Representative Dwight Tosh

House Rules — March 20, 2025 (38:14)

about that that that could be used against the parents by the child

House Rules — March 20, 2025 (37:40)

that that happens but my concern is too that when you've got a relationship like i've just described that the that child could you know could use this situation actually to get back at at their parents you know almost use it like leverage hey if i don't you don't let me do this or that i'm going to go to school and i'm going to vape and and and you're going to be fine and you're going to be charged i can i can almost visualize that happening you know so have you have you thought

House Rules — March 20, 2025 (37:18)

forward to your bill representative Thank you. Representative Tosh, you recognize her question. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Representative, come at this from a little different angle, I agree with what the other legislators have said, but you know as well as I do that not every parent has the best relationship with their child, and we recognize that and know that those relationships sometimes are not as good as they should be,

Judiciary Committee (House) — March 20, 2025 (30:48)

And every time they try a new technique, we need to pass laws to counter that technique. And this law will do just that. And with that, I'm closed and I make a motion for a due pass. Members, we have a motion to

Judiciary Committee (House) — March 20, 2025 (31:12)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, committee members.

Judiciary Committee (House) — March 20, 2025 (30:29)

Tosh, you're recognized to close for your bill. Madam Chair, I'm closed with the bill. I think this bill is extremely important. I mean, like I said, this is getting to be a real issue, And I applaud Arkansas State Police for getting these individuals off the highway as quickly as possible.

Judiciary Committee (House) — March 20, 2025 (29:43)

No, not necessarily. No, that's not true. What that does, Counselor, what it says is that if that vehicle causes an injury, it's still going to fall under the classifications into current law now. All this bill is doing, it says if the driver exits that vehicle, if they exit the vehicle, if it's going to be a Class B or Class C felony, if they exit the vehicle to evade arrest, then it's going to go up one level, which would increase it to the next classification of the felony.

Judiciary Committee (House) — March 20, 2025 (28:38)

that I just mentioned where you're going down the wrong way on a one-way street or you are passing on hills or you're passing on double yellow lines in curves on the shoulder, et cetera, then that would be a class C felony. Then if there's injuries involved, then it moves up to a Class B felony. So that's the different classifications. And if you fall into one of those categories in a high-speed pursuit and then you exit the vehicle, whatever it would have been originally before that, if you exit, that would raise that level of one classification.

Judiciary Committee (House) — March 20, 2025 (28:18)

B or an A? Okay, for example, the bill that I ran last time, If you're fleeing and it's just exceeding the speed limit, you're not really, you know, passing on double yellow lines on the shoulder, that would be a class D felony. However, if you become extremely reckless to the point that you are doing those things

Judiciary Committee (House) — March 20, 2025 (27:52)

add? That was a good summary, Kevin. Thank you, sir. We'll leave it there. All right, we'll leave it there.

Judiciary Committee (House) — March 20, 2025 (27:35)

if you exit that vehicle while it's still moving, we're going to enhance that penalty, and now that Class D felony will be a Class C felony. And that's what this bill does for those that exit the vehicle while it's still moving to try to evade and escape the officer. So with that, Colonel, do you have anything you want to

Judiciary Committee (House) — March 20, 2025 (27:02)

has to be to get that vehicle off the road because, like I said, it's uncontrolled and they'll tell him where it's going to end up. So by the person abating or exiting the vehicle, it allows that individual more time to be able to put distance between himself and the officer to be able to escape. So what we're doing with this legislation, we're simply enhancing the penalty. If you're fleeing, which is the bill that I ran during the last session, increased it to a Class D felony,

Judiciary Committee (House) — March 20, 2025 (26:29)

These people have total disregards for the safety and well-being for others. But one of the tactics that they've started using is right before the law enforcement officers as they're closing in on them and they're trying to get them off the highway is that they will exit that vehicle. And then when they do that, they are leaving basically a missile now that's uncontrolled and unoccupied. So the law enforcement officer's first priority and that trooper's first priority

Judiciary Committee (House) — March 20, 2025 (25:58)

And in coordination with that, that the prosecutors are going to put you in jail. They're going to prosecute. One of the things that we've realized is when these individuals decide to flee from law enforcement officers and they turn those 5,000 or 6,000 or 7,000 pounds of steel, rubber, and glass into missiles, their targets are any innocent person that is traveling down that highway, whether it be your spouse, your children, or whoever it may be.

Judiciary Committee (House) — March 20, 2025 (25:27)

And we realize that those that are fleeing from police officers has reached an all-time high. According to the state police, just last year alone, just for that agency, there was over approximately 600 high-speed pursuits. And, you know, there's a campaign that's been put forth that the Arkansas State Police here in our great state, that if you run from our state troopers, that they are going to put you in the ditch.

Judiciary Committee (House) — March 20, 2025 (24:57)

I'm Representative Dwight Tosh, District 38. And with me at the end of the table is Lieutenant Colonel Mike Kennedy, Deputy Director, Arkansas State Police. Colleagues, during the last session, I ran legislation that increased the penalty for fleeing from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class D felony. And I think all of us here on this committee and probably in this room, you know, we watch the news and keep up with it.

Insurance & Commerce (House) — March 31, 2025 (47:22)

And you said a while ago, and I just want to follow up on that, that I thought you said this would be an increase to our school districts around the state when they participate and we mandate this. I'm sorry you heard it that way.

Insurance & Commerce (House) — March 31, 2025 (46:17)

Have they taken a position on this? They're neutral. They're merging their

Insurance & Commerce (House) — March 31, 2025 (46:27)

two years in council. I understand what you're doing here. I'm just a little concerned that it just looks like we're taking away local control from our schools and almost mandating that they have to do this, and I'm a little concerned about that because it just seems like we're taking that local control away from them and we're taking it.

Insurance & Commerce (House) — March 31, 2025 (46:14)

of Arkansas. Where's the school board association?