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House adopts technical DUI amendments and tougher counted convictions; bill returns to Senate
Summary
Lawmakers approved technical amendments to blend SB4 with House provisions and to count out-of-state and military DUI convictions in prior-conviction calculations; sponsors said the changes strengthen tools against repeat DUI offenders and the bill passed unanimously.
On Feb. 7, 1996, the Utah House adopted floor amendments to Senate Bill 4 to align it with related House provisions (House Bill 3) and to address inconsistencies discovered in drafting. Representative Bush, who carried the amendment, told the chamber the work grew from a summer study group involving law enforcement, medical representatives and public groups and was intended to close gaps in DUI law.
Sponsor statements described a set of substantive adjustments: prior DUI convictions would include similar offenses committed in other states, the military or under local ordinances; mandatory penalties and fines were adjusted in the draft discussed on the floor. On the record, the sponsor detailed increases in minimum fines (from not less than $1,000 to not less than $1,500) and an increase in a mandatory jail sentence (from not less than 720 hours to not less than 1,000 hours). The bill also clarified that 'not a drop' provisions were moved into driver's-licensing code where applicable and allowed courts to suspend or revoke licenses for additional periods (90, 180 or 365 days depending on sentence).
Representative Bush said the Attorney General's public-safety division supported the changes and that the amendments were technical and intended to blend SB4 with HB3 without changing the bill's spirit. The motion to adopt the pink-sheet amendment carried, the bill was amended on the floor, and the House passed SB 4 66-0. The bill will be returned to the Senate for further action.
Members noted the bill is not a comprehensive solution to DUI but a step to remove repeat offenders from the road and to harmonize statutory language across code sections. Attorney General Office representative Reed Richards sat at the sponsor’s table to assist with legal clarifications during floor questions.
