Pubdate: Tue, 11 May 1999 Source: Houston Chronicle (TX) Copyright: 1999 Houston Chronicle Contact: http://www.chron.com/ Forum: http://www.chron.com/content/hcitalk/index.html Author: John W. Gonzalez HOUSE FAVORS BILL TO LOWER LEGAL INTOXICATION LIMIT AUSTIN -- With families of drunken-driving victims looking on, the Texas House on Monday tentatively approved a bill to lower the legal intoxication limit for drivers from .10 percent to .08 percent of blood alcohol content. If final House approval comes today as expected, the hard-fought proposal from the Senate would go to Gov. George W. Bush for his promised signature, making Texas the 17th state to use the tougher standard advocated by groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Supporters say the change should have a measurable impact on highway safety. "This bill is about saving lives and about saving millions of dollars in property damage," said sponsoring Rep. Scott Hochberg, D-Houston. "We can do that by lowering the DWI limit by just one drink in five," he said. The Legislature's move to lower alcohol level to .08 percent failed in the 1997 session due to a last-minute parliamentary maneuver in the Senate. But this session there was no such obstacle, although some lawmakers and members of the public were not convinced the change would drastically reduce drunken driving. A recent Scripps Howard Texas Poll indicated that most citizens favored the change, although 60 percent also doubted whether the crackdown would actually translate to fewer alcohol-related deaths, injuries and damage. If signed by Bush, the new limit would take effect Sept. 1 and apply to offenses committed on or after that date. Hochberg said the measure, Senate Bill 116 by Sen. Mario Gallegos, D-Galena Park, would help Texas end its dubious top national ranking for alcohol-related deaths. Nearly 1,750 people died in Texas in alcohol-related accidents in 1997, the latest year statistics are available. One study suggested that lowering the level could cause a double-digit drop in road fatalities, as it did in California and Maine. Experts testified in committee that to remain under the .08 blood-alcohol level, a typical 170-pound man could drink no more than four drinks in one hour on an empty stomach. A 120-pound woman could drink an estimated three drinks. The bill was opposed by only one group in the House hearing -- the American Beverage Institute, which represents the liquor industry. Proposals by Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, to lower the level even further -- to zero and .05 percent -- were defeated overwhelmingly. Hochberg and others said those levels were too stringent. Some members raised questions about whether churchgoers who tasted wine, or people who took certain medicines, could be charged with DWI under Dutton's zero-tolerance proposal. "We should draw the line in the dirt today," Dutton argued unsuccessfully. Backers of the lower blood-alcohol content legislation said it would not only save lives but help Texas qualify for $12.4 million in federal incentives to fight drunken driving. The grants from the National Highway Safety Administration could be used for highway safety and construction. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea