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Georgia committee advances 'Mile a Month' bill that mandates jail time for fleeing state troopers
Summary
Representative Trent McDonald’s HB 1265 would impose 30 days in jail for every mile a person drives while intentionally fleeing a Georgia state trooper or Department of Public Safety pursuit; the committee advanced the bill to rules after debate about overlap with existing law and potential constitutional challenges.
Representative Trent McDonald introduced House Bill 1265 — the “Mile a Month Act” — to the House Public Safety Committee, proposing that anyone who intentionally flees a Georgia State Patrol or Department of Public Safety pursuit serve 30 days in jail for every mile driven during the pursuit, with no probation, plea reductions or exceptions.
McDonald framed the bill as a public‑safety deterrent, citing recent high‑speed incidents and saying mandatory, non‑discretionary jail time would change offenders’ calculations. “1 mile, 1 month. That’s the deal,” he said in committee testimony, adding the measure would apply specifically to the Georgia State Patrol, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement and Georgia Capitol Police and include enhanced felony penalties for aggravated fleeing or for causing serious injury or death.
A Department of Public Safety witness, Lieutenant Mooney, told the panel his agency “totally support[s] this legislation” and said staff were present to assist with technical questions about pursuit logging.
Committee members pressed the author and counsel on how the new section would interact with existing code section 46‑3‑95, which already contains felony penalties for specified fleeing conduct (including excessive speed or causing an injury). Committee counsel said whether punishments would stack, be merged, or whether the defendant would receive the lesser sentence depends on charging decisions and statutory construction and may require further drafting to avoid legal challenges such as equal‑protection claims or issues under the rule of lenity.
Representative Neal said she supports the goal of reducing dangerous pursuits but asked for more time to collaborate on language, noting concerns about fairness, potential stacking of charges and the need for education so the public understands the new consequences.
Public commenter Bridal, who told the committee she had worked on related language previously, echoed that subsection C of 46‑3‑95 already contains serious felony penalties and offered to work with the author on compromises.
The committee voted by voice after a brief additional discussion. A motion to report the bill “do pass” carried and HB 1265 was advanced to the Rules Committee for further consideration.
Next steps: HB 1265 will await scheduling on the House floor and may be amended as members work out statutory overlap, definitions for when mileage begins (committee testimony said mileage is logged when a state trooper reports a pursuit as a 10‑80 to dispatch), and other drafting details.
