During its last week of session, the Tennessee General Assembly overwhelmingly approved legislation targeting organized street racing.
State Representative John Gillespie (R-Memphis) and State Senator John Stevens (R-Huntingdon) sponsored the legislation, which was originally approved in by the State Senate in late February.
The House then held the legislation behind the budget. On April 27, the House approved the legislation with an amendment, 84 votes to 4.
The next day, the Senate motioned to substitute and conform to the House-passed version. The body then unanimously passed the bill, 30-0.
The bill will now head to Governor Lee’s desk for his signature.
The General Assembly-approved legislation introduces a new offense to the Tennessee code, aggravated reckless driving. If passed, these bills would make this new offense a Class A misdemeanor, which carries a maximum penalty of 11 months and 29 days in jail, fines up to $2,500, or both.
The legislation as passed reads:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 55, Chapter 10, Part 2, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:(a) A person commits aggravated reckless driving who:
(1) Commits the offense of reckless driving, as defined in § 55-10-205; and
(2) Intentionally or knowingly impedes traffic upon a public street,
highway, alley, parking lot, or driveway, or on the premises of a shopping center,
trailer park, apartment house complex, or any other premises accessible to motor
vehicles that are generally frequented by the public at large.(b)
(1) A violation of this section is a Class A misdemeanor.
(2) In addition to the penalty authorized by subdivision (b)(1), the court
may assess a fine of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) to be collected
as provided in § 55-10-412(b) and distributed as provided in § 55-10-412(c).
Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-10-412, is also amended by deleting subsection (b) and adding:
(b) The proceeds from the increased portion of the fines for driving under the influence of an intoxicant provided for in chapter 948 of the Public Acts of 1994, the additional fines for reckless driving, under § 55-10-205(d)(2), and the additional fines for aggravated reckless driving, under SECTION 1(b)(2) must be collected by the respective court clerks and then deposited in a dedicated county fund. This fund does not revert to the county general fund at the end of a fiscal year but remains for the purposes set out in this section. For the purposes of this section, the “increased portion of the fines for driving under the influence of an intoxicant” means the first one hundred dollars ($100) collected after the initial collection of two hundred fifty dollars ($250) on a first offense, the first one hundred dollars ($100) collected after the initial collection of five hundred dollars ($500) on a second offense, and the first one hundred dollars ($100) collected after the initial collection of one thousand dollars ($1,000) on a third or subsequent offense.
Additionally, “SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-10-412(c), is amended by deleting the language ‘the funds generated by the increased fines provided for in chapter 948 of the Public Acts of 1994,’ and substituting ‘the funds collected pursuant to subsection (b)’.”
The legislation would take effect on July 1, 2022 if it becomes law.
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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]. Follow Aaron on GETTR, Twitter, and Parler.
Photo “John Gillespie” by Tennessee General Assembly. Photo “John Stevens” by Tennessee General Assembly. Background Photo “Street Racing” by Lucas Ludwig.
I would like to express my gratitude for the thoughtful contributions you have made regarding this.
Intentionally or knowingly impedes traffic upon a public street,
highway, alley, parking lot, or driveway, or on the premises of a shopping center,
trailer park, apartment house complex.
Putting street racers in prison is a ridiculous concept. Every day, you may witness all kinds of criminals walking free, yet you want to lock up a street racer for a whole year. A complete waste of money and a prison cell that might have been used to hold a serious danger to society. It’s time for our nation to wake up to some of these laws and vote out some of these politicians.
This pretty much do nothing significant legislature let MANY good bills die in committee. They passed an outrageous budget. Gerrymandered the regulations for funding public schools. Expanded TennCare. Did nothing to rein in the governor who used emergency orders (18 months!) to shut down citizens’ daily lives. So this little crumb on the end of the session does nothing to placate me. Time to elect some reps and senators who will put their constituents first. Many of the existing ones have been in office so long they are bound by all types of backroom deals made over the years. Clean the place out!
The idea of putting street racers in jail is just plain stupid. You see all sorts of criminals out there getting off with little or no time but you want to put a street racer in jail for a year. Just plain crazy and a waste of tax payers money as well as a waste of a jail cell that could house a real threat to society. This country really needs a kick in the pants to wake up to some of these laws and vote some of these people out of office.