Committee advances bill to screen misdemeanor DUI offenders for substance use disorders
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Summary
The Senate Judiciary Committee reported Senate Bill 118 favorably on unanimous consent March 31, 2026, after sponsors and safety officials described pilot data showing more than half of misdemeanor DWI defendants screened positive for a substance use disorder. Supporters said two validated screening tools are free and screening can guide sentencing and treatment.
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Senate Bill 118 on March 31, 2026, a measure to require screening for substance use disorders among certain misdemeanor DUI offenders so judges can tailor sentencing and treatment.
Sponsor Senator Boudreaux told the committee the bill would allow judges to “craft sentences that address the underlying causes of impaired driving, ultimately reducing recidivism,” and described three validated screening tools now in use, two of which are available at no cost. "By requiring screening for offenders early in their DUI careers, judges could craft sentences that address the underlying causes of impaired driving," he said.
Dr. Shayla Polk, director of the Office of Drug Policy, presented safety data the sponsor cited: "Approximately one third of all DUI arrests involve repeat offenders," she said, and studies of first offenders found substantial rates of lifetime and past-year drug-use disorders. Polk also summarized 2024 enforcement data from the LSU Center for Analytics and Research in Transportation Safety showing thousands of breath tests and hundreds of high-BAC readings.
Lisa Freeman, the Governor's representative for Highway Safety and executive director for the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission task force, described a 2022 pilot in Acadiana led by the late Judge Jules Edwards in which more than half of misdemeanor DWI offenders screened positive for at least one disorder. Freeman said the screenings were performed after conviction but before sentencing and that results were provided to judges to inform sentencing decisions. "This is basically his legacy," she said of Judge Edwards.
Committee members asked about confidentiality and cost. Supporters said screening results that include medical information would be protected under HIPAA or redacted from public records and that two of the three validated tools carry no fiscal note. President Pro Tem Barrow moved to report the bill favorably; there was no objection and the bill was reported to the floor.
The bill now goes to the full Senate for further consideration.
