A bill to toughen Colorado’s drunken-driving threshold and preserve nearly $50 million in federal highway dollars failed to gain full approval before the Legislature adjourned earlier this month, the Denver Post reported.

HB1343 passed the House 39-26 on May 2, but it was in the Senate Appropriations Committee when the regular legislative session ended May 7.

Under the bill, sponsored by Rep. Bob Briggs, R-Westminster, the standard for drunken driving in the state would be cut from 0.10 percent blood alcohol content to 0.08 percent.

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.

States that adopt the new limit by 2007 can recover the withheld funds.