State Rep.

Kathy Cox introduced legislation last week that she hopes will help protect

children from the criminal actions of their parents and other adults.

House Bill

453, if enacted, would make it a misdemeanor if someone "fails to

act in conscious disregard of a substantial and foreseeable risk that

... could endanger the health or safety of a child under the age of 16

years."

If the child

were injured, this new law would allow for a felony child endangerment

charge.

Cox was inspired

to act by recent events such as a set of parents driving to a crack house

with their children in tow and getting in the middle of a gunfight.

"We're

hoping this will close that gap between when authorities know something

is going wrong but there isn't enough evidence to do anything," said

Cox.

Often when

adults commit criminal acts and children are in the vicinity, sometimes

in dangerous situations, the law does not address the endangerment of

the child unless a death occurs, she said.

She wants to

do something about parents who are involved in criminal activity that

"willfully puts kids in situations" where they could be in danger,

she added.

Cox, who is

working on legislation relating to the proposed new teen driving regulations,

also commented on the bill recently passed in the state Senate.

She said that

while she agrees with the Senate action and thinks Georgia needs a graduated

licensing system, she added that mere chronological age is not enough

and training must enter the picture as well.

Cox wants mandatory

driver training for any 16-year-old who wants a license, taken either

privately or through the school system outside the regular school day.

Her own proposed

legislation would allow employers who pay for their employees' driver

training to receive the same $150 tax credit already given to parents

who pay for their children's training.

"Hopefully

this will encourage employers who rely on teen labor to take an active

part in this state's efforts to ensure the safety of our roads and the

protection of our young people," she said, adding that any student

who does not take a certified training course should be made to wait until

turning 17 to be licensed.

"Due to

the fact that every passenger riding with a teen driver greatly increases

the chance of a fatal accident, I am supportive of limiting 16-year-old

drivers to only one passenger," she said.

While Cox is

in favor of proposed legislation mandating strict penalties for drivers

under 18 caught speeding excessively or driving recklessly, she says that

she is not convinced that a 10 p.m. curfew is a "reasonable restriction."

The teen driving

bill is currently in the House Motor Vehicles Committee.