Wednesday, February 14, 2001
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Wednesday, February 14, 2001 |
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Cox working on child endangerment bill
By MONROE
ROARK
State Rep. Kathy Cox introduced legislation last week that she hopes will help protect children from the criminal actions of their parents and other adults. House Bill 453, if enacted, would make it a misdemeanor if someone "fails to act in conscious disregard of a substantial and foreseeable risk that ... could endanger the health or safety of a child under the age of 16 years." If the child were injured, this new law would allow for a felony child endangerment charge. Cox was inspired to act by recent events such as a set of parents driving to a crack house with their children in tow and getting in the middle of a gunfight. "We're hoping this will close that gap between when authorities know something is going wrong but there isn't enough evidence to do anything," said Cox. Often when adults commit criminal acts and children are in the vicinity, sometimes in dangerous situations, the law does not address the endangerment of the child unless a death occurs, she said. She wants to do something about parents who are involved in criminal activity that "willfully puts kids in situations" where they could be in danger, she added. Cox, who is working on legislation relating to the proposed new teen driving regulations, also commented on the bill recently passed in the state Senate. She said that while she agrees with the Senate action and thinks Georgia needs a graduated licensing system, she added that mere chronological age is not enough and training must enter the picture as well. Cox wants mandatory driver training for any 16-year-old who wants a license, taken either privately or through the school system outside the regular school day. Her own proposed legislation would allow employers who pay for their employees' driver training to receive the same $150 tax credit already given to parents who pay for their children's training. "Hopefully this will encourage employers who rely on teen labor to take an active part in this state's efforts to ensure the safety of our roads and the protection of our young people," she said, adding that any student who does not take a certified training course should be made to wait until turning 17 to be licensed. "Due to the fact that every passenger riding with a teen driver greatly increases the chance of a fatal accident, I am supportive of limiting 16-year-old drivers to only one passenger," she said. While Cox is in favor of proposed legislation mandating strict penalties for drivers under 18 caught speeding excessively or driving recklessly, she says that she is not convinced that a 10 p.m. curfew is a "reasonable restriction." The teen driving bill is currently in the House Motor Vehicles Committee.
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