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Alting: ‘Jimmy DeBoy’ bill goes to governor
(STATEHOUSE) – Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette) said persistence paid off today as the Indiana Senate and House of Representatives passed the Jimmy DeBoy bill.
If signed by Gov. Mitch Daniels, House Bill 1052 would include stiffer penalties for intoxicated drivers who cause crashes that kill or seriously injure another person.
“Persistence and cooperation from my colleagues were key factors in passing this bill,” Alting said.
The Jimmy DeBoy bill, named for a local youth who was struck and killed by an impaired driver, nearly failed to pass this session after the House Committee on Courts and Criminal Code failed to hear it.
However, Alting worked with Sen. Marvin Riegsecker (R-Goshen) to include the language into House Bill 1052, which Riegsecker sponsored in the Senate. Alting’s Goshen colleague had voted for the Jimmy DeBoy bill as it passed the Senate 33 to 15 on January 29.
“Families and friends who have lost loved ones to impaired drivers were demanding tougher penalties in order for the punishment to fit the crime,” Alting said.
According to Alting, the Jimmy DeBoy bill makes penalties for impaired drivers who cause death a Class A felony with a possible 20-to-50-year jail term and $10,000 fine. The offense for causing serious bodily injury while impaired would increase from a Class C felony to a Class B felony with a possible six-to-20-year jail term and $10,000 fine.
Sen. Alting represents Senate District 22, which includes a portion of Tippecanoe County.
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