Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House amends HB55 to raise certain DUI fines and direct proceeds to public safety testing account
Summary
On the floor the House adopted a pink-sheet amendment to Substitute H.B. 55 that raises a fine for DUI-related offenses and directs the revenue into a Department of Public Safety restricted account to buy and maintain alcohol and drug testing equipment for law enforcement; the amendment was accepted and the substitute bill was placed for further consideration.
Representative R.F. Bush moved a pink-sheet amendment to Substitute H.B. 55 (Alcohol and Drug Testing Fee) at the request of Representative Plaine Fox; House debate focused on how the amendment would change control of the resulting funds and how the money would be used.
Explaining the amendment, Bush said the change increases the fine on certain DUI offenses to $100 and directs the proceeds into a restricted account in the Department of Public Safety to be used "to assist law enforcement agencies of the state and its political subdivisions in the acquisition, improvement and replacement of equipment used in the enforcement of alcohol or drug related offenses to measure alcohol or drug content in a person's body." He told members the funding would allow officers quicker access to breathalyzers and other testing tools without affecting the regular budget.
Representative Fox, who had asked for the amendment, said the change addressed her concern about legislative control of the fund and that oversight would be provided through the budget presentation and the department. The amendment was placed before the body, members debated briefly and the House adopted the pink-sheet amendment.
The transcript shows the amendment was adopted and that the House proceeded to open voting on the substitute bill. The day’s record indicates the amendment passed; the transcript does not include a final roll-call tally for the final passage of the substitute at third reading in the segments provided here.
