In wake of drunk driving crash at Park Tavern, Minnesota Legislature sends DWI reform bill to Gov. Tim Walz for signature
Legislation drafted in response to the drunk driving crash that killed two and injured others at Park Tavern in St. Louis Park last summer is on its way to Gov. Tim Walz's desk for signature.
The proposal lengthens the amount of time repeat DWI offenders would have to use ignition interlock devices—breathalyzer that prevents an engine from starting if a person is intoxicated—to get behind the wheel.
It cleared the Senate unanimously on Saturday after the House approved it Friday.
"The bill has a number of provisions in it that will make the DWI interlock and driver's license revocation system in Minnesota work better for law enforcement, for drivers and for public safety, and it's most important central features will make our roads safer to drive on," said Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park.
Under current law, if a driver has three DWIs in a decade's time, they will need an interlock for four years to drive on Minnesota's roads. The bipartisan bill changes it so if a person has three or more in their lifetime, the interlock device would be required for 10 years.
The bill also doubles the period of time prior records would be considered for determining interlock requirements—the "lookback" period—from 10 to 20 years. Supporters believe the update will keep repeat offenders on the interlock devices for longer periods of time, minimizing the risk of them driving drunk.
Steven Bailey earlier this month pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to that crash, including two counts of third-degree murder. Lawmakers have said if their proposed changes had been in effect at the time, he would have had an ignition interlock on his vehicle based on his record, which included five prior DWI convictions over 30 years.
"He would've been on interlock and not able to get behind that vehicle when he killed those two members of our community," said Rep. Larry Kraft, DFL-St. Louis Park, during a news conference in March about the bill.
Final passage on Saturday comes as the Legislature is racing to wrap up all of its work by the end-of-session deadline Monday. They must pass the next two-year state budget by then or they will have to go into overtime.
Leaders have admitted a special session is likely inevitable given the time left and the scope of the work that is still incomplete, but it's unclear how long it will last.
Walz is expected to sign the DWI reform bill into law. A veterans package and another bill making tweaks to the state's cannabis law are also on their way to Walz's desk Saturday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
40 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Seattle man charged with string of burglaries at the homes of NFL and MLB stars
SEATTLE — A Seattle man was charged Friday with a string of burglaries at the homes of prominent current and former football and baseball players, marking the latest example of well-known athletes being targeted in home thefts. Earl Henderson Riley IV, 21, was charged with several counts of residential burglary in both occupied and unoccupied homes, along with first-degree robbery, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
7-year-old tried to save sisters with CPR after fatal stabbing in Streamwood, Illinois, prosecutors say; accused killer hid weapon, tried to sell car
As the man accused of stabbing and killing his two sisters last month in Streamwood was fleeing the scene and trying to avoid capture, the victims' 7-year-old brother tried to save their lives by performing CPR, prosecutors said on Friday. Jalonie Jenkins, 25, was arrested last Sunday night in Downers Grove following a manhunt, after the bodies of his sisters, Janiya Jenkins, 21, and Eyani Jones, 10, were found inside a home in the 1600 block of McKool Avenue on May 28. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Jenkins appeared in court for the first time after Wednesday's hearing was postponed due to him being in the hospital following his arrest. His attorney made the case that he was suffering from a mental health episode. He admitted the facts of the case are horrendous, but said Jenkins is being supported by his mother and other family members. Prosecutors said Jenkins lived in his childhood home with his mother and siblings. They said Eyani was on a Snapchat call with a friend when the stabbing attack occurred. Jenkins stabbed her at least 10 times and Janiya at least 12 times, all while two other young family members, 7 and 3, were playing outside. After the stabbings, the state's attorney said Jenkins locked the two younger children in a bathroom, hid the weapon, a kitchen knife, in the home, and left with a bag of bloody clothes in a Lexus registered to him. They said he tried to sell his car and turned off his phone to evade police. He admitted to stabbing his sisters. Meantime, Eyani's and Janiya's 7-year-old brother left the bathroom about 20 minutes after Jenkins locked him in, and found Janiya and Eyani covered in blood. He tried to perform CPR on them, but couldn't save them. He went back to the bathroom to get his niece, and ran to a nearby home, brought a neighbor back to the bloody crime scene, and then called their mother and 911, according to prosecutors. Jenkins' defense attorney said the accused killer is now on medication for psychosis and asked for a mental health evaluation, which the judge agreed to. Jenkins is due back in court on June 26 at 9 a.m. in Rolling Meadows.
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Utah judge rules a convicted killer with dementia is competent to be executed
Crime Getting older DementiaFacebookTweetLink Follow A convicted killer in Utah who developed dementia while on death row for 37 years is competent enough to be executed, a state judge ruled late Friday. Ralph Leroy Menzies, 67, was sentenced to die in 1988 for killing Utah mother of three Maurine Hunsaker. Despite his recent cognitive decline, Menzies 'consistently and rationally understands' what is happening and why he is facing execution, Judge Matthew Bates wrote in a court order. 'Menzies has not shown by a preponderance of the evidence that his understanding of his specific crime and punishment has fluctuated or declined in a way that offends the Eighth Amendment,' which prohibits cruel and unusual punishments, Bates said. Menzies had previously selected a firing squad as his method of execution. He would become only the sixth U.S. prisoner executed by firing squad since 1977. The Utah Attorney General's Office is expected to file a death warrant soon. Menzies' lawyers, who had argued his dementia was so severe that he could not understand why he was being put to death, said they plan to appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court. 'Ralph Menzies is a severely brain-damaged, wheelchair-bound, 67-year-old man with dementia and significant memory problems,' his attorney, Lindsey Layer, said in a statement. 'It is deeply troubling that Utah plans to remove Mr. Menzies from his wheelchair and oxygen tank to strap him into an execution chair and shoot him to death.' The U.S. Supreme Court has spared others prisoners with dementia from execution, including an Alabama man in 2019 who had killed a police officer. Over nearly four decades, attorneys for Menzies filed multiple appeals that delayed his death sentence, which had been scheduled at least twice before it was pushed back. Hunsaker, a 26-year-old married mother of three, was abducted by Menzies from the convenience store where she worked. She was later found strangled and her throat cut at a picnic area in the Wasatch Mountains of northern Utah. Menzies had Hunsaker's wallet and several other belongings when he was jailed on unrelated matters. He was convicted of first-degree murder and other crimes. Matt Hunsaker, who was 10 years old when his mother was killed, said Friday that the family was overwhelmed with emotion to know that justice would finally be served.
