6/23/03-Gov. Mark Sanford signed a bill into law that lowers the legal blood-alcohol limit for drunken driving convictions from 0.10 percent to 0.08.
H3231 allows police to set up roadblocks to look for drunken drivers. It also makes it easier to prosecute DUI cases.
Previously, a prosecutor was required to prove a driver was impaired even if his blood-alcohol level was above the legal limit. The new law allows a jury to convict someone of drunken driving exclusively on blood-alcohol levels. It will go into effect Aug. 19.

6/12/03-A bill that would lower the legal blood-alcohol limit for drunken driving convictions in South Carolina from 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent is headed to the governor.
H3231, which previously passed the House and Senate, allows police to set up roadblocks to look for drunken drivers. It also makes it easier to prosecute DUI cases.
Under current law, a prosecutor must prove a driver is impaired even if his blood-alcohol level is above the legal limit. The new law would allow a jury to convict someone of drunken driving exclusively on blood-alcohol levels.
South Carolina is under a federal mandate to toughen its drunken driving penalties or risk losing millions of dollars in highway funds. The state has already lost $1.8 million in incentives and could lose $60 million more unless it lowers the limit to 0.08.
Gov. Mark Sanford is expected to sign the bill into law, which would go into effect this summer. For bill status, call (803) 734-2010.

5/28/03-Legislation that would lower the legal blood-alcohol limit for drunken driving convictions in South Carolina from 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent is headed to the Senate floor.
H3231 allows police to set up roadblocks to look for drunken drivers. It also makes it easier to prosecute DUI cases.
Under current law, a prosecutor must prove a driver is impaired even if his blood-alcohol level is above the legal limit. The new law would allow a jury to convict someone of drunken driving exclusively on blood-alcohol levels.
The Palmetto State is under a federal mandate to toughen its drunken driving penalties or risk losing millions of dollars in highway funds. South Carolina has already lost $1.8 million in incentives and could lose $60 million more unless it lowers the limit to 0.08.
For bill status, call (803) 734-2010.

3/27/03-South Carolina is nearing passage of a bill that would lower the legal blood-alcohol limit for drunken driving convictions from 0.10 percent to 0.08.
H3231 passed the House of Representatives March 19 by a whopping 106 to 6 vote.
The bill, Rep. JoAnne Gilham, R-Hilton Head Island, allows police to set up roadblocks to look for drunken drivers. It also makes it easier to prosecute DUI cases.
The Palmetto State is under a federal mandate to toughen its drunken driving penalties or face the loss of millions in highway funds. South Carolina has already lost $1.8 million in incentives and could lose $60 million more unless it lowers the limit to 0.08.
The measure is in the Senate Judiciary Committee. For bill status, call (803) 734-2010.