North Dakota likes to drink. Our state consumes more gallons of beer per-capita than any other state. That’s probably due at least in some part to the strong German heritage in our state. German is, after all, the second most popular language here. Unfortunately, that also means a lot of drunk driving. North Dakota also…
North Dakota's Tougher DUI Laws Are Creating Jail Space Problems
During the 2013 session, the North Dakota Legislature made some sweeping changes to the state’s DUI laws. Here’s a summary: The minimum fine for first-time offenders goes from $250 to $500. First-timers with a BAC twice the legal limit – 0.16 percent or greater – will now be guilty of a new aggravated DUI category…
Feds Want Drunk Driving Level Lowered To .05 BAC
The federal government bullied the states into lowering the blood alcohol level at which point a driver is considered drunk to .08 years ago by threatening to remove federal transportation funds for state that didn’t comply. Now the feds want to go even lower, taking the legal limit down to .05 BAC. WASHINGTON — States…
North Dakota Has The Highest Number Of Bars Per Capita
According to data compiled by the Helena Independent Record, North Dakota has a total of 422 bars, an average of one bar for every 1,500 people. That’s the highest state-level concentration in the nation. Learn About Tableau That’s an interesting, though not entirely surprising, revelation. There are no doubt several factors contributing to it. First,…
Mother Who Pushed For Tougher DUI Laws In North Dakota Gets Picked Up For Alcohol-Related Offense
Back during the legislative session proponents of tougher DUI laws went to lengthy theatrics to get their point across. The twisted wreckage of a high-profile DUI crash was installed on the capitol steps. Tombstones were put outside the legislative chambers. The family of DUI victims were put on display as absolute moral authorities on the…
House Passes Tougher DUI Bill
The House today concurred with the Senate’s version of the DUI bill, sending it to Governor Jack Dalrymple for signature. Here’s what it does: For a first offense the fine goes from $250 to $500 along with mandatory addiction treatment. Unless you have over a 0.16 blood alcohol level, in which case the fine goes…
Guest Post: ND Legislators Used Phony Statistics To Support Bottle Rockets Ban
It is unfortunate that HB1257, which would have lifted the ban on bottle rocket sales in North Dakota, failed on the Senate floor yesterday despite all of the available data that proves bottle rockets aren’t as dangerous as opponents would like you to think. Instead, the Senate voted to punish a product rather than people…
ND Bill Would Give Judges The Option Of Suspending Hunting, Fishing Licenses For The Guilty
This bill flew under my radar until a reader emailed me about it this morning. HB1169 would add to the sentencing alternatives available to judges in North Dakota Century Code 12.1-32-02 to allow the suspension of hunting and fishing privileges. Here’s the pertinent text from the bill: Every person convicted of an offense who is…
SAB's Top Posts For The Last Week, Open Thread
These were the top posts, by page views, on SayAnythingBlog.com for the week that was: Democrat Legislator Jessica Haak Calls Republican Majority Leader A “Nazi” – Rep. Jessica Haak – (D-Jamestown) got caught posting nasty things, untrue things about Republicans on Twitter. When House Majority Leader Al Carlson confronted her about it, she called him…
Laws Named After Children Should Require A Super Majority To Pass
Just as the North Dakota legislature is considering tougher DUI laws for the state, the North Dakota Department of Transportation has launched a new ad campaign featuring the victims of high-profile drunk driving incident from last year. Because that’s not at all political, right? And the state’s media, most notably Forum Communications, has hyped a…