New DUI Law Proposal - Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks

After tragedy strikes a family in his community, a West Fargo lawmaker is asking North Dakota to make tougher drunk driving laws. State representative Kim Koppelman's proposal comes after a crash last summer that killed a West Fargo family.  The bill hopes to hold every drunk driver accountable.

The devastating loss of the Deutscher family last summer, has lawmakers calling for tougher laws. "As I spoke with law enforcement, their biggest frustration was that under current North Dakota law someone could go to jail for 30 days for a first offense for a DUI, but that seldom if ever happens." Koppelman says. So new consequences are being proposed. Koppelman continues, "The sentences are tougher, people will pay triple the fine on a first offence, and they will spend some time in jail on their first offence. And after that they will be on what's called a 24/7 program, which tests them twice a day to insure they are not drinking."

The proposed law would increase fines: your first offense being $500 more than what the law is now, and with each offense after that, the minimum fine continues to go up. "I think this is a tough bill, and it's a bill I think can be passed." Koppelman says. The changes are to try to prevent crashes like the one that killed the Deutscher family.

"But the law change alone will not solve the problem, we need a cultural change, and to make sure we encourage others who are drinking not to drive and we put a stop to this problem in North Dakota." says Koppelman. Allison Deutscher's Father, Lynn Mickelson says, "It can be a very successful bill. I'm real satisfied with what I see in the bill, and I hope for the best."

Koppelman is not the first to propose a tougher DUI Law, Representative Ed Gruchalla had a bill but was voted down.