor to be
able to work through the concerns that were addressed, follow the bill
through the process, and see the work come to fruition for the people
in my district," Ross said.
The bill differs slightly from the version passed by the House in
January. An amendment adopted in the Senate would require that proof be
shown that a third person was at danger by the eluding activity.
"While a police
officer is trained to deal with these dangerous situations, the general
public is not. Therefore the public is more likely to be harmed during
these chases. It makes sense to have this penalty only apply to people
other than the person eluding and law enforcement," Ross said.
The bill now goes back to
the House for concurrence, or agreement, on the amendment. If it passes
out of the House, it would be sent to the governor who has five days
after it is delivered to sign the bill into law.
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For more information, contact:
Sarah Lamb, Public Information
Officer - (360) 786-7720
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