---
title: SB 319. "Dorothy Mae Smith Wright Act"; enact
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb319
cite_as: SB 319, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb319
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb319.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb319/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71089
date: 2025-03-04
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-12
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 95
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb319.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 319
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-03-03
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- Gail Davenport
- Donzella James
- Tonya Anderson
- Josh McLaurin
- Harold Jones
- Freddie Sims
- Ed Harbison
- Derek Mallow
- Kim Jackson
- Sheikh Rahman
- RaShaun Kemp
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB319/2025
upstream_id: 1990378
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- police pursuits
- law enforcement policy
- public safety
- traffic law
---
# SB 319. "Dorothy Mae Smith Wright Act"; enact
## Text
Senate Bill 319
By: Senators Davenport of the 17th, James of the 28th, Anderson of the 43rd, McLaurin of
the 14th, Jones II of the 22nd and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 1 of Title 35 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
general provisions relative to law enforcement officers and agencies, so as to provide a
standard by which state, county, and local law enforcement agencies authorize the
engagement of vehicular pursuits; to provide for related matters; to provide a short title; to
repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Dorothy Mae Smith Wright Act."
SECTION 2.
Chapter 1 of Title 35 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general
provisions relative to law enforcement officers and agencies, is amended by revising Code
Section 35-1-14, relating to written policies for emergency pursuits, as follows:
"35-1-14.
(a) Each On and after January 1, 2004, each state, county, and local law enforcement
agency that conducts emergency response and vehicular pursuits shall adopt written
policies, consistent with this Code section, that set forth the manner in which these
operations shall be conducted. Each law enforcement agency may create its own such
policies or adopt an existing model, consistent with this Code section. All pursuit policies
created or adopted by any law enforcement agency must shall address situations in which
police pursuits cross over into other jurisdictions. Law enforcement agencies which do not
comply with the requirements of this Code section are subject to the withholding of any
state funding or state administered federal funding.
(b) No state, county, or local law enforcement agency shall authorize the engagement of
a vehicular pursuit unless:
(1) The requirements of Code Section 40-6-6 are met; and
(2) Probable cause exists to believe that the persons being pursued committed, or are
committing, murder as provided for in Article 1 of Chapter 5 of Title 16; aggravated
battery as provided for in Article 2 of Chapter 5 of Title 16; kidnapping, false
imprisonment, or any other offense as provided for in Article 3 of Chapter 5 of Title 16;
rape as provided for in Chapter 6 of Title 16; armed robbery as provided for in Article 2
of Chapter 8 of Title 16; or any offense that creates an immediate threat of death or
serious bodily injury to another person or a substantial threat to the safety of another
person."
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia Senate bill named the "Dorothy Mae Smith Wright Act" would limit when state, county, and local police can chase a fleeing vehicle, allowing pursuits only for certain serious crimes or clear threats to safety.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia law already requires law enforcement agencies to have written policies for vehicular pursuits, but current law leaves each agency's rules mostly up to its own discretion. This bill rewrites that section of Georgia's law enforcement code (O.C.G.A. § 35-1-14) to add specific limits on when police may start a car chase.
Under the bill, an agency could only authorize a pursuit if the driving rules for police responding to emergencies (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-6) are followed, and if officers have probable cause that the person fleeing committed or is committing murder, aggravated battery, kidnapping or false imprisonment, rape, armed robbery, or another crime that creates an immediate threat of death, serious injury, or a substantial threat to someone's safety. Agencies that do not adopt compliant written pursuit policies remain subject to losing state or state administered federal funding. The bill also keeps the existing requirement that pursuit policies address chases that cross into other jurisdictions.
### What it does
- Restricts when police can start a vehicular pursuit, allowing it only if officers have probable cause tied to specific serious crimes or an immediate safety threat.
- Requires that any pursuit also comply with the existing rules for emergency vehicle operation found in Georgia's traffic code (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-6).
- Names murder, aggravated battery, kidnapping, false imprisonment, rape, and armed robbery as qualifying offenses for a pursuit, along with any crime creating immediate danger to others.
- Keeps in place the existing penalty that agencies without compliant written pursuit policies can lose state funding or state administered federal funding.
- Gives the overall change a short title, the "Dorothy Mae Smith Wright Act," for reference.
### Who it affects
State, county, and local law enforcement agencies that conduct vehicle pursuits, the officers who make the decision to chase a fleeing vehicle, and members of the public who could be involved in or affected by a police chase, including drivers, passengers, and bystanders on Georgia roads.
### Why it matters
Police pursuits can endanger drivers, passengers, and bystanders, and this bill would narrow the situations where a chase is allowed to cases involving specific serious crimes or an immediate danger. That could change how often officers are permitted to pursue fleeing vehicles across Georgia.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 gives the bill its short title, the "Dorothy Mae Smith Wright Act."
- Section 2 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 35-1-14(b) so agencies may only authorize a pursuit if the requirements of O.C.G.A. § 40-6-6 are met and probable cause exists for a listed serious offense or an immediate threat to safety.
- Section 2 lists the qualifying offenses: murder, aggravated battery, kidnapping or false imprisonment, rape, and armed robbery, plus any offense creating an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury.
- Section 2 retains the existing rule that agencies failing to adopt compliant pursuit policies can lose state funding or state administered federal funding.
- Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-03-03)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2025-03-04)
- Sponsors: Gail Davenport, Donzella James, Tonya Anderson, Josh McLaurin, Harold Jones, Freddie Sims, Ed Harbison, Derek Mallow, Kim Jackson, Sheikh Rahman, RaShaun Kemp
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71089
> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb319.md?full=1