skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Felony DUI Bill Moves Forward in Colorado

play audio
Play

Monday, April 6, 2015   

DENVER - Lawmakers have advanced a bill that would make a fourth DUI conviction a class-4 felony. The original proposal was amended after it became apparent how costly the measure would be for taxpayers. The new version cuts costs by a $1 million in the first year, and projections for three years out are down to $8 million, from $17 million.

Cynthia Thorstad, a volunteer transportation lobbyist with the League of Women Voters Colorado, has been hit twice by repeat offenders. She says more than money is at stake when people drink and drive.

"The reason it has bipartisan support, even though the fiscal impact is notable, is because families are impacted," says Thorstad. "Repeat offenders are a problem in Colorado."

The state projects that 1,700 people with three DUI's already on record will feel the impact of the new law. Penalties for driving under the influence already get tougher with each new conviction, but the first three still would be misdemeanors. A felony conviction on the fourth could mean 2-to-6 years behind bars.

State Rep. Beth McCann (D-Denver), co-sponsor of the bill, admits the new version is weaker than the original but maintains its purpose is to discourage drinking and driving. She said the bill also will give courts and prosecutors more options when dealing with repeat DUI offenders.

Thorstad says the law would send a clear signal about the consequences of continuing to drink and drive.

"To strengthen our message to not only repeat offenders but to the community in general that we are not going to continue tolerating this," she says.

The revised bill passed out of committee by a unanimous vote and seems likely to end up on the governor's desk if the legislature can find room in the budget.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021