Committee deadlocks 5-5 on bill raising DUI and driver-improvement school fees; SB160 fails

A Georgia Motor Vehicles Committee vote on SB160 ended in a 5-5 tie, and the measure failed after lawmakers debated proposed fee increases for DUI and driver-improvement schools, limits on who may perform clinical evaluations and new electronic transfer rules for needs assessments.

The bill would have raised the fees charged by certified DUI and driver-improvement course providers; added authorization for electronic transfer of licensing and needs-assessment information; and limited clinical evaluators to those with training in alcohol and drug-abuse evaluation or assessment. Supporters said the increases would help schools cover rising overhead and keep providers in business. Critics warned higher prices could put courses out of reach for some offenders and could worsen low enrollment at rural schools.

Committee chair Chairman Powell said the fee change was intended to give long-standing providers a pay increase they had not seen in about 14 years and cited examples of rising costs, including a provider who lost a building during a recent hurricane. Powell also noted judges sometimes reduce DUI charges to reckless driving while still directing offenders to courses, which affects enrollment volumes.

Representative Montahan, who identified himself as working in the industry, questioned several provisions including the authority to charge fees associated with electronic transfers of needs-assessment data and the narrower definition of clinical evaluators. Montahan and other members raised concerns that some rural schools do not have sufficient enrollment — one speaker cited that the number of DUI schools in DeKalb County had fallen to eight from a higher prior count — and that raising fees without addressing volume could force refunds and closures.

Committee discussion included the option of amending fee levels (one committee member suggested an inflation-based fee of about $440 rather than the roughly $500 the bill set out for the combined assessment and intervention components). A motion to strike a large portion of the fee language was offered and later withdrawn. After debate, the committee took a hand vote: “All in favor, raise your hand,” and the chair announced a 5-to-5 split: “5 to 5. Measure fail.” The announcement that the measure failed followed the hand count.

A member identified as Jeremy moved for reconsideration and to table, but the chair declined to take further time and moved on to the next item.

Why it matters: SB160 would have changed the costs and some operating requirements for Georgia’s DUI and driver-improvement programs, which are used as court-ordered rehabilitation and as a condition to restore driving privileges after license suspensions. Committee action halted the measure for now, leaving the current statutory fees and evaluator requirements in place until the legislature takes further action.

Next steps: The measure failed in committee on the 5-5 tie. Committee members called for more stakeholder engagement and potential interim work on language to address enrollment, fee levels and electronic-transfer fee limits before bringing a revised bill back to committee.