HARRISBURG—A bill sponsored by Rep. Todd Stephens (R-Montgomery) to improve public safety by targeting repeat DUI offenders was approved by the state House.
House Bill 916Â would amend the Vehicle Code to require courts to evaluate repeat DUI offenders for the suitability of a substance monitoring program as a condition of bail.
A repeat DUI offender is an individual who is pending adjudication for a DUI and has one or more prior DUI convictions within the past 10 years, or is pending adjudication for two or more DUIs.
A substance monitoring program prohibits the individual from using alcohol, controlled substances or both while also being required to use or participate in any of the following for no less than 90 days as a condition of bail:
- a continuous alcohol monitoring device.
- a remote breath-testing device or any other alcohol-monitoring technology or device.
- random drug testing or another controlled substance monitoring device.
“Several counties in Pennsylvania have implemented a successful program using alcohol-monitoring devices as a condition of bail for repeat offenders,” Stephens said.
“My legislation will authorize courts to require an alcohol-monitoring device as a condition of bail for repeat offenders.”
Recidivism rates for repeat DUI offenders who wore a device for at least 90 days are 50 percent less than those who did not.
In York County, the program has resulted in a dramatic reduction in the number of DUI offenders arrested for another DUI within the first year, in DUI victims served by the district attorney’s office and in the number of alcohol-related crashes.
The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
