After defeating tougher DWI test refusal penalties twice in the past two years, New Hampshire lawmakers passed a compromise bill Thursday.
Supporters are calling the vote a bipartisan win for the state.
“Senate Bill 620 closes a deadly loophole in the DWI law,” said state Rep. Jennifer Rhodes, R-Winchester.
The New Hampshire House reached consensus Thursday on legislation to increase penalties for drivers who refuse to take a DWI test after being pulled over.
The current consequence for refusal is a six-month license suspension, which critics said is so lenient that it led to New Hampshire becoming one of the top states in the nation for refusing a DWI test.
Police said that so far this year, 75% of those pulled over have been opting out.
Some lawmakers argued that tougher penalties infringe on personal liberty.
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“This is an assumption of guilt without due process, and it removes people from the workforce and can cause them to offend by driving without a license to try to keep their job,” said state Rep. Henry Giasson, R-Goffstown.
In the past two years, the House rejected bills to impose a one-year license suspension for refusal. A nine-month suspension turned out to be the penalty that more than two-thirds of lawmakers could support.
“This was the result not of our making, but of the Highway Safety Council, made up of many members of the public asking us to do something about this,” said state Rep. Terry Roy, R-Deerfield.
This bill is a top priority for Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who made a very public push to win votes in the House.
“With this bipartisan bill now coming to my desk, we’re taking a critical step to keep New Hampshire the safest state in the nation,” Ayotte said in a written statement.
The difference in the vote came from a major shift in the Democratic caucus. Last year, only about two dozen House Democrats voted for a 12-month suspension. Thursday, 135 voted for the bill and the nine-month suspension, with Republican Sen. Bill Gannon saying persistent work toward compromise from both sides paid off.
“That’s a good win anytime, a bipartisan effort,” he said. “No party win here, just a good thing for New Hampshire.”
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