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Committee adopts amendment removing 'intentional' and reports out bill making >30 mph over limit reckless driving
Summary
The House Committee on Community Safety adopted an amendment and reported Substitute Senate Bill 52 38 out of committee March 24; the amendment removes the word “intentionally” so the statute covers driving more than 30 miles per hour over the posted speed limit regardless of intent.
The House Committee on Community Safety moved March 24 to report out Substitute Senate Bill 52 38 after adopting an amendment that removes the word “intentionally” from the proposed expansion of reckless driving.
Madam Vice Chair moved that the bill be reported out with a do‑pass recommendation and the committee adopted amendment p.333, which expands the offense to include driving more than 30 miles per hour over the posted speed limit regardless of whether the act was intentional. Staff explained removing “intentional” was recommended by a DUI prosecutor who warned that proving intent would make the provision difficult to enforce.
Representative Burnett and other members described the measure as a tool to hold drivers who are “way over the speed limit” accountable and said they hoped it would curb extreme speeding and reduce injuries. The vice chair then moved to report the bill out of committee as amended; the committee took a voice vote and the record reflects that “all members are present and voting in the affirmative” on the do‑pass recommendation.
Committee staff and members clarified that law enforcement would retain discretion and would not be required to charge every instance that meets the speed threshold. The adopted language makes the violation enforceable without proving the driver intended to exceed the speed threshold.
The committee’s action included: adoption of amendment p.333 and reporting Substitute Senate Bill 52 38 out of committee with a do‑pass recommendation. The record shows a voice vote with all members voting in the affirmative; no roll‑call tally of individual member votes was provided in the committee minutes for this meeting.
