House Bill 1200 makes important changes in accountability for people who are convicted of Driving Under the Influence. Under the current system they are able to just shop for a diagnosis that says that they do not have a drinking problem and their criminal history is not obtained which allows them to get right back on the road without the proper treatment or safeguards to prevent a repeat.
The legislative body is meeting today and the email support they get on this will decide weather this gets pushed through or gets lost amongst the other bills and dies. Please take a minute to email the legislators and let them know DUI laws and the safety of our families on the road is important to you. Just cut and paste the email list into the "to:" section of the email body, then type what you would like. It does not matter if you are from WA or not, this is a problem that crosses state lines and effects us all. Sorry for the length of this but as a Fire Fighter I have seen more tragedy and trauma regarding DUI's than I ever care to remember. The email addresses and the bill outline are below. THANK YOU!
sommers.helen@leg.wa.gov
fromhold.bill@leg.wa.gov
alexander.gary@leg.wa.gov
anderson.glenn@leg.wa.gov
armstrong.mike@leg.wa.gov
bailey.barbara@leg.wa.gov
buri.david@leg.wa.gov
clements.jim@leg.wa.gov
cody.eileen@leg.wa.gov
conway.steve@leg.wa.gov
darnielle.jeannie@leg.wa.gov
dunshee.hans@leg.wa.gov
grant.bill@leg.wa.gov
haigh.kathy@leg.wa.gov
hinkle.bill@leg.wa.gov
hunter.ross@leg.wa.gov
kagi.ruth@leg.wa.gov
kenney.phyllis@leg.wa.gov
kessler.lynn@leg.wa.gov
linville.kelli@leg.wa.gov
mcdermott.joe@leg.wa.gov
mcdonald.joyce@leg.wa.gov
mcintire.jim@leg.wa.gov
miloscia.mark@leg.wa.gov
pearson.kirk@leg.wa.gov
priest.skip@leg.wa.gov
schual-berke.shay@leg.wa.gov
talcott.gigi@leg.wa.gov
walsh.maureen@leg.wa.gov
"This testimony in support of House Bill 1200
is dedicated to eight-year-old Heidi Huston
who was killed by an impaired driver
in Snohomish County; and to her mother,
Kris Huston, who served on the boards
of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the
Snohomish County DUI Task Force."
-Conrad
Thompson
My name is Conrad Thompson. I am a Probation Officer
with
the Snohomish County District Court. I serve on: the
Washington Traffic Safety Commission Inter-Agency
Advisory Committee, Co-chair the
Snohomish County DUI Task Force, testified on DUI
legislation in 1994 and 1998, chaired the Whatcom
County Alcohol Administrative Board,
and worked to pass the State Uniform Alcoholism
Treatment Act in 1971.
I support House Bill 1200. It represents sound public
policy.
The patient is more likely to receive an accurate
diagnosis. Furthermore,
the bill promotes public safety on our roadways,
protecting our
children, families, and friends.
As a probation officer with thirty years of experience
I have read thousands of substance abuse assessments.
I and other probation officers see many DUI offenders
diagnosed as having no problem, when the opposite is
true. This is why the Misdemeanant Corrections
Association at its annual membership meeting in 2003
and 2004 voted unanimously that a protocol for
assessments be mandatory.
House Bill 1200 has three key components that will
facilitate
a more accurate substance abuse assessment. They are:
1) The offenders' criminal history must be obtained at
the time of
assessment. The Office of the Administrator for the
Courts has made this history available on-line to
treatment providers. They have
waived the connection fee. The attached Op/Ed
illustrates why the criminal history is significant;
2) The police report must be reviewed when the BAC
test is refused. Without the police report, the
assessor has only the offenders' self-report to rely
on. See example, attached Op/Ed;
3) A urinalysis (Ua) requirement for assessments. The
cost is about
six dollars. A Ua provides objective information that
is vital to arriving at an accurate diagnosis.
Dr. Barry Logan, Head of Forensics for the Washington
State Patrol, recently completed a study entitled
"Combined Drug and Alcohol Use
in Washington Drivers, 'The Tip of The Iceberg'" . He
studied vehicular homicides and assaults for the year
2002. He found that of all cases being investigated
for vehicular homicide with a BAC above .08 and in
vehicular assault cases, sixty percent involved other
drugs. This clearly has major implications for traffic
safety.
Treatment agencies in Snohomish County that require a
Ua as part
of a DUI assessment, find fifty percent positive for
other drugs. A Ua
does not create any barriers for getting into
treatment. They do result
in more accurate assessments. However, treatment
agencies that require
a Ua are confronted with a growing problem; DUI
offenders are now assessment shopping. They are going
to agencies that do not require a Ua.
I commend the treatment agencies that continue to
require a Ua in
spite of losing business. They value an accurate
diagnosis over income. House Bill 1200 establishes a
statewide standard for assessments
that will substantially reduce assessment shopping.
Dr. Logan's study, the explosive increase in the use
of meth, the serious problem of prescription
medication abuse, and fifty percent of assessments of
DUI offenders with a positive Ua, make it obvious why
a Ua is critical for a diagnosis to be accurate.
A misdiagnosis allows the offender to get a driver's
license without needed treatment. The legislature
created a safety net in the law, requiring that sixty
days of the recommended treatment be completed before
a license can be issued. This safety net is lost with
each misdiagnosis. The offender continues to suffer
from drug abuse and
is a high risk to re-offend. When a new assessment is
required
and treatment recommended, it has been delayed for six
months or more.
Working with the courts for thirty years has taught me
that when judges order an offender to have a substance
abuse assessment,
they expect an accurate assessment as to whether there
is a problem with alcohol or other drugs.
The law provides a captive audience for the three
hundred plus treatment agencies, licensed by the state
to perform DUI assessments. It is only proper and
fitting that we have a statewide protocol for these
assessments. A substantial sum of tax dollars is spent
to enforce our DUI laws. A misdiagnosis is counter
productive to these expenditures and public safety.
Snohomish County has a DUI Memorial Wall with over one
hundred
names on it. Once a year we have an unveiling ceremony
for the families
to dedicate a remembrance tile for their loved one,
lost to an impaired driver.
We must ask, what is the price we pay for the
misdiagnosis of a patient?
In closing I ask you on behalf of DUI victims, their
loved ones, and the public, please pass this important
public safety legislation.
The legislative body is meeting today and the email support they get on this will decide weather this gets pushed through or gets lost amongst the other bills and dies. Please take a minute to email the legislators and let them know DUI laws and the safety of our families on the road is important to you. Just cut and paste the email list into the "to:" section of the email body, then type what you would like. It does not matter if you are from WA or not, this is a problem that crosses state lines and effects us all. Sorry for the length of this but as a Fire Fighter I have seen more tragedy and trauma regarding DUI's than I ever care to remember. The email addresses and the bill outline are below. THANK YOU!
sommers.helen@leg.wa.gov
fromhold.bill@leg.wa.gov
alexander.gary@leg.wa.gov
anderson.glenn@leg.wa.gov
armstrong.mike@leg.wa.gov
bailey.barbara@leg.wa.gov
buri.david@leg.wa.gov
clements.jim@leg.wa.gov
cody.eileen@leg.wa.gov
conway.steve@leg.wa.gov
darnielle.jeannie@leg.wa.gov
dunshee.hans@leg.wa.gov
grant.bill@leg.wa.gov
haigh.kathy@leg.wa.gov
hinkle.bill@leg.wa.gov
hunter.ross@leg.wa.gov
kagi.ruth@leg.wa.gov
kenney.phyllis@leg.wa.gov
kessler.lynn@leg.wa.gov
linville.kelli@leg.wa.gov
mcdermott.joe@leg.wa.gov
mcdonald.joyce@leg.wa.gov
mcintire.jim@leg.wa.gov
miloscia.mark@leg.wa.gov
pearson.kirk@leg.wa.gov
priest.skip@leg.wa.gov
schual-berke.shay@leg.wa.gov
talcott.gigi@leg.wa.gov
walsh.maureen@leg.wa.gov
"This testimony in support of House Bill 1200
is dedicated to eight-year-old Heidi Huston
who was killed by an impaired driver
in Snohomish County; and to her mother,
Kris Huston, who served on the boards
of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the
Snohomish County DUI Task Force."
-Conrad
Thompson
My name is Conrad Thompson. I am a Probation Officer
with
the Snohomish County District Court. I serve on: the
Washington Traffic Safety Commission Inter-Agency
Advisory Committee, Co-chair the
Snohomish County DUI Task Force, testified on DUI
legislation in 1994 and 1998, chaired the Whatcom
County Alcohol Administrative Board,
and worked to pass the State Uniform Alcoholism
Treatment Act in 1971.
I support House Bill 1200. It represents sound public
policy.
The patient is more likely to receive an accurate
diagnosis. Furthermore,
the bill promotes public safety on our roadways,
protecting our
children, families, and friends.
As a probation officer with thirty years of experience
I have read thousands of substance abuse assessments.
I and other probation officers see many DUI offenders
diagnosed as having no problem, when the opposite is
true. This is why the Misdemeanant Corrections
Association at its annual membership meeting in 2003
and 2004 voted unanimously that a protocol for
assessments be mandatory.
House Bill 1200 has three key components that will
facilitate
a more accurate substance abuse assessment. They are:
1) The offenders' criminal history must be obtained at
the time of
assessment. The Office of the Administrator for the
Courts has made this history available on-line to
treatment providers. They have
waived the connection fee. The attached Op/Ed
illustrates why the criminal history is significant;
2) The police report must be reviewed when the BAC
test is refused. Without the police report, the
assessor has only the offenders' self-report to rely
on. See example, attached Op/Ed;
3) A urinalysis (Ua) requirement for assessments. The
cost is about
six dollars. A Ua provides objective information that
is vital to arriving at an accurate diagnosis.
Dr. Barry Logan, Head of Forensics for the Washington
State Patrol, recently completed a study entitled
"Combined Drug and Alcohol Use
in Washington Drivers, 'The Tip of The Iceberg'" . He
studied vehicular homicides and assaults for the year
2002. He found that of all cases being investigated
for vehicular homicide with a BAC above .08 and in
vehicular assault cases, sixty percent involved other
drugs. This clearly has major implications for traffic
safety.
Treatment agencies in Snohomish County that require a
Ua as part
of a DUI assessment, find fifty percent positive for
other drugs. A Ua
does not create any barriers for getting into
treatment. They do result
in more accurate assessments. However, treatment
agencies that require
a Ua are confronted with a growing problem; DUI
offenders are now assessment shopping. They are going
to agencies that do not require a Ua.
I commend the treatment agencies that continue to
require a Ua in
spite of losing business. They value an accurate
diagnosis over income. House Bill 1200 establishes a
statewide standard for assessments
that will substantially reduce assessment shopping.
Dr. Logan's study, the explosive increase in the use
of meth, the serious problem of prescription
medication abuse, and fifty percent of assessments of
DUI offenders with a positive Ua, make it obvious why
a Ua is critical for a diagnosis to be accurate.
A misdiagnosis allows the offender to get a driver's
license without needed treatment. The legislature
created a safety net in the law, requiring that sixty
days of the recommended treatment be completed before
a license can be issued. This safety net is lost with
each misdiagnosis. The offender continues to suffer
from drug abuse and
is a high risk to re-offend. When a new assessment is
required
and treatment recommended, it has been delayed for six
months or more.
Working with the courts for thirty years has taught me
that when judges order an offender to have a substance
abuse assessment,
they expect an accurate assessment as to whether there
is a problem with alcohol or other drugs.
The law provides a captive audience for the three
hundred plus treatment agencies, licensed by the state
to perform DUI assessments. It is only proper and
fitting that we have a statewide protocol for these
assessments. A substantial sum of tax dollars is spent
to enforce our DUI laws. A misdiagnosis is counter
productive to these expenditures and public safety.
Snohomish County has a DUI Memorial Wall with over one
hundred
names on it. Once a year we have an unveiling ceremony
for the families
to dedicate a remembrance tile for their loved one,
lost to an impaired driver.
We must ask, what is the price we pay for the
misdiagnosis of a patient?
In closing I ask you on behalf of DUI victims, their
loved ones, and the public, please pass this important
public safety legislation.
