A bill creating a new felony charge of obstructing a law enforcement officer with a motor vehicle cleared the House in a contentious vote Tuesday evening. A separate bill raising the penalties against protesters who block streets or highways passed the Senate hours earlier largely along party lines.
House Bill 1076, sponsored by Powder Springs Republican Rep. Ginny Ehrhart, imposes a $100,000 fine and a prison sentence of up to five years for anyone convicted of obstructing law enforcement “by means of a moving or stationary motor vehicle.” It passed in a 97-64 vote after more than an hour of debate.
Obstructing law enforcement is already a misdemeanor offense under state law, but Ehrhart argued that a heightened penalty was needed to deter the behavior.
“These scenarios escalate quickly and the risk is high,” she said. “We need to deter this crime before injury or death occurs.”
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