ESCALATING THE WAR IN '94; RYAN'S ANTI-DUI INITIATIVES By SECRETARY OF STATE GEORGE H. RYAN

My 1994 DUI Legislative Package gets tough with hard-core drunk drivers by including a "Strike Three" initiative mandating jail time and a lifetime license revocation for three-time offenders. The package also proposes lowering the standard for impaired driving to a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 percent and immediate license suspensions of minors caught driving with any trace of alcohol in their systems.

We cannot rest on our laurels when 700 people a year are dying needlessly on our highways. We cannot throw in the towel, not when hundreds and hundreds of people are rolling up multiple DHLs and literally driving away.

Strike Three

There currently are 15,400 Illinois drivers who have three or more DUI convictions, most of whom have not spent any time in jail. I will seek a mandatory 30-day jail term and a permanent license revocation for anyone convicted of three DUIs within 15 years. Those offenders could petition for relief from their license ban after 15 years.

Anyone found guilty of a fourth or subsequent DUI would face a mandatory 60-day jail sentence, while anyone caught driving on a revoked license after a third DUI would face a mandatory 30 days in jail. In both instances, drivers would have to wait 20 years to petition for a new license.

This measure takes dead aim at the hard-core drunk driver who has yet to get the message. When we hear "Strike Three," they are out. These are criminals — very dangerous criminals — in every sense of the word.

Use It & Lose It

We want to make a clear and simple statement to our young people: "Use and you lose." It is against the law for a teenager to take a drink. If the fear of losing their licenses is enough to make them stop drinking and driving, then that is what needs to be done.

The "Use It & Lose It" proposal would establish the following sanctions for any driver under age 21 who registers a BAG of anything but .00:

• A three-month suspension of driving privileges with 45 days of an arrest that results in a BAC reading of .01 or above (any trace of alcohol),

• A six-month suspension for refusing to take a BAC test based on a police officer's reasonable suspicion that a minor driver has consumed alcohol.

• Second-offense suspensions of 12 months or 24 months for failing or refusing the test, respectively.

• Administrative relief, through my office, for those who can show that BAC readings above .01 were caused by substances other than alcohol.

.08

This proposal would make it illegal for anyone to drive with a BAC of .08 or more. The average 160- pound person would have to consume four drinks in an hour to reach a BAC of .08.

The renewed push to lower the BAC from .10 to .08 is supported by a recent survey, publicized in the December 1993 issue of the "Illinois Municipal Review," showing that Illinoisans support the lower limit by a two-to-one margin.

Ten other states have adopted a .08 standard for drunk driving based on evidence showing that a motorist is three times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident at that level of impairment.

Limit Court Supervision

This proposal would eliminate any chance of court

April 1994 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 15

supervision for motorists caught driving on a license revoked for such of tenses as reckless driving and DUI

Sponsors for "Strike Three," the .08 measure and supervision reforms are Sens. David Barkhausen, R- Lake Bluff; William F. Mahar. R-Orland Park; Robert Raica, R-Chicago; and Walter W. Dudycz, R-Chicago. Sen. Carl Hawkinson, R-Galesburg, will join them in sponsoring the "Use It & Lose It" proposal.

My DUI package has the support of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Students Against Driving Drunk, Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists, Illinois Sheriffs Association, Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, Illinois Traffic Safety Leaders, AAA-Chicago Motor Club and Emergency Nurses Association.

I will add to my DUI package upon completion of studies focusing on drunk drivers injured in crashes, many of whom are believed to be escaping prosecution. The studies are being conducted by Dr. Richard Fantus of Illinois Masonic Medical Center and Roy Lucke of Northwestern University's Traffic Safety Institute. •

1994 Advanced
Government Finance Institute

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Applications are available for the Government Finance Officers Association's 1994 Advanced Government Finance Institute at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, July 17-22. Membership in GFOA is not required for application; selection is based on government experience, government position held, and order of application. Applications can be obtained by contacting Nancy Gleason or Barbara Weiss in the GFOA's Washington office (phone: 202/429-2750; fax: 202/429-2755).

Designed for senior-level municipal and state finance officials and other policy makers in public finance, the Institute features lectures, seminars, and small-group work focusing on

• the emerging economic, demographic, fiscal, and technological environments in which municipal and state governments must operate during the coming years;

• state-of-the-art thinking in capital financing, budgeting, and accounting;

• national policy issues, such as urban policy and health care, that will strongly impact municipal government plans and financial operations; and

• management styles, communication with the public, and leadership strategies.

Twenty-eight to 30 continuing professional education (CPE) credits will be recommended for those who attend.

The fee of $1,250 covers tuition, housing, and meals in Institute facilities. Admission is by application, and participation is limited to 50 attendees. Preference will be given to applicants who currently hold government positions. The application deadline is June 20, 1994. •

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