Evening star., 1935-05-31
FIVE NEW BILLS
FOR D. c. BACKED
Negligent Homicide Plan
Is Supported by House
Judiciary Group.

The Judiciary Subcommittee OF the
House District Committee today
virtually cleared its calendar of pend
ing bills by ordering favorable reports
on five measures, one of which would
create new misdemeanor of "negli-
gent homicide
Action was taken after a two-hour
public hearing, at which each of the
five bills was considered.
The only important bill now re-
manning on the subcommittees calen-
dar is one which passed the Senate
several months ago, designed to tighten
the Districts gambling laws by making
the possession of gaming devices prima
facie evidence of guilt.
The negligent homicide bill which
already has passed the Senate was
Endorsed at the hearing by District
officials and representatives of the
Washington Board of Trade. The
other measures approved would raise
the fees charged by the Office of the
Recorder of Deeds. revise the paving
assessment law, relieve the Commits
sioners and the surveyor of bond
requirement, and pay an award of
Sl,3l6 to Lyman C. Drake for per-
sonal injuries while he was in the
employ Of the District
Minor Amendments Seen.
Representative Palmisano. Demo-
crat of Maryland, chairman of the
subcommittee, said several minor
amendments would be written into
the bill increasing the scale of fees of
the recorder of deeds and the measure
repeating the bond requirement for
the Commissioners and the surveyor
All five bills with the proposed
amendments will be considered by the
full District Committee at its regular
meeting Wednesday.
Corporation Counsel E. Barrett
Prettyman. NJ o. Eldridge, assistant
traffic director, and Milton r. Vollmer
of the Board of Trade we're among
those who in6orsed the negligent
homicide bill and stressed the need
of its early enactment.
Would Space Sentence Gap.
Prettyman explained that under ex-
isting laws juries are reluctant to con-
vict an automobile driver who has
been involved in an accident causing
death on a manslaughter charge be-
cause of the drastic penalty. and as a
result many of those guilty of reckless
driving escape punishment A misde-
meanor described as negligent honi-
eide" he said would fill the present
gap between reckless driving and man
slaughter
The bill would fix the maximum
penalty for negligent homicide at one
years imprisonment or a fine of 81 900
or both. 1t would apply to any per-
son who, by the operation of any ve-
hicle at an immoderate rate of speed
or in a careless. reckless or negligent
manner. but not wilfully or wantonly.
shall cause the death of another"
Vollmer outlined the history of the
proposed legislation and declared the
Board of Trade believed it should be
enacted because of the small per-
centage of drivers in the District in
volved in traffic fatality cases who
are punished He pointed out that
in 1888 there we're rs traffic fatalities
due to reckless driving and that
none of the drivers involved was
convicted and only four were held
for action of the grand jury.
Detroit Has Law.
Eldridge explained there was total
of 1913 traffic deaths in 1888 and 73
| per cent of the cases were ignored
! by the coroner's jury and that only
34 per cent of the cases were tried
and guilty verdicts returned. The per-
/ centage of cases in which punishment
! was meted out. he said. was greater
/ in Detroit. which has a negligent
homicide law
! The bill to increase fees in the Office
of the recorder of deeds was supported
by Prettyman and R. W. Horad, sec
/ retary to the recorder.
Prettyman said the Office of the re-
corder of deeds is operating at def
cit, and the proposed increased scale
of fees would place it on a self-sus-
tanning basis. The bill providing the
higher fees, incidentally, was passed
! by the Senate in February.