The
Iowa Senate has passed HF65, a bill in Iowa that would lower
the standard for drunken driving from 0.10 to 0.08 percent
blood alcohol content. The vote was 46-4.
The
bill has already passed the House, and is on the way to the
governor's desk. Iowa officials have contacted federal officials
to see whether the bill meets federal requirements for lowering
the drunken driving standard, a legislative spokeswoman said.
Iowa
defines the standard for drunken driving as 0.10 percent
blood alcohol content. But a 2000 federal law requires each
state's legislature to adopt the 0.08 limit by 2004 or lose
2 percent of its highway money. Iowa would forfeit about
$47 million in federal highway funds if it fails to act, The
Quad-City Times reported. States that adopt the new limit
by 2007 can recover the withheld funds.
However,
Gov. Tom Vilsack, speaking to The Times, stressed
the bill's safety benefits.
“I
think it's going to make the highways safer,” Vilsack said. “I've
supported it for a long time. And I think it's long overdue.”
