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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 1995)
DWI Bills Continued from Page 1 At .08 every critical skill neces sary for driving is affected, Fell said, and someone who has a BAC level of .08 is five times more likely to be in an accident. Lightner said those most likely to be involved in a serious accident would have extremely high BAC lev els, such as above .15. In order to have a long-term im pact on drunken drivers, Lightner said, swift and sure punishments need to be implemented, and there needs to be a perceived threat of being caught. Lightner said she would like to see a system with higher penalties for higher BAC levels. Crosby said her package of Driv ing While Intoxicated reforms sent a message to drunken drivers. “I’m not trying- to stop anybody from drinking,” Crosby said. “All I’m asking is that people do not drive (when drinking).” In addition to lowering the legal BAC level, LB 150 would strengthen penalties for repeat DWI offenders. LB 150 was introduced as a result of a task force on DWI laws orga nized by Crosby. Nine bills have been introduced this year based on recommendations by the committee. Seven of those bills were heard by the Transportation Committee Tues day. Four other bills dealing with drinking and driving also were heard by the committee. Some of the other DWI bills in cluded: •LB201, sponsored by Sen. Carol Hudkins of Malcolm, would increase the penalty for a fourth and fifth DWI offense. It would eliminate the eight year statue of limitations on consid ering prior DWI convictions and in crease the reinstatement fee for a driver’s license from $95 to $135. •LB813, sponsored by Sen. Tim Hall of Omaha, would reduce the license reinstatement fee from $95 to $50. LB219, also sponsored by Hall, would reduce the eight-year statue of limi tations to five years. •LB715, sponsored by Sen. Doug Kristensen of Minden, wouldincrease I—.ill mil ll III 1....-a— GerikParmele/DN Laura Essay, a former assistant attorney general, testifies Tuesday in support of stricter DWI laws during a Transportation committee hearing of the Nebraska Legislature. A look at some of the bills heard Tuesday by the Transportation Committee: ■ LB150 lowers the blood-alcohol content level for a DWI conviction from 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent. Also increases the penalty for a fourth-offense DWI to a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. ■ LB201 increases the penalty for a fourth-offense DWI; also for fifth-offense DWI to a felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Would eliminate the eight-year limit on considering prior DWI convictions. ■ LB242 allows for a 90-day vehicle impoundment for driving on a suspended license following a DWI conviction. ■ LB245 increases from five to 10 years the period before someone can ask for a reduction in a 15-year driver's license revocation. the DWI statue of limitations from eight to 12 years. It would allow counties to impound the vehicle of someone caught driving when his or her license was suspended for a DWI conviction. It also would increase the penalty for a fourth DWI conviction. •LB225, sponsored by Hall, would allow people who have lost their li censes due to a DWI offense to re ceive a driving permit for work. The HaymarIoet 526 P Street (402) 477-2171 If you have not yet enrolled in the student insurance pro gram offered by UNL, and wish to do so, you must apply be fore February 9, 1995. Your coverage begins with the date payment is received, and con tinues until 8*21 *95. — ~ International students are being automatically billed on your tuition statements, your coverage began 1 *9*95 and ends 8*10*95. If you have pri vate insurance, you may be able to waive this automatic bill ing by showing proof of ad equate coverage to the student insurance representative. For more information, please call our 24-hour info line at 472-7437. HWBj . ; ' ‘ '* . ‘ ‘ ." ■ ■ ' . ___ - Family pickets to protest the system that failed them By Brian Sharp Senior Reporter For Shirley Hubbard Justice is a mirage. Hubbard and other family members braved frigid winds Tuesday while picketing outside the Lancaster County Jail. She was there to remember her brother, John Welch, who died Jan. 16 as a result of an incident inside the jail. Hubbard said she was there to protest a system that failed her. “We lost a brother and nobody seems to give a care that he’s dead, that he’s gone,” Hubbard said. Welch was involved in a Jan. 13 scuffle with another inmate. He was in a holding cell after being arrested on a misdemeanor tres passing charge. An autopsy revealed Welch suffered two severe blows to the head. A grand jury hearing looking into the death is sched uled to begin today. Welch’s sisters, girlfriend, aunt, brother in-law, nieces and nephews arrived at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and planned to stay past noon. Signs they carried read “Honk for Justice' and “Misdemeanor=Death.” Family members also passed out black ribbons, a symbol of awareness and remembrance, they said. Janie Wichman, Welch’s girlfriend, carried a sign reading: “Why are you afraid to find out what happened to John Welch?” Wichman said the reality of what happened was still difficult to accept, but the issue needed to be confronted and prevented from happen ing again. Wichman said she had been the first person notified by jail personnel. The 3 ajn. phone call informed her that Welch had been taken to Lincoln General Hospital in serious condition. Hubbard said she was surprised by the amount of public support the family had re ceived. As she was talking, a passing driver honked in response to one of the signs. Hubbard smiled, and waved. But that smile vanished as she glanced back at the jail and returned to her place in the picket line. Regents Continued from Page 1 O’Brien of Waterloo said polls in two Ne braska newspapers had indicated that more than 80 percent of Nebraska voters wanted elected regents. O’Brien said she felt intimidated just giving testimony before the committee in opposition to what Nelson wanted. She said she would feel even more intimidated as an appointed regent. “How would I feel if I had to make decisions against the governor’s will?” she asked. Nelson said an appointed board would be more accountable in its handling of education dollars. He said he didn’t believe elected rep resentatives were more accountable to their constituencies than appointed ones. “I don’t think that we should believe that voting and accountability go hand in glove,” he said. Nelson stressed that the resolution was not intended to enhance his own power because his term as governor would expire before the appointments began. “This is not a power grab,” he said. Questioning Nelson, Sen. Chris Beutler of Lincoln said it made him uneasy that the resolution’s language did not define the governor’s ability to remove board members. He expressed concern that a governor could arbitrarily remove board members. Nelson responded that governors were un der intense scrutiny by the public, making such an action difficult and unlikely. Sen. Elaine Stuhr of Bradshaw asked Nelson if he would consider a partially elected board. Nelson said he would consider it, but a fully appointed board would eliminate questions about who had more power, elected or ap pointed regents. Allen suggested a four-year appointment to the board to increase accountability on top of that already provided by the appointment. u«rters Stacey's Lockeroom 484-8311 for an appointment or just stop by
