Drunken driving is focus

Administration task force calls on Senate panel to approve package of bills that also focuses on underage alcohol use

Other measures in the governor's package would:

* Make it more difficult for a repeat drunken driver to receive probation before judgment by requiring 10 years to have passed between the first offense and the second before a judge can grant a PBJ. Currently, an offender becomes eligible for a second PBJ after five years without a violation.

* Require police to request drivers involved in fatal or life-threatening crashes to submit to a preliminary breath test regardless of whether there is probable cause to believe a driver was impaired. The test results would be used for research but would not be admissible in court. Neither could they be considered for insurance decisions.

* Impose a mandatory one-year license suspension for drivers who violate any part of the drunken-driving law a second time. Currently, a driver can avoid the mandatory suspension if one conviction is for driving under the influence and another is for the lesser charge of driving while impaired by alcohol or for related charges of driving under the influence of drugs.

* Increase the penalties for drivers who violate alcohol restrictions placed on their licenses by the Motor Vehicle Administration. Violators of such restrictions could face fines of up to $500 and two months in jail.

The O'Malley-backed bills are scheduled to be heard in the House Judiciary Committee today.