SB 545

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Existing law prohibits a person who has 0.08% or more, by weight, of alcohol in his or her blood from driving a vehicle. Existing law also prohibits a person while having 0.08% or more, by weight, of alcohol in his or her blood from driving a vehicle and concurrently doing any act forbidden by law, or neglecting any duty imposed by law in driving the vehicle, when the act or neglect proximately causes bodily injury to a person other than the driver. A violation of either of these prohibitions is a crime. Existing law authorizes a court, in addition to imposing penalties and sanctions for those violations, to require the person to enroll and participate in, and successfully complete, a driving-under-the-influence program, which may include, among other things, education, group counseling, and individual interview sessions. This bill would authorize the court to order a person convicted of a crime described above to enroll and participate in, and successfully complete, a qualified "24/7 Sobriety program," as defined, as a condition of probation, if the program is available and deemed appropriate, and the person committed the crime within 10 years of one or more separate crimes described above that resulted in a conviction. The bill would define a "24/7 Sobriety program," in part, as requiring a person in the program to abstain from alcohol and unauthorized controlled substances and be subject to frequent testing for alcohol and controlled substances, as specified. The bill would require a person participating in the program to pay the program costs, commensurate with the person's ability to pay, as specified. The bill would require the Department of Motor Vehicles to establish statewide uniform collection and reporting of specified data about the 24/7 Sobriety program. The bill would authorize a county to establish a 24/7 Sobriety program.