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JEFFERSON CITY—Individuals driving while intoxicated in Missouri will soon face stronger penalties and stricter laws designed to crack down on repeat offenders after the governor today (6/2) signed House Bill 1695 into law.
The bill, handled in the Senate by Sen. Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia), makes several changes to the state’s laws regarding intoxication-related traffic offenses. The main provisions include:
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Allowing any circuit court to establish a special DWI court to handle DWI cases when the driver has a blood alcohol content (BAC) of at least .15, has pled guilty to or been found guilty of one or more intoxication-related traffic offenses, or has two or more previous alcohol-related enforcement contacts.
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Prohibiting any person who operated a motor vehicle with a BAC of .15 or more from being granted a suspended sentence.
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Specifying that for a first offense, unless a person participates and successfully completes the requirements of a DWI court, a person who operated a motor vehicle with a BAC between .15 and .20 will be imprisoned for at least 48 hours, and a person who operated a motor vehicle with a BAC of .20 or more will be imprisoned for at least five days.
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Increasing the minimum amount of jail time from five days to 10 days for a prior offender and from 10 days to 30 days for a persistent offender to be eligible for parole or probation—unless, as a condition, the person performs a certain amount of community service or participates in a court-ordered treatment program.
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Specifying that any DWI case will not be carried out in municipal court if the defendant has been convicted, found guilty, or pled guilty to two or more previous intoxication-related traffic offenses or had two or more previous alcohol-related enforcement contacts.
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Making the reporting of DWI cases more uniform and centralized by requiring the State Highway Patrol, beginning Jan. 1, 2011, to maintain regular accountability reports of alcohol-related arrests, charges, and dispositions based on the data submitted by law enforcement and prosecutors.
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Now that it has received the governor’s signature, the provisions of HB 1695 will be enacted into law on Aug. 28, 2010.
For more information about the Missouri Senate, visit www.senate.mo.gov . To contact the Senate Newsroom, call (573) 751-3824 or e-mail newsroom@senate.mo.gov.
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