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          Session of 1998
                    SENATE BILL No. 630           By Committee on Judiciary           2-11             9             AN ACT concerning motor vehicles and crimes related thereto; relating
10             to eluding a police officer; punishment; amending K.S.A. 1997 Supp.
11             8-1568 and repealing the existing section.
12            
13       Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
14           Section 1. K.S.A. 1997 Supp. 8-1568 is hereby amended to read as
15       follows: 8-1568. (a) Any driver of a motor vehicle who willfully fails or
16       refuses to bring such driver's vehicle to a stop, or who otherwise flees or
17       attempts to elude a pursuing police vehicle or police bicycle, when given
18       visual or audible signal to bring the vehicle to a stop, shall be guilty as
19       provided by subsection (b). The signal given by the police officer may be
20       by hand, voice, emergency light or siren. The officer giving such signal
21       shall be in uniform, prominently displaying such officer's badge of office,
22       and the officer's vehicle or bicycle shall be appropriately marked showing
23       it to be an official police vehicle or police bicycle.
24           (b) (1) Every person convicted of violating subsection (a), upon a first
25       conviction, shall be guilty of a   class B nonperson misdemeanor severity
26       level 9, person felony.
27           (2) Every person convicted of violating subsection (a), upon a second
28       conviction of such subsection, shall be guilty of a   class A nonperson mis-
29       demeanor severity level 7, person felony.
30           (3) Every person convicted of violating subsection (a), upon a third
31       or subsequent conviction of such subsection, shall be guilty of a severity
32       level   9 5, person felony.
33           (4) For the purpose of this section ``conviction'' means a final convic-
34       tion without regard whether sentence was suspended or probation
35       granted after such conviction. Forfeiture of bail, bond or collateral de-
36       posited to secure a defendant's appearance in court, which forfeiture has
37       not been vacated, shall be equivalent to a conviction.
38           Sec. 2. K.S.A. 1997 Supp. 8-1568 is hereby repealed.
39           Sec. 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
40       publication in the statute book.
41