Arizona lawmakers trying again on DUI bill
Arizona Legislators are trying to once again toughen Arizona laws against drunken driving and boating, but this time without softening a penalty for some offenders. On Thursday the Senate assembled a drunken-driving bill that doesn't include a provision that prompted Gov. Janet Napolitano to veto a previous measure.
That measure would have cut the time that first-time DUI offenders would have been required to use ignition interlocks. The current requirement mandates placement of the device a year, but the bill would have shortened it to six months. Ignition interlocks require drivers to blow into a tube to measure their blood-alcohol level before they can start their cars.
The new proposal still would require that first-time offenders convicted of operating a boat while intoxicated serve 10 consecutive days in jail. It also expands circumstances in which a drunken driver's license is suspended for 90 days after a fatal accident.
