BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 1928
          Author:   Torlakson (D)
          Amended:  4/7/10 in Assembly
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE  :  7-0, 6/22/10
          AYES:  Leno, Cogdill, Cedillo, Hancock, Huff, Steinberg,  
            Wright

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  Senate Rule 28.8

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  74-0, 4/29/10 (Consent) - See last page  
            for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Vehicles:  commercial drivers license:  
          suspension or 
                      revocation

           SOURCE  :     Governors Office of Planning and Research


           DIGEST  :    This bill clarifies that the Department of Motor  
          Vehicles shall administratively review and uphold license  
          suspensions when a person has been found to have been  
          driving with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.01 percent  
          or more while on probation for a 'driving under the  
          influence', or driving a commercial vehicle with a  
          blood-alcohol concentration of 0.04 percent or more.

           ANALYSIS  :    Existing law provides that it is unlawful for  
          any person who has a 0.08 percent or more, by weight of  
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          alcohol in his or her blood to drive a vehicle.  (Vehicle  
          Code Section 23152 (b).)
           
           Existing law provides that it is unlawful for any person  
          who has 0.04 percent or more, by weight, of alcohol in his  
          or her blood to drive a commercial vehicle.  (Vehicle Code  
          Section 23152 (d).)

          Existing law provides that it is unlawful for any person  
          while having 0.08 percent or more, by weight of alcohol in  
          his or her blood to drive a vehicle and concurrently do any  
          act forbidden by law, or neglect any duty imposed by law in  
          driving the vehicle, which act or neglect proximately  
          causes bodily injury to any person other than the driver.   
          (Vehicle Code Section 23153.)

          Existing law provides that it is unlawful for any person  
          under 21 years of age to drive with a blood-alcohol  
          concentration of 0.01 percent or greater on a preliminary  
          alcohol screening device.  (Vehicle Code Section 23136.)

          Existing law provides that it is unlawful for person under  
          the age of 21 years who has 0.05 percent or more, by  
          weight, of alcohol in his or her blood to drive a vehicle.   
          (Vehicle Code Section 23140.)

          Existing law provides that it is unlawful for a person who  
          is on probation for driving under the influence (DUI) with  
          a blood-alcohol concentration level of 0.01 percent or more  
          as measured by a preliminary alcohol screening device or  
          other chemical test.  (Vehicle Code Section 23154.)

          Existing law provides that a person may not operate a  
          commercial motor vehicle unless that person has in his or  
          her immediate possession a valid commercial driver's  
          license of the appropriate class.  (Vehicle Code Section  
          15250 (a).)

          Existing law provides that the Department of Motor Vehicles  
          (DMV) shall immediately suspend or revoke the privilege of  
          a person to operate a motor vehicle upon the receipt of an  
          abstract of record of a court showing that a person has  
          been convicted of Vehicle Code section 23152.  (Vehicle  
          Code Section 13352.)

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          Existing law provides for the license suspension of a  
          person who refuses to take a chemical test or submit to a  
          preliminary alcohol screening device when suspected of DUI.  
           (Vehicle Code Sections 13353 and 13353.1.)

          Existing law provides that DMV shall administratively  
          review the cases of people whose license was suspended  
          because of a refusal and shall sustain the suspension or  
          revocation if all of the following are true:

                 The peace officer had reasonable cause to believe  
               the person had been driving a motor vehicle in  
               violation of Vehicle Code sections 23136, 23140, 23152  
               or 23153.
                 The person was placed under arrest or lawfully  
               detained.
                 The person refused to comply with the chemical test  
               or tests being requested by the peace officer.
                 The person was told that his or her driving  
               privilege would be suspended or revoked if he or she  
               refused the tests.  (Vehicle Code Section  
               13557(b)(1).)

          This bill provides that the suspension or revocation shall  
          also be sustained if a peace officer had reasonable cause  
          to believe that the person was driving a motor vehicle in  
          violation of Vehicle Code section 23154.

          Existing law provides that DMV shall administratively  
          review the cases of people whose license was suspended  
          under Vehicle Code section 13352 for driving under the  
          influence and shall sustain the suspension or revocation if  
          all of the following are true:

                 The peace officer had reasonable cause to believe  
               the person had been driving a motor vehicle in  
               violation of Vehicle Code sections 23136, 23140, 23152  
               or 23153.
                 The person was placed under arrest or lawfully  
               detained.
                 That the person was driving a motor vehicle under  
               any of the following circumstances:


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                  o         When the person had a blood-alcohol  
                    concentration of 0.08 percent or more.
                  o         When the person was under 21 years of age  
                    and had a 0.05 percent or more, by weight of  
                    alcohol in his or her blood.
                  o         When the person was under 21 years of age  
                    and had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.02  
                    percent or greater, as measured by a preliminary  
                    alcohol screening test, or other chemical test.   
                    (Vehicle Code Section 13557(b)(2).)
           
          This bill provides that the suspension or revocation shall  
          also be sustained if a peace officer had reasonable cause  
          to believe that the person was driving a motor vehicle in  
          violation of Vehicle Code Section 23154.

          This bill provides that suspension or revocation shall also  
          be sustained if the person was driving a motor vehicle  
          under the following circumstances:

                 When the person was driving a vehicle that requires  
               a commercial driver's license and the person had a  
               0.04 percent or more, by weight, of alcohol in his or  
               her blood.
                 When the person was on probation for a DUI  
               violation and had a blood-alcohol concentration of  
               0.01 percent or greater as measured by a preliminary  
               alcohol screening test or other chemical test.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  Yes

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  8/2/10)

          Governor's Office of Planning and Research (co-source)
          Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs
          California District Attorneys Association
          California State Sheriffs' Association
          Los Angeles District Attorneys Association
          Mothers Against Drunk Driving California State Organization
          Riverside Sheriffs' Association

           OPPOSITION  :    (Verified  8/3/10)


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          Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety

           ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT  :    According to the author's office,  
          "This bill seeks to close loopholes that previous bills in  
          the identified areas related to DUI offenses created.  It  
          simply clarifies the Vehicle Code language in Section 13557  
          to make the code clear and consistent throughout.  It does  
          not change the intent of current law-simply clarifies it  
          with technical clean-up language."

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  : 
          AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill  
            Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield,  
            Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Charles Calderon, Carter,  
            Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon,  
            DeVore, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong,  
            Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick,  
            Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill,  
            Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Knight, Lieu, Logue, Ma,  
            Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello,  
            Nielsen, Norby, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin,  
            Salas, Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra  
            Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Tran, Villines,  
            Yamada, John A. Perez
          NO VOTE RECORDED: Bass, Caballero, Jones, Bonnie Lowenthal,  
            Torrico, Vacancy


          RJG:do  8/3/10   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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