What's the difference between a tax increase and an increased fine for a Class C misdemeanor? Not much to the person paying it, but apparently anti-tax Republicans can justify the latter, if never the former. Rep. Tom Craddick from Midland has a bill up in the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee meeting today raising the fine for reckless driving from $200 to $1,000.
Grits imagines Rep. Craddick is trying to address the problem of prosecutors and judges reducing charges for DWIs to avoid the excessive, counter-productive financial burden placed on defendants by the Driver Responsibility Surcharge. The better solution to that would be to pass Rep. Larry Gonzalez's bill eliminating the surcharge, which would negate the incentives for plea bargaining down DWI charges. That legislation has been referred to the same committee.
It's also possible Craddick filed the bill as a backstop in case his texting-while-driving legislation either fails to pass or is vetoed again. Reckless driving is currently the charge on the books that applies to such behavior. Grits can't say it too many times, though: Increased criminal penalties cannot or at least should not be the primary solution to every social problem, though that tends to be how many legislators approach things.
Another piece of legislation on the same agenda comes from Rep. Bill Calegari, who wants to forbid police officers from using their rank or status as an active peace officer to advertise or promote a private business. That's a good bill. I've always thought peace officers should be required to register their independent businesses with TCLEOSE. You'd be amazed how common the practice is that Rep. Callegari is trying to ban.
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