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Senate passes 'not‑a‑drop' under‑21 driving bill after technical and fiscal questions
Summary
The Senate approved SB11 on Jan. 13, a 'not‑a‑drop' measure prohibiting any alcohol in drivers under 21 and allowing officers to seize licenses and issue a 30‑day temporary permit; senators questioned fiscal notes, testing language and penalties before passage (vote reported 26–1).
The Utah Senate passed Senate Bill 11 on Jan. 13, advancing a 'not‑a‑drop' policy for drivers under 21 that allows law enforcement to confiscate a driver's license on probable cause and issue a 30‑day temporary permit pending a hearing.
Sponsor Senator Beatty described the bill as an extension of existing state law prohibiting under‑21 drinking, with immediate administrative license action for officers who determine probable cause that an under‑21 driver has been drinking. Beatty said an implementation fee and related changes would produce approximately $117,000 in revenue and the bill would require about $70,000 in expenditures, with questions from colleagues about whether those expenditures require general‑fund appropriation.
Senators pressed technical questions. Senator McCallister asked the sponsor and fiscal analyst to reconcile the fiscal note; Senator Black and others asked how the driver's license division would implement temporary permits and whether existing administrative mechanisms would cover the requirement. On technical statutory language, Senator Finlayson and others sought clarification about blood‑alcohol concentration thresholds and whether the bill's wording would treat 0.05 differently from 0.09 or higher; the sponsor said the bill creates a category up to 0.08 (the 'not a drop' provision) and that established DUI provisions govern higher BAC levels.
Beatty said the bill includes provisions for evaluation by accredited substance‑abuse counselors and anticipated support from groups including the PTA, the Utah Medical Association and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. He cited a North Carolina example he said reduced traffic fatalities in the targeted age group by 60% in its first year.
After technical clarifications and a promise to provide additional answers the following day, the Senate called the question. The roll/voice call reported the bill passed (recorded in the transcript as 26 ayes, 1 nay and 2 absent). The bill was placed on the third‑reading calendar.
