House Agrees How To Describe Someone Who Is Intoxicated

The House on Wednesday finally agreed on how to describe someone who is drunk, settling on a tighter and less colorful definition than one proposed a day earlier.

The definition was needed before the House could pass a measure making it a misdemeanor to buy liquor while drunk. The bill, HB1203, passed 96-0.

On Tuesday, the House rejected a lengthy list of behaviors, one or more of which would indicate a person was drunk.Some lawmakers noted that such behavior is seen even on the House floor among perfectly sober lawmakers. They sent the definition back to sponsors for more work.The new definition adopted Wednesday says:

“Apparently under the influence means the person has liquor on his or her breath and has impaired motor skills used for body control such as walking, standing and balance. The officer may also consider other factors including, but not limited to: slurred speech, glassy eyes and poor hand-eye coordination.”

Bartenders could apply the definition in summoning police to arrest a person buying another drink.