The Senate Judiciary Committee is considering a bill for passage that would transfer decision-making to the courts instead of the Division of Motor Vehicles concerning license suspension and revocation in cases where an individual is charged with driving under the influence.
The bill, SB 212, would allow magistrates to make determinations concerning a driver’s license in accordance with certain procedures, and all within the context of the criminal action.
Committee counsel Jennifer Greenlief said the bill was created to “streamline the process by which DUI charges are handled,” by removing the burden of coordinating criminal and administrative proceedings for each case.
The DMV currently has a backlog of cases that Greenlief said could take 3-4 years to process due to continuances from schedule conflicts in cases.
Greenlief said the bill would “undoubtedly” save time in processing those cases.
The bill is identical to SB 534, which passed the Senate 24-10 last year and was sent by the House to be studied during the interim. No further action was taken with the bill after interim.
Prior to discussion of the bill, the committee approved SB 439 to be reported to the floor, which would clarify that because Salem Correctional Center lies in two counties, and the Courts of both Counties have expressed concern regarding venue, that venue shall lie in Harrison County for all actions.
