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Lawmakers to further address DWI Penalty billl

Lawmakers to further address DWI Penalty billl

FILE - Flowers bloom outside the New Hampshire Statehouse on June 1, 2024, in Concord, N.H. Photo: Associated Press/AP Photo/Holly Ramer, file


CONCORD, N.H.- Lawmakers are scheduled to continue conversation this week on how to address a penalty for those drivers suspected of driving under the influence, who refuse to take a blood alcohol test.

Currently the penalty for refusing to take an impairment test stands at six months, however under SB620 that period would be increased to a year, an increase which has received a strong show of support from Governor Kelly Ayotte.

However out of negotiations, the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee says it’s willing to meet the Governor halfway, following an amendment that would extend the suspension period to nine months for refusing the test.

Committee Chairman Terry Roy R-Deerfield, notes that the nine-month period is equal to how long someone additionally can lose their driver’s license, if they’re convicted after trail for DWI for the first time. But Roy admits the 12-month penalty would “true threshold” for a functional system.

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