Oct. 18, 2018
HARRISBURG – Rep. Keith Greiner (R-Lancaster) today congratulated Sens. John Rafferty (R-Berks/Chester/Montgomery) and Scott Martin (R-Lancaster) on passage of important DUI legislation that Greiner had also been working on in the House during the last two legislative sessions.
The Senate legislation, with several key parts mirroring a bill introduced last session by Greiner, would increase the grading for repeat offenses to felonies under certain conditions, with heightened fines and longer prison sentences.
“This legislation is necessary to deter people from driving after drinking alcohol,” said Greiner.
“There are too many tragic stories about people dying in alcohol-related crashes caused by drunk drivers, and quite often we learn that these drivers had prior DUI convictions. This is akin to Russian roulette and we cannot permit it to occur on our roadways.”
Under current law, no matter how many times an individual has been convicted of DUI the charges are treated as no higher than a first-degree misdemeanor.
Senate Bill 961, which is now on its way to the governor’s desk, would align Pennsylvania with the overwhelming majority of states in grading repeat-DUI offenses as felonies. Pennsylvania was one of only a handful of states that did not have an automatic felony grading.
“DUI is a reckless, thoughtless and preventable crime that puts innocent lives at risk. It should be treated as the serious offense that it is,” said Greiner. “This legislation is a commonsense initiative that I worked hard to advance, and I am happy that Senators Rafferty and Martin were able to shepherd it through the General Assembly.”
Representative Keith J. Greiner, CPA
43rd Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Donna Pinkham
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