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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 1984)
Friday, February 10, 1034 Daily Nebraskan Pago 3 State judiciary committee hears drug and alcohol bills By Putty Pryor Further attempts to reduce the num ber of alcohol- and drug-related traffic deaths were considered in judiciary committee hearings at the Legislature. LB1100, introduced by Sen. Loran Schmit of Bellwood, would establish a standard method of testing for drugs and alcohol in the bloodstream. LBUlle, introduced by Sens. Wil liam Nich'ol of Scottsbluff and Peter Hoagland of Omaha, proposes tighter penalties for driving-while-intoxicated convictions. Speaking on LB1100, Schmit said it was difficult, if not impossible, to deter mine what effect drugs have in DWI cases. "There seems to be a void in the area of testing for drugs," he said. Other senators, however, said it could be difficult to find a quick and reliable method for drug testing. "When we're dealing with alcohol there's a certain objective standard that determines, mechanically, when you're drunk," said Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha. "But under drugs, there's no objective standard." Chambers also said he had doubts about a provision which states that legal use of a drug is not a viable defense. "What if someone is just driving erratically, because he's a bad driver, but some (legal) drug is found in his system?" Chambers said. "He'd be guil ty under this law." Alan Everett, deputy county attor ney, testifying for informational pur poses, offered other concerns about the problems of testing for drugs. If testing shows a trace of drugs in the system, he said, a prosecutor would be "hard-pressed" to prove the drug's influence without another test, which is often impossible. "Another problem with drug tests is that you dont know exactly what you're looking for," Everett said. "A prosecutor would have to get lucky enough to test for the right thing." Filing drug charges in a DWI case is a rare practice, Everett said. In 14 months, he said, he has prosecuted only one such case, in which the defen dant was committed for treatment and the charges were dropped. The number of alcohol-related con victions, however, has risen since DWI laws were toughened, and LBlllle would put the finishing touches on those laws, Nichol said in opening tes timony on his bill. Current DWI laws stipulate the fol lowing penalties: For a first offense, maximum seven days in jail and a $200 fine or six-month license revocation; minimum 60-day license revocation. For second offense, maximum 30 days in jail and a $500 fine or one-year license revocation; minimum 43 hours in jail and six-month license revocation. For third offense, maximum three to six months in jail and a $500 fine or permanent license revocation. The bill proposes to toughen these penalties to include a minimum seven days if jail time is recommended and $200 fine for first offense; 30 days if jail time is recommended and $500 for a second offense; and three months if jail time is recommended and $500 for a third offense. It also would make jail sentences a mandatory condition of probation on second and third offenses. LB1 1 1 le also includes provisions to prevent mandatory sentences from being served only one or two days at a time, such as weekends; and make it a separate crime to create risk or do harm to others while DWI. The bill also would prohibit issuance of a license if the previous license was suspended in another state, reduce the current lifetime license revocation to a 10-year revocation, and make driving on a suspended license a class IV felony. Crockett's V Valentine's Day Special """V. FREE' GLASS -OF CHAMPAGNE Bring that special person iq4Jree,glass,t?? of champagne with dinner: Enjoy full; 'service atmosphere or Crockett's Buffet. 'O offer good 5:00-9:00 only $1.50 STRAWBERRY MARGARITAS and DAIOUIRIS 5:00-1:00 HAPPY HOUR 4:00-7:00 12 PRICE DRINKS DANCING EVERY NIGHT 9:00-1:00 ONLY0 i a Ml I 3201 Pioneers Dlvd - Lincoln 400-5990 Fighting for the right College students can be a force in elections, said the national chair man of The Young Americans for Freedom Political Action Commit tee. Terrell Cannon said that al though college students have this political potential, they frequently neglect it. At a press conference Monday at the Nebraska Union, Cannon said his group will choose five people to recruit and lead hundreds of volun teers in the re-election campaign of Sen. Roger Jepsen of Iowa. To recruit volunteers, Cannon said, YAF will launch a nationwide campaign to find young conserva tives who are not registered to vote. The YAF calls the campaign Project 1 Million. The five leaders will be recruited from Nebraska and Kansas YAF activists, Cannon said. Sen. Jepsen's campaign received priority for a number of reasons, Cannon said. Jepsen's position as a key supporter of President Reagan makes the race crucial. YAF has a strong stake in Iowa through mem bers employed by various public officials, he said. Jepsen's voting record also is important to YAF. "Jepsen has a record of voting 95 percent conservative," Cannon said. Jepsen's district is located across the river from Omaha. The purpose of YAF is to make young conservatives articulate lead ers, Cannon said. YAF has 70 members on the UNL campus, he said. The group meets once a month, sponsoring speakers as well as staging petition cam paigns. 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