Governor Sanford Issues Statement on House Passage of DUI Bill

Press Release

Governor Sanford Issues Statement on House Passage of DUI Bill

GOVERNOR THANKS HOUSE FOR RE-STRENGTHENING BILL,
URGES SENATE TO CONCUR WITH HOUSE AMENDMENTS

Governor Mark Sanford today issued the following statement on the House's passage of H.3496, a bill aimed at toughening the state's DUI laws, which the governor called for in his State of the State address as part of his "First 30 Days Agenda." The House on Thursday amended key penalties in the bill back to their original House version, penalties the Senate had sought to weaken:

"This law is about sending a clear message to drunk drivers that we're serious about tougher punishments, as well as sending a clear message to law enforcement that we're serious about giving them the tools they need to keep people safe - and to that end, I want to give the House, and Rep. Murrell Smith in particular, real credit for strengthening this bill," Gov. Sanford said. "My message to the Senate is simply this - show the people of South Carolina that you're serious about cracking down on DUI, and agree with the House changes without any further delay. Get this bill to my desk as soon as possible so that we can take this important step toward impacting the daily carnage on our roads."

The House proposal puts penalties for refusing a breath test at six months, up from the current 90 days that the Senate had sought to leave unchanged. The House also proposed a stronger tiered penalty system for first-time offenders, toughening penalties tied to greater blood alcohol levels that the Senate had watered down.

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