FINAL BILL REPORT

                  ESB 6257

                          C 213 L 98

                      Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Lowering statutory levels for legal alcohol intoxication.

Sponsors:  Senators Strannigan, Roach, Goings, Anderson, Long, Oke, Swecker, Benton, Wood, Stevens, Rasmussen and Patterson.

Senate Committee on Law & Justice

House Committee on Law & Justice

House Committee on Appropriations

Background:  A person is guilty of driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor if the person drives a vehicle and has a blood alcohol concentration of .10 or higher.

There is research which indicates the vast majority of drivers are impaired at a blood alcohol concentration level of .08 in critical driving tasks.  There is concern that the risk of being involved in a crash rises rapidly after a driver reaches or exceeds a .08 blood alcohol concentration.

At least 15 states, including Oregon, California, Utah, and Maine have reduced their illegal per se blood alcohol concentration limits to .08.

Summary:  The illegal per se breath and blood alcohol concentration standard is .08.

The offense of a driver under 21 consuming alcohol is limited to those persons under 21 years of age who have an alcohol concentration of at least .02 but less than the blood alcohol level of .08 for the offense of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate 48 0

House     95 2 (House amended)

Senate    48 0 (Senate concurred)

Effective:  January 1, 1999