Bill hitting protesters with $200 for blocking emergency vehicles goes to governor

NASHVILLE – Tennessee protesters who deliberately block emergency vehicles during street demonstrations would face a $200 fine under a bill heading to Gov. Bill Haslam.

The House approved the bill, sponsored by Rep. Jimmy Matlock, R-Lenoir City, on a 93-1 vote. Senators previously OK’d the measure, sponsored in the upper chamber Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville.

Under current law, the maximum fine for someone who blocks traffic is $50. The bill quadruples that and makes it a Class B misdemeanor for anyone deliberately blocking emergency vehicles.

Under the bill, the definition of emergency vehicle means “any vehicle of a governmental
department or public service corporation when responding to an emergency, any vehicle of a police or fire department, and any ambulance.”