Out of all the stupid, flawed, pandering pieces of legislation floating around the capitol this session, one of the worst is SB 560.
Dubbed the "I Tread On You Act" and introduced by famed Derplahoman lawmaker Nathan Dahm, the bill would give motorists the freedom to run over protestors if they have a "reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great bodily harm."
Here's the official language:
A person, who lawfully is in an occupied vehicle that is approached and surrounded by a person or persons engaged in unlawful activity who has blocked the road, shall not be subject to criminal or civil prosecution for a reasonable effort to escape from the unlawful activity with or without damage to the vehicle.
Despite its many obvious flaws, like the fact that it could easily be exploited by a right-wing vigilante lunatic (or an angry OSU fan stuck in post-game traffic following a Bedlam game in Norman), the bill easily passed the Senate by a 36 - 8 margin.
The logical assumption was the bill would then fly through the diabolical House, and eventually be signed into law by Governor Stitt, probably while sitting in the bed of an F-450. But in a surprise move, it appears to have hit a roadblock:
From a House committee:
— Kayla Branch (@kayla_branch) March 24, 2021
SB 560, which gives legal protection to a fleeing driver that hits a protester in a roadway, was just stalled with a 4-4 vote.
The lawmaker presenting the bill is now trying to get the House Speaker to maybe cast a tie-breaking vote in favor of the bill.
Looks like the Speaker wasn't able to make it down before the meeting ended. Expect the bill to be heard again during committee next week.
— Kayla Branch (@kayla_branch) March 24, 2021
For background on this issue: https://t.co/1KLT7DFVry https://t.co/DNvjVycYKj
That's kind of cool! Sure, there's a chance it could still become law, but I'm going to assume that if he really wanted it to pass, Speaker McCall would have found a way to make it down before the meeting ended. Then again, maybe the steps were being blocked by Deprlahoman lawmakers and he didn't know what to do.
Either way, this is semi-good news. I guess we'll continue to monitor this situation and provide updates. Stay with The Lost Ogle. We'll keep you advised.
