NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Street racing may be thrilling in the movies, but in real life, it can lead to serious injuries and even death. Over the years, the complaints and concerns have almost been as loud as the act itself.
Currently, if you get busted by police, it's only a misdemeanor offense. But Rep. John Gillespie (R-Shelby County) wants to throttle that up to a Class E felony. That's potentially one to six years behind bars.
"This is illicit behavior and we have to do something about it," said Gillespie. "Unfortunately this is an ongoing problem that’s not going away. People are dying."
The question becomes, does serving longer sentences actually keep someone from doing something illegal?
Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) thinks the answer is no.
"I don’t think an extra penalty is going to make that difference. I think there are other ways to deal with this," she said.
Johnson also thinks if the whole point of this is to reduce injuries and deaths, those come with increased sentences. "I don't understand why you’re going to give an enhancement for something for folks that are going to already be charged with the other crimes they committed," said Johnson.
But she was the only lawmaker hitting the brakes. Everyone else on the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee had their foot on the gas and passed the bill.
The bill has several more stops before it can be voted on before the full Tennessee House.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
