Committee approves felony obstruction bill after heated exchange; amendment to remove "stationary" fails

Representative Earhart presented House Bill 1076, which would make it a felony to knowingly use a motor vehicle to obstruct, hinder or otherwise interfere with law‑enforcement officers performing official duties.

"A motor vehicle in the hands of an ill‑intentioned person is a lethal weapon," the author said, describing examples and citing an increase in related bills nationwide. Supporters including former prosecutors and sheriff and police organizations framed the measure as a deterrent to conduct that can rapidly escalate to deadly outcomes.

Civil‑liberties groups pushed back. Brandy Blue, a legislative fellow with the ACLU of Georgia, warned that existing code sections criminalize related conduct and that the bill’s inclusion of "stationary" vehicles risked criminalizing inadvertent or passive behavior by people with disabilities or witnesses who stop to record. "If you have a parked vehicle and an officer determines your stationary vehicle hinders their ability, you have committed a felony," Blue testified, urging removal of the word "stationary." A similar point was made by a witness who said she is legally deaf and worried about accidental encounters being treated as felonies.

Senator — (committee discussion) offered an amendment to remove the word "stationary." The amendment failed on a recorded voice count (the transcript reports three in favor; the amendment did not pass). The committee then considered the motion to pass the bill and the transcript records a 4–3 outcome in favor of passage.

Why it matters: Proponents said the bill targets dangerous conduct using vehicles to impede emergency response and police operations. Critics cautioned the language could be overbroad and urged narrowing exceptions for those who do not "knowingly" obstruct.

Next step: The measure passed the committee on a 4–3 vote and will proceed to the floor with dissent recorded in committee.