Increasing the criminal penalties for certain violations of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer when the person has prior convictions of the offense.

HB 2177 increases criminal penalties for drivers who flee or attempt to elude police officers after having prior convictions for the same offense. For a first offense, fleeing remains a misdemeanor, but with two or more prior convictions, it becomes a felony (ranging from severity level 9 to 5 depending on circumstances). The bill also imposes a minimum $500 fine if the driver was operating a stolen vehicle during the fleeing incident. This law directly affects individuals with repeated histories of evading police stops, escalating consequences based on prior offenses.