UPDATE: MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Legislators recently amended Michigan’s Super Drunk Driving law.

In 2009 Former governor Jennifer Granholm signed and enacted Michigan’s super drunk driving law which, State Representative, Kurt Heise said, “established the super drunk blood alcohol level at .17.”

But, when they wrote the law, Representative Heise explained, legislators forgot, “to allow local governments, cities, villages, and townships the ability to prosecute this law at the local level.”

Before the amendments local ordinances could not include penalties that exceed a punishment of 93 days in jail or a fine of $500.

Representative Heise said, “So really the purpose of these bills was to address that oversight that loop hole if you will and allows cities, villages, and townships to fully prosecute under the super drunk statute.”

Officer Greg Frenger of the Meridian Township Police department explained, “it doesn’t mean that prior to today’s date any agency in the state was not enforcing the super drunk law. It just means now they can do it under their own local ordinance if they adopt it. Ya know they would still have to enact that. Keep the fines and cost recovery type things locally at the township or city level.”

With these new public acts local government has the ability to enforce a maximum jail sentence of up to 180 days and a fine of $700.

Before these amendments can be implemented locally the township board has to adopt the statute as a local ordinance.


ORIGINAL STORY: MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Spoke with State Representative Kurt Heise about amendments to Michigan's "Super Drunk Driving" law. Watch Meridian Magazine and Beyond the Badge for more information.