BILL NUMBER: SB 1203	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  APRIL 9, 2012

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Calderon

                        FEBRUARY 22, 2012

   An act to add Section 23151 to the Vehicle Code, relating to
vehicles.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 1203, as amended, Calderon. Vehicles: driving under the
influence: reward for reporting.
   Existing law prohibits any person who is under the influence of
any alcoholic beverage or drug, or under the combined influence of
any alcoholic beverage and drug, from driving a vehicle, or any
person who has 0.08% or more, by weight, of alcohol in his or her
blood from driving a vehicle.
   This bill would establish a reward of $100 for a person who
reports a drunk driver upon conviction of the driver. The bill would
require the court to order the offender to pay the reward  and
would require that the identity of that person not be disclosed to
the driver or any other person unless required by law and then only
upon a determination by the court that the disclosure is
constitutionally required  .
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
   
  SECTION 1.    The Legislature finds and declares all of
the following:
   (a) One person is killed every half hour due to drunk driving.
   (b) Each year approximately 16,000 persons are killed in
alcohol-related crashes.
   (c) Alcohol is a factor in almost one-half of all traffic
fatalities.
   (d) Every other minute a person is seriously injured in an
alcohol-related crash.
   (e) The reporting of drunk drivers is of the highest importance in
reducing the number of deaths and injuries that result from
alcohol-related crashes.
   (f) Every person should be encouraged to report drunk drivers to
law enforcement agencies as a community response to the dangers of
drinking and driving.
   (g) In order to encourage people to report drunk drivers and
thereby reduce the harm caused by drunk drivers on the road, the
Legislature finds that it is necessary to reward a person who reports
a drunk driver who is as a result subsequently convicted of a drunk
driving offense.
   (h) The Legislature also finds that it is necessary to protect, to
the greatest extent possible, the identity of the 911 caller who
receives a reward from any possible retaliation or threats of harm
for having reported a drunk driver to a law enforcement agency. 

   SECTION 1.   SEC. 2.   Section 23151 is
added to the Vehicle Code, to read:
   23151.   A   (a)     The
   person who reports a driver who is  later 
convicted of a violation of Section 23152 or 23153  and
appropriately identifies himself or herself for purposes of the law
enforcement investigation leading to the offender's conviction
 shall, upon conviction of the offender, receive a reward of
one hundred dollars ($100). The court shall order that the driver
pay the reward in addition to any other penalty imposed by law for a
violation of Section 23152 or 23153. 
   (b) The identity of the person who reported a driver pursuant to
subdivision (a) shall not be disclosed to the driver or any other
person unless required by law and then only upon a determination by
the court that the disclosure is constitutionally required.