Annie’s Law put on hold

By: Aja Phillips and Julia Adkins

During the 130th General Assembly of the Ohio State Legislature, there were high hopes for House Bill 469.

HB 469, also known as “Annie’s Law,” would require first time OVI offenders in Ohio to use an ignition interlock device. The devices would be used in place of the current law, which prohibits them from driving for 15 days and then obtaining limited driving privileges for work, school and medical purposes.

The ignition interlock device, once installed into the offender’s car, would require them to blow into a breathalyzer with a blood-alcohol content less than .025, which is less than half the .08 legal limit. It would allow the offender three attempts to pass the test before the ignition of the car would lock.

The proposed legislation was named “Annie’s Law” for 36-year-old Anna “Annie” Rooney, who was killed in July of 2013 by a drunken driver, who had be arrested three different times, once with a DUI and twice with plea deals for lesser charges.

Sponsored by 11 different house members, the bill received large press coverage. Many people were in favor of the proposed legislation, as 24 other states currently require the ignition interlock device for first-time offenders. In 2013, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released model guidelines for state ignition interlock systems. It opens with an encouragement that all states should use ignition interlock devices:

 
“There is a strong scientific evidence from several countries that show alcohol ignition interlocks, while in use, are effective tools to reduce drunk driving among both first and repeat offenders. For this reason, the development and implementation of a breath alcohol ignition interlock program is an essential component of a comprehensive highway safety impaired driving program in each state.”

 

Annie’s parents, Dr. Richard and Carole Rooney, both support the bill, hoping that they can use this incident to limit the number of deaths related to drunk driving accidents.

Despite all the positive feedback from multiple organizations, such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the Ohio State Medical Association, Ohio State Neurosurgical Association, Association of Trial Lawyers of Ohio and Nationwide Insurance, two other organizations, the Ohio State Bar Association and the Ohio Judicial Conference, opposed the new legislation proposal.

“We gathered, at the very end of last year, an opposition we did not anticipate at all,” said Richard. “At the very last judiciary meeting, in which it was voted out to get it started, a document was given to the Judiciary Committee that we didn’t anticipate from an organization called the Ohio judicial Conference.”

It was at the very last Judiciary Committee meeting that Annie’s Law did not get the vote to be addressed to the entire House of Representatives.

According to State Representative Gary Scherer’s, a co-sponsor of HB 469, office, the reason the bill did not pass was because of the lack of support from the Ohio Judiciary Association.

State Representatives Terry Johnson, Brian Hill and Michael Stinziano, also all co-sponsors of the bill, were contacted. They have yet to comment on the failed bill.

However, Scherer’s assistant said that Scherer is working with others in the House right now and are in the planning stages to re-introduce Annie’s Law again during the 131st General Assembly this year.

“We are going to try to get it passed again this year,” said Richard. “We’re going to work very, very hard and we have a big coalition.”

 

Source:NHTSA.gov