As the 2017 legislative session moves on, local lawmakers are hoping to draw support on bills for a range of issues, from stricter DUI enforcement to criminal justice reform.
Local legislators have filed dozens of bills, and while it’s highly unlikely that one like District 37 Rep. Gary Chism’s (R-Columbus) House Bill 713 will pass, it is hoped that it will draw legislators’ attention to a particular issue.
HB 713, known as the “Scarlet Letter Driving Under the Influence Act,” would require motorists convicted of a second-offense DUI to have a yellow and red license plate that marks them as a repeat offender for one year.
Applying for the tag carries a $50 fee that would be deposited into the state’s interlock device fund, which provides funding for interlock devices to place in offenders’ vehicles after they get a DUI.
An interlock device is a breathalyzer that requires the driver to blow into a mouthpiece before starting the vehicle.
“This might stop you from driving (under the influence) if you have a scarlet letter tag for a year,” Chism said. “That’s all I’m requiring — to have it for one year. Everyone you work with, everyone you know, will know you’ve got a problem.”
This marks the second time Chism has attempted to introduce the scarlet letter tag legislation. He filed a similar bill that died in committee during 2016’s legislative session.
Chism said he has “no illusions” about the bill’s chances to become law. However, he said he felt it might help focus legislative attention on DUI enforcement.
“I don’t think the bill will pass, but we have to do something,” he said. “We need to toughen the DUI laws.
“Many, many bills in the legislature have to be filed for four or five years,” Chism later added. “You may be fortunate to get one that’s filed immediately, goes straight to committee and passes on the first time, but more than likely, you’re going to have to get people used to it and going to have to talk to colleagues about it.”
Chism also brushed off concerns that the tags, if approved, would make law enforcement officers more likely to target certain drivers.
“This tag would probably cause them to be looked at more closely, and it should,” he said. “After all, this tag signifies that you’ve been caught twice. Even if it might be your family member who got caught and you’re driving the car, you ought to just obey the traffic laws so that you don’t give probable cause to be pulled over. Don’t be weaving, or things like that, in traffic.”
Voting rights
Two pieces of legislation from a pair of local representatives seek to restore voting rights to people convicted of certain crimes.
House Concurrent Resolution 11, filed by District 41 Rep. Kabir Karriem (D-Columbus), aims to automatically restore suffrage to people convicted of non-violent crimes five years after the completion of their sentence.
“Here in Mississippi, we should be following in the footsteps of other Americans because we’re the country of second chances,” Karriem said. “Just because a person has made a mistake in their life, they shouldn’t have to walk around with that scarlet letter “F” (for felon) for the rest of their life.”
Karriem’s resolution would also allow people convicted of violent crimes to have their voting rights restored after a two-thirds vote from both legislative chambers.
District 38 Rep. Tyrone Ellis (D-Starkville) filed a similar piece of legislation.
HB 914 aims to restore voting rights to anyone convicted of a disqualifying crime, as listed in Section 241 of the state constitution, immediately after the completion of their sentence.
Such crimes include murder, rape, bribery, theft, arson, obtaining money or goods under false pretense, perjury, forgery, embezzlement and bigamy.
Ellis said the bill would allow voting rights to be restored without having to go through the process of a bill being filed to do it through the legislature.
“I’m not advocating that people should not be punished for their crimes,” Ellis said. “That’s a given. You do the crime, you do the time, but once you do the time, you should have your rights restored. That’s all I’m asking.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 46 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.