Congress went to work last week with the passage of the $109 billion Moving Ahead for Progress (MAP) 21 Transportation Bill, and President Obama formalized the legislative process today by signing this historic bill into law.
While many of the provisions of this bill are intended to create jobs, address student loan issues, and shore up financial issues with the gas tax, this bill also included an important extension of highway safety and impaired driving programs. MAP-21, a bipartisan effort, funds over $550 million dollars annually for Highway Safety Programs that do anything from helping to protect our roads from impaired drivers to funding national driver registration and state traffic safety information systems.
MAP-21 also provides for more flexibility in how states can spend their federal dollars and incentivizes states to meet specific highway safety goals. For example, the 410 Grants Program that specifically funds Impaired Driving Countermeasures are designed to allow states to adopt and implement effective programs to reduce driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, or for states that adopt ignition interlock laws. Key programs that are eligible for MAP 21 funding include:
- High visibility enforcement
- State impaired driving coordinators
- Traffic safety prosecutors
- Judicial outreach liaisons
- The establishment of DWI Courts
Law Highlights, Defines 24/7 Sobriety Program
MAP-21 also provides for costs associated with the establishment of state 24/7 Sobriety Programs, modeled after the successful programs in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana. The law takes important steps to define 24/7 Sobriety Programs by providing a framework for implementation at the State level. These programs mandate abstinence from alcohol and drugs for a period of time and then require the individual convicted of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol to be subject to testing. The three methods of testing range from twice-a-day breath testing to Continuous Alcohol Monitoring (CAM).
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