Stricter Drunken Driving Law Loses

Supporters of tougher anti-drinking laws lost an effort to get a House vote on a proposal to penalize states that don’t set a 0.08% blood alcohol content for drunken driving. The House Rules Committee decided that a measure to set 0.08% as the nationwide standard for drunken driving will not be part of a highway spending bill. The amendment by Rep. Nita M. Lowey (D-N.Y.) would have penalized states that don’t enact 0.08% laws by denying them up to 10% of their share of federal highway funds. Sixteen states, including California, have 0.08% blood alcohol content levels for drunken driving.