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House approves bill to fund subpoenas for DUI revocation hearings by raising reinstatement fee
Summary
The House passed HB25 to authorize subpoenas and pay witness fees for officers at driver's-license revocation hearings and raise the reinstatement fee from $25 to $35 to fund those payments; proponents said the change closes a loophole that has allowed repeat DUI suspects to avoid hearings.
The Utah House on Jan. 28 passed House Bill 25 to authorize subpoenas and pay witness fees for arresting officers at driver's-license revocation hearings and to raise the driver's-license reinstatement fee from $25 to $35. Representative Osterson, sponsor of HB25, told members the change aims to close a loophole that leaves some DUI suspects without a hearing because arresting officers do not attend unless subpoenaed and paid.
Osterson said the bill authorizes subpoenas and a witness fee (the testimony fee remains $17), and that raising the reinstatement fee would generate roughly $90,000 to cover additional subpoena costs; he said approximately 800 cases per year lack officer testimony because officers are not subpoenaed or cannot attend due to duties. Opponents raised questions about whether the fee increase constituted a tax and about departmental handling of the witness payments.
Supporters, including Representative Nelson, said the proposal would help remove repeat offenders from the road by ensuring officer testimony is available. After debate and procedural motions, the House adopted HB25 by a recorded vote of 57 affirmative and 13 negative votes and referred the bill to the Senate for further consideration.
