Dino Rossi on Drugs

1998: Harsh sentences for drunk driving

During his first two years in Olympia, Rossi was the primary sponsor of three bills targeting drunks behind the wheel. The first was a bill that would have prevented drunk drivers from collecting damages for pain and suffering in a car accident. The bill died in committee.

But his other two bills received broad support in both branches of the legislature. One increased the sentence of anyone convicted of vehicular homicide while under the influence of alcohol by 2 years for each prior drunk driving offense. The final version of Rossi's bill passed unanimously in 1998 and went into law in 1999.

The other required anyone convicted of drunk driving to install an ignition interlock system (a device that checks your blood alcohol content before you can start your car) for at least one year. Anyone who was supposed to have the device and was caught driving without it would be guilty of a misdemeanor with a mandatory sentence between 30 and 90 days in jail.

Source: Laura Onstot in Seattle Weekly Jul 12, 2010

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