Group to Make Decisions on Draft DUI, DNA Bill Proposals
A legislative committee this week will decide whether and how to move forward with 11 proposals aimed at curbing impaired driving. It also will decide whether to sponsor a 12th bill that would require biological evidence for DNA analysis to be preserved longer in certain criminal cases.
The Law and Justice Interim Committee will meet at 8 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday in Room 137 of the State Capitol in Helena. The bipartisan panel is wrapping up work on draft legislation that it believes the 2011 Legislature should consider.
The public is welcome to attend the meeting and will have several scheduled opportunities to comment on the bill proposals. A complete meeting agenda and the preliminary bill drafts are available on the legislative Web site at www.leg.mt.gov/ljic, under “Publications.”
The committee will consider recommending new laws that would:
create driver’s license sanctions for youthful DUI offenders;
allow game wardens to issue tickets to minors in possession of alcohol;
require on-call judges to handle requests for search warrants to allow tests for blood alcohol content;
make it illegal to drive with any amount of a dangerous drug in the bloodstream;
mandate responsible alcohol sales and training for alcohol servers;
provide incentives for offenders to participate in DUI courts;
allow cities to establish courts of record;
strengthen addiction assessment and treatment laws;
revise penalties for second and subsequent DUI offenders;
extend court jurisdiction to one year for misdemeanor impaired driving;
eliminate a 5-year "look-back" limit for counting prior impaired driving convictions; and
extend the time that biological evidence must be preserved following a conviction in certain felony criminal offenses and establish a minimum preservation period when there is no conviction.
The committee also will discuss whether to propose legislation aimed at preventing jail suicides.
Members of the Law and Justice Interim Committee are Rep. Shannon Augare (chair), D-Browning; Rep. Bob Ebinger, D-Livingston; Sen. John Esp, R-Big Timber; Sen. Greg Hinkle, R-Thompson Falls; Rep. David Howard, R-Park City; Sen. Larry Jent, D-Bozeman; Sen. Carol Juneau, D-Browning; Rep. Mike Menahan, D-Helena; Sen. Lynda Moss, D-Billings; Rep. Ken Peterson, R-Billings; Sen. Jim Shockley, R-Victor; and Rep. Ron Stoker (vice chair), R-Hamilton.
