The Kansas House adopted the conference committee report 122-0 on 4/3/07. Things were looking good for the new legislation that would offer increased penalties for DUI offenders that were blowing over .15 BAC. That is until it went to the Senate for the final vote. Sen. Phil Journey, who sponsored this bill, made a plea to the Senate prior to the vote. Under heat from the Kansas Sheriff’s, Journey stated that passing this bill would increase the strain on local jails, many of which are already busting at the seams. After several were heard voicing similar concerns the Senate rejected the conference committee report.
So what's next? Well the Senate sent the bill back to committee again and it should be worked again when the legislature gets back from the break on April 25th. They will most likely take out the issues associated with increased jail time for so called "aggravated" offenders, and leave most of the bill the same as it is. There is also a small issue of about $7.6 million in highway funds riding on some of the fixes included in this bill, so don't expect this bill to just vanish.
On a side note I would like to thank and congratulate those who we have elected to represent us for their diligence and hard work. They worked bills all night and well into the morning, finally getting done around 4 a.m., hard work pays off.
There is an article posted by the Wichita Eagle that talks about this bill, but it is prior to the latest votes, if you're interested here it is. I will post an update as soon as more information is available.