November 23rd, 2015

On January 1, 2016, HB 0496, the new law allowing restricted licenses for certain DWI offenders goes into effect. This is great news for many people who may be able to keep their jobs, stay in school, or keep up with their medical appointments by driving on a restricted license for part of their DWI court-ordered suspension period.

However, with the new law coming into effect in just 39 days, there are many unanswered questions. The biggest questions swirl around two central issues:

  • Does the law apply to people currently serving a DWI suspension as of 1/1/2016, or only to people convicted of DWI on or after 1/1/2016, or only to the still-smaller group of people arrested for DWI on or after 1/1/2016?
  • Does the law apply to administrative suspensions? If not, it will be an empty promise for many DWI offenders.

The details of the law, and a further discussion of these unanswered questions, can be found in our DWI Resource Center, here.