Bad drivers in Florida would have to pay an extra tax under a bill being considered in the state Legislature.

Under a bill endorsed by the Senate Transportation Committee, the state would place a three-year tax on drivers convicted of drunken driving and those who rack up seven points or more on their driving record or drive while their licenses are suspended.

S1496, sponsored by Senate Transportation Chair Jim Sebesta, R-St. Petersburg, is patterned after a 20-year-old law in New Jersey. That state has seen its deaths-per-mile rate drop since the law was enacted, the St. Petersburg Times reported. Florida has the highest death rate among the nation’s 10 most populous states.

If signed into law, the bad driver tax could generate as much as $100 million next year, and up to $250 million by its third year of operation.

The “Florida Driver’s Responsibility Law” would send 50 percent of the revenue raised by the tax to road building, 20 percent to hospital trauma centers, 20 percent to state trooper recruitment and 10 percent to services for brain- and spinal-injury victims.

A driver’s first drunken driving offense would result in a $1,000 tax paid annually for three years, in addition to other traffic fines, the newspaper reported. Those convicted of a second drunken driving offense would see the annual tax jump to $1,500. Drivers with a blood alcohol level of 0.2 percent would face a $2,000 annual tax.

Speeders or other drivers with bad driving records who accumulate seven points on their license would cost $100 annually for three years, with each additional point costing an extra $25.

Those caught driving without licenses would be charged $250 annually for three years.

The bill’s next stop is the Senate Criminal Justice Committee.