Bill targets DUI repeat offenders

OLYMPIA — After money was added to the state construction budget to build more prison cells, the state House passed a proposal Tuesday that would send repeat drunken driving offenders to jail for a minimum of 15 months.

Under the measure, sponsored by Rep. John Ahern, people caught driving under the influence five times in a span of seven years will be charged with a felony.

“This bill is a long time coming,” said Ahern, R-Spokane. “With tougher DUI laws, we can say that our roads and our families are much safer.”

To accommodate repeat offenders, the bill needed $9 million for minimum security prisons. The bill had initially died in the appropriations committee because it was deemed too expensive. Under a compromise reached Monday, that money was amended to the House’s $288 million supplemental construction budget, which passed 91-6 Tuesday.

Washington is one of three states that does not have a felony DUI law.

As was the case with Ahern’s measure, the budget took shape through bargaining.

After decades of discussion, interest groups agreed to a historic Columbia River Basin compromise, which became the centerpiece of a new bond proposal, also passed with near-unanimous support. To implement the deal, the budget spends $10 million toward a $200 million plan to improve existing water storage and pay for large conservation projects.

To complement that agreement, lawmakers also came together on a Hood Canal restoration proposal, marked at $7.4 million, and an additional $7.4 million to clean up parks around the state. Those appropriations signaled success on both sides of the mountains.

The handful of amendments passed with overwhelming approval, a stark contrast to the inter-party bickering of last week.

“On Thursday I was worried,” said Rep. Hans Dunshee, chairman of the House Capital Budget committee. “Everyone’s been working on this budget, and we’ll continue to work on it.”

The budget also addresses capacity concerns for additional prisoners who could be sentenced under a tougher sex offender law that could be passed by lawmakers. The House, like the Senate, designated $50 million in bonds to add about 500 more slots to the new state prison near Connell.

Last session, nearly 1,300 beds at the prison were financed with $179 million in state bonds.

The House construction budget also:

Invests $26.5 million in bioenergy, including low-interest loans for renewable energy infrastructure, grants for research and development, and a large bioenergy project in Grays Harbor County.

Sends $21.3 million to higher education projects and more than $36 million to K-12 construction.

Approves the use of $10 million in bonds requested by Washington State University to build a new biotech building. The governor and Senate budgets approved $63 million in spending.

Gives $38 million to the Land Bank program, used to acquire lands.

Approves $50 million to clean up Puget Sound and waste sites around the state.