House Study Bill 777 HOUSE FILE BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY BILL BY CHAIRPERSON LYKAM) Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays Approved A BILL FOR 1 An Act relating to eluding or attempting to elude a pursuing law 2 enforcement vehicle operated by a special security officer 3 employed by a board of regents institution. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 6515YC 82 6 jm/rj/8 PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. Section 321.279, subsection 1, Code 2007, is 1 2 amended to read as follows: 1 3 1. The driver of a motor vehicle commits a serious 1 4 misdemeanor if the driver willfully fails to bring the motor 1 5 vehicle to a stop or otherwise eludes or attempts to elude a 1 6 marked official law enforcement vehicle driven by a uniformed 1 7 peace officer after being given a visual and audible signal to 1 8 stop. The signal given by the peace officer shall be by 1 9 flashing red light, or by flashing red and blue lights, and 1 10 siren. For purposes of this section, "peace officer" means 1 11 those officers designated under section 801.4, subsection 11, 1 12 paragraphs "a", "b", "c", "f", "g", and "h". 1 13 EXPLANATION 1 14 This bill relates to eluding or attempting to elude a 1 15 pursuing law enforcement vehicle operated by a special 1 16 security officer employed by a board of regents institution. 1 17 The bill adds "special security officers employed by board 1 18 of regents institutions" to the definition of "peace officer" 1 19 in Code section 321.279. Under the bill, by adding a special 1 20 security officer employed by a board of regents institution to 1 21 the definition of peace officer, a person who eludes or 1 22 attempts to elude a special security officer commits eluding 1 23 or attempting to elude a pursuing law enforcement vehicle in 1 24 violation of Code section 321.279. 1 25 A person who commits eluding or attempting to elude a 1 26 pursuing law enforcement vehicle commits a serious or 1 27 aggravated misdemeanor, or a class "D" felony depending on the 1 28 severity of the offense. 1 29 LSB 6515YC 82 1 30 jm/rj/8