Action Alert: .08 Goes to Conference Committee

Action Alert:
.08 Goes to Conference Committee

The Department of Transportation Appropriations Bill that passed the Senate (99-0) with a federal .08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) sanctions provision is now headed to a House-Senate conference committee. The language used in the House bill was not as strong on this issue. The committee will debate whether to make .08 BAC the national standard for drunk driving.

Senate (S. 2720) - Sec. 342. Includes a provision that requires States to adopt a .08 blood alcohol content law. It outlines highway funding sanctions beginning in fiscal year 2004 for states that are not in compliance.

House (H.R. 4475) - Sec. 163. Authorized, in addition to the alcohol-impaired driving incentive grant program, $5 million in grants over six years for states that have enacted and are enforcing .08 BAC laws.

The U.S. Congress will be in recess July 1-9, so many Members of Congress will be in their home districts during this time period. What you can do:

If your representative and/or Senator is a member of the Transportation Conference Committee (see list below) call or write, asking him/her to support the Senate language on .08 BAC in the conference;
Schedule visits in the home districts of your Senator or Congressman;
Attend public forums during the Congressional recess. Ask questions. Even if your Representative/Senator is not on the conference committee, ask him or her to encourage conferees to make .08 BAC the national standard for drunk driving.

Key .08 BAC Talking Points

The conference committee members have an opportunity to establish a national standard for drunk driving. A vote for the sanctions provision in the Senate bill is a vote to save lives!
The .08 BAC provisions contained within the Senate Department of Transportation bill mirror the same approach taken by President Reagan in 1984, when the Congress and Reagan established age 21 as the national minimum alcohol purchase age. In 1998, alone, an estimated 861 lives were saved by minimum drinking age laws (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1999).

Additional Talking Points

In 1998, 38% of all motor vehicle-related fatalities involved alcohol. This translates to 15,935 alcohol-related deaths, or an average of one death every thirty minutes (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1999).
If all states lowered their BAC limits to .08, alcohol-related highway deaths would decrease by 500-600 per year (Hingson et al. Lowering State Legal Blood Alcohol Limits to 0.08%: The Effect on Fatal Motor Vehicle Crashes. American Journal of Public Health, September 1996).
BACs of .10 and above were involved in an estimated 2,570,000 crashes that killed 13,466 and injured 762,000 people in 1996. BAC’s between .08-.09 were involved in an estimated 40,000 crashes that killed 1,067 and injured 34,000 people that same year (Jensen et al. Impaired Driving in the United States: State Fact Sheets. Public Services Research Institute, 1999).
In 1996, crash costs in the United States averaged $5.80 per mile driven at BACs of .10 and above, $2.50 per mile driven at BACs between .08-.09, and $0.10 per mile driven at BACs of .00 (Jensen et al. Impaired Driving in the United States: State Fact Sheets. Public Services Research Institute, 1999).
Almost a quarter of first-year medical costs for persons hospitalized as a result of a crash are paid by tax dollars, about two-thirds through Medicaid and one-third through Medicare (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Setting Limits, Saving Lives: The Case for .08 BAC Laws. 1999).
Alcohol-related crashes cost society over $45 billion every year. Just one alcohol-related fatality is estimated to cost society about $950,000. Each alcohol-related injury averages around $20,000 (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Setting Limits, Saving Lives: The Case for .08 BAC Laws. 1999).
As of September 1999, 17 states plus the District of Columbia set their per se limit at .08 BAC percent (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2000).
The relative risk of being killed as a driver in a single crash at .08 BAC was found to be 13 times that at .00 BAC for drivers aged 21 to 34. Each .02-percentage point increase in the BAC of a driver more than doubled the risk of receiving a fatal injury in a single vehicle crash among male drivers 16-20, and nearly doubled the comparable risk for other driver groups (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2000).
Reducing BAC limits from .10 percent to .08 percent is an effective method of saving lives (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2000).
All driving-related skills show impairment by .07 BAC, with the exception of simple reaction time and critical flicker fusion. In studies that only involved simulators (or on-road driving), divided attention, vigilance, and simulated piloting, 73 percent of the tests showed impairment by .039 BAC. Including tracking and wakefulness, 65 percent of the tests performed at BACs of .039 BAC and above showed impairment. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2000).
A review of BAC laws in other countries shows that Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom have limits of .08 or lower (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2000).

House Conference Committee Members

Representative	Contact Information	Position on .08 BAC Sanctions
Congressman Frank Wolf (R-Virginia - 10th District)	Washington Office 241 Cannon Building Washington, D.C. 20515-4610 202-225-5136 Herndon Office 13873 Park Center Rd. Suite 130 Herndon, VA 20171 703-709-5800 or 800-945-9653 in state Winchester Office 110 North Cameron St. Winchester, VA 22601 540-667-0990 or 800-850-3463 in state	Supports, but may be under pressure from House Leadership to oppose this issue.
Congressman Tom Delay (R-Texas - 22nd District	Washington Office 341 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-5951 FAX: (202) 225-5241 Stafford Office 10701 Corporate Drive, Suite 118 Stafford, Texas 77477 Phone: (281) 240-3700 (800) 759-5748 - Toll-free in area code 409 FAX: (281) 240-2959	Opposes
Congressman Ralph Regula (R-Ohio - 16th District)	Washington Office 2309 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone (202) 225-3876 Fax (202) 225-3059 Canton Office 4150 Belden Village Street, NW Suite 408 Canton, OH 44718-2553 Phone (330) 489-4414 Phone (800) 826-9015 (in Ohio) Fax (330) 489-4448	Unknown
Congressman Harold Rogers (R-Kentucky - 5th District)	Washington Office 2470 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone (202) 225-4601 Fax (202) 225-0940 Hazard Office 601 Main Street Hazard, KY 41701 Phone (606) 439-0794 Fax (606) 439-4647 Pikeville Office 806 Hambley Boulevard Pikeville, KY 41501 Phone (606) 432-4388 Fax (606) 432-4262 Somerset Office 551 Clifty Street Somerset, KY 42501 Phone (606) 679-8346 Toll Free (800) 632-8588 Fax (606) 678-4856	Unknown
Congressman Ron Packard (R-California - 48th District)	Washington Office 2372 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515-0548 Phone (202) 225-3906 Fax (202) 225-0134 San Clemente Office 629 Camino de Los Mares Suite 204 San Clemente, CA 92673 Phone (949) 496-2343 Fax (949) 496-2988	Unknown
Congressman Sonny Callahan (R-Alabama - 1st District)	Washington Office 2466 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515-0101 Phone (202) 225-4931 Fax (202) 225-0562 Mobile Office 1141 Montlimar Drive, Suite 3010 Mobile, AL 36609 Phone (334) 690-2811 Toll Free 1-800-288-USA1 Fax (334) 342-0404	Unknown
Congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-Kansas - 4th District)	Washington Office 428 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-6216 Fax: (202) 225-3489 Wichita Office 155 North Market, Suite 400 Wichita, Kansas 67202 Phone (316) 262-8992 Fax: (316) 262-5309	Unknown
Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-Alabama - 4th District)	Washington Office 1007 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 (202)225-4876 Jasper District Office 247 Federal Building 1710 Alabama Avenue Jasper, Alabama 35501 (205)221-2310 Cullman District Office 104 Federal Building 301 First Street, Northeast Cullman, Alabama 35055 (256)734-6043 Gadsden District Office 107 Federal Building 600 Broad Street Gadsden, Alabama 35901 (256)546-0201	Unknown
Congresswomen Kay Granger (R-Texas - 12th District)	Washington Office 435 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515-4312 Phone: (202) 225-5071 Fax: (202) 225-5683 Fort Worth Office 1600 West Seventh Street, Suite 740 Fort Worth, TX 76102 Phone: (817) 338-0909 Fax: (817) 335-5852	Unknown
Congressman Martin Olav Sabo (D-Minnesota - 5th District)	Washington Office 2336 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: (202) 225-4755. Minneapolis Office Commerce at the Crossings, #286 250 Second Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55401 Phone: (612) 664-8000	Unknown - (Ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation).
Congressman John Olver (D-Massachusetts - 1st District)	Washington Office 1027 Longworth HOB Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: 202-225-5335 Fax: 202-226-1224 Holyoke Office 57 Suffolk Street Suite 310 Holyoke, MA 01040 Phone: 413-532-7010 Fax: 413-532-6543 Pittsfield Office 78 Center Street Pittsfield, MA 01202 Phone: 413-442-0946 Fax: 413-443-2792 Fitchburg Office 463 Main Street Fitchburg, MA 01420 Phone: 978-342-8722 Fax: 978-343-8156	Supports
Congressman Ed Pastor (D-Arizona - 2nd District)	Washington Office 2465 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-4065 Phoenix Office 411 N. Central Avenue Suite 150 Phoenix, Arizona 85004 (602) 256-0551 Tucson Office 2432 East Broadway Tucson, AZ 85719 (520) 624-9986 Yuma Office 281 W. 24th Street Suite 118 Yuma, AZ 85364 (520) 726-2234	Unknown
Congresswomen Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Michigan - 15th District)	Washington Office 503 Cannon House Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20515 Tel: (202) 225-2261 Fax: (202) 225-5730 Detroit Office 1274 Library Suite 1-B Detroit, Michigan 48226 Tel: (313) 965-9004 Fax (313) 965-9006	Unknown
Congressman Jose Serrano (D-New York - 16th District)	Washington Office 2342 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515-3216 (202) 225-4361 Bronx Office 890 Grand Concourse Bronx, NY 10451 (718) 538-5400	Co-sponsor of .08 BAC in 1998. Current position is unknown.

Email: Write Your Representative at http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Senate Conference Committee Members

Senator	Contact Information	Position on .08 BAC Sanctions
Senator Richard Shelby (R-Alabama)	Washington Office 110 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Telephone: (202) 224-5744 Fax: (202) 224-3416 Senator@shelby.senate.gov Montgomery Office 15 Lee Street B-28 Federal Courthouse Montgomery, Alabama 36104 Telephone: (334) 223-7303 Fax: (334) 223-7317 Mobile Office 113 St. Joseph Street 308 Federal Courthouse Mobile, Alabama 36602 Telephone: (334) 694-4164 Fax: (334) 694-4166 Tuscaloosa Office 1118 Greensboro Avenue Room 240 Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401 Telephone: (205) 759-5047 Fax: (205) 759-5067 Birmingham Office 1800 5th Avenue North 321 Federal Building Birmingham, Alabama 35203 Telephone: (205) 731-1384 Fax: (205) 731-1386 Huntsville Office Huntsville International Airport 1000 Glenn Hearn Boulevard Box 20127 Huntsville, Alabama 35284 Telephone: (205) 772-0460 Fax: (205) 772-8387	Supported .08 BAC provision in 1998 and again in 2000 when he included .08 language in the Department of Transportation Appropriations Bill.
Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-New Jersey)	Washington Office 506 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-4744 frank_lautenberg@lautenberg.senate.gov Barrington Office 208 White Horse Pike Suites 18-19 Barrington, NJ 08007-1322 Phone (609) 757-5353 Fax (609) 546-1526 Newark Office One Newark Center, 14th Floor Newark, NJ 07102-5257 Phone (973) 645-3030 Fax (973) 645-0502	Chief sponsor of the .08 BAC provision.
Senator Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico)	Washington Office 328 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-3101 Phone (202) 224-6621 Albuquerque Office 625 Silver Southwest, Suite 330 Albuquerque, NM 87102 Phone (505) 346-6791 Las Cruces Office 1065 South Main, Building D-13, Suite I Las Cruces, NM 88005 Phone (505) 526-5475 Roswell Office 140 Federal Building Roswell, NM 88201 Phone (505) 623-6170 Santa Fe Office 120 South Federal Place, Suite 302 Santa Fe, NM 87501 (505) 988-6511	Voted for .08 BAC provision in 1998. Believed to be supportive of .08 BAC provision this year.
Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvannia)	Washington Office 711 Hart Building Washington DC 20510 Tel: 202-224-4254 fax: 202-228-1229 www.senate.gov/~specter/webform.htm Philadelphia Office 600 Arch Street, Suite 9400 Philadelphia, PA 19106 Tel: 215-597-7200 Pittsburgh Office Suite 2031, Federal Building Liberty Avenue and Grant Street Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Tel: 412-644-3400 Harrisburg Office Room 1159, Federal Building 228 Walnut Street Harrisburg, PA 17101 Tel: 717-782-3951 Erie Office Room 107, Federal Building 6th and State Streets Erie, PA 16501 Tel: 814-453-3010 Allentown Office Room 102, Post Office Building 5th and Hamilton Streets Allentown, PA 18101 Tel: 610-434-1444 Scranton Office 310 Spruce Street, 201 Scranton, PA 18503 Tel: 717-346-2006 Wilkes-Barre Office Room 306, 116 South Main Street South Main Towers Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701 Tel: 717-826-6265	Voted for .08 BAC provision in 1998. Believed to be supportive of .08 BAC provision this year.
Senator Kit Bond (R-Missouri)	Washington Office 274 Russell Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202.224.5721 Email: kit_bond@bond.senate.gov St. Louis Office 7700 Bonhomme, #615 St. Louis, MO 63105 Phone: 314.725.4484 Kansas City Office Rivergate Business Center 600 Broadway, #400 Kansas City, MO 64105 Phone: 816.471.7141 Jefferson City Office 308 East High Street, #202 Jefferson City, MO 65101 Phone: 573.634.2488 Springfield Office 318 Park Central East, #601 Springfield, MO 65806 Phone: 417.864.8258 Cape Girardeau Office Federal Building, Room 140 339 Broadway Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 Phone: 573.334.7044	Voted for .08 BAC provision in 1998. Current position is unknown.
Senator Slade Gorton (R-Washington)	Washington Office 730 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone (202) 224-3441 Fax (202) 224-9393 www.senate.gov/~gorton/webform.htm Bellevue Office 10900 Northeast 4th Street Suite 2110 Bellevue, Washington 98004 Phone (425) 451-0103 Fax (425) 451-0234 Tacoma Office 11120 Gravelly Lake Drive SW, Suite 8 Lakewood, Washington 98499 Phone (253) 581-1646 Fax (253) 581-0861 Spokane Office 697 United States Courthouse West 920 Riverside Spokane, Washington 99201 Phone (509) 353-2507 Fax (509) 353-2547 Wenatchee Office 1523 Country Club Drive East Wenatchee, Washington 98802 Phone/Fax (509) 884-3447 Yakima Office 402 East Yakima Avenue Box 4083 Yakima, Washington 98901 Phone (509) 248-8084 Fax (509) 248-8167 Tri-Cities Office 8915 West Grandridge Boulevard, Suite M Kennewick, Washington 99336 Phone Phone (509) 783-0640 Fax (509) 735-7559 Vancouver Office 1340 Federal Office Building 500 West 12th Street Vancouver, Washington 98660 Phone (360) 696-7838 Fax (360) 696-7844	Unknown
Senator Robert Bennett (R-Utah)	Washington Office 431 Dirksen Building Washington, D.C. 20510-4403 (202) 224-5444 www.senate.gov/~bennett/e-mail_form.html Salt Lake City Office Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building 125 South State Street, Suite 4225 Salt Lake City, Utah 84138-1188 Phone: (801) 524-5933 Fax: (801) 524-5730 Ogden Office 324 25th Street, Suite 1410 Ogden, Utah 84401-2310 Phone: (801) 625-5676 Fax: (801) 625-5692 Provo Office Old Courthouse Building 51 South University Avenue, Suite 310 Provo, Utah 84601-4424 Phone: (801) 379-2525 Fax: (801) 375-3432 St. George Office Federal Building 196 East Tabernacle, Suite 24 St. George, Utah 84770-3474 Phone: (801) 628-5514 Fax: (801) 624-4160	Opposes
Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colorado)	Washington Office 380 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202)224-5852 Fax: (202)224-1933 Colorado Springs Office 212 North Wahsatch Ave., #203 Colorado Springs, CO 80903 Phone: (719)636-9092 Fax: (719)636-9165 Englewood Office 6950 E. Belleview Ave., #200 Englewood, CO 80111 Phone: (303)843-4100 Fax: (303)843-4116 Ft. Collins Office 19 Old Town Square Suite 238, #42 Ft. Collins, CO 80524 Phone: (970)224-1909 Fax: (970)224-1948 Grand Junction Office Federal Building 400 Rood, Room 213 Grand Junction, CO 81501 Phone: (970)241-6631 Fax: (970)241-8313 Pueblo Office 503 N. Main Street, Suite 648 Pueblo, CO 81003 Phone: (719)542-6987 Fax: (719)542-2515	Opposes
Senator Robert Bryd (D-West Virginia)	Washington Office 311 Senate Hart Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone (202) 224-3954 Email: senator_byrd@byrd.senate.gov Charleston Office 300 Virginia Street, East, Suite 2630 Charleston, West Virginia 25301-2523 Phone (304) 342-5855	Voted for .08 BAC provision in 1998. Believed to be supportive of .08 BAC provision this year.
Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland)	Washington, Office 709 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510-2003 202-224-4654 (phone) 202-224-8858 (fax) www.senate.gov/~mikulski/mailform.htm Baltimore Office World Trade Center 401 E. Pratt Street, Suite 253 Baltimore, MD 21202-3099 410-962-4510 (phone) 410-962-4760 (fax) 410-962-4512 (TDD) Annapolis Office 60 West Street, Suite 202 Annapolis, MD 21401-2448 410-263-1805 (phone) 410-269-1650 (Balt. line) 410-263-5949 (fax) Greenbelt Office 6404 Ivy Lane, Suite 406 Greenbelt, MD 20770-1407 301-345-5517 (phone) 301-345-7573 (fax) Hagerstown Office 94 West Washington Street Hagerstown, MD 21740-4804 301-797-2826 (phone) 301-797-2241 (fax) Salisbury Office Suite 1E, Building B 1201 Pemberton Drive Salisbury, MD 21801-2403 410-546-7711 (phone) 410-546-9324 (fax)	Voted for .08 BAC provision in 1998. Believed to be supportive of .08 BAC provision this year.
Senator Harry Reid (D-Nevada)	Washington Office 528 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone 202-224-3542 Fax 202-224-7327 Email: senator_reid@reid.senate.gov Las Vegas Office Foley Federal Building 300 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Ste 1610 Las Vegas, NV 89101 Phone 702-474-0041 Fax 702-474-0137 Reno Office Bruce R. Thompson Courthouse and Federal Building 400 South Virginia Street, Suite 902 Reno, NV 89501 Phone 775-686-5750 Fax 775-686-5757 Carson City 600 East Williams Street, #302 Carson City, NV 89701 Phone 775-882-7343 Fax 775-883-1980	Opposes
Senator Patty Murray (D-Washington)	Washington Office 173 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: (202) 224-2621 Fax: (202) 224-0238 Email: senator_murray@murray.senate.gov Seattle Office 2988 Jackson Federal Building 915 2nd Avenue Seattle, Washington 98174 Phone: (206) 553-5545 Fax: (206) 553-0891 Yakima Office 402 E. Yakima Avenue, Suite 390 Yakima, Washington 98901 Phone: (509) 453-7462 Fax: (509) 453-7731 Spokane Office 601 West Main Avenue, Suite 1213 Spokane, Washington 99204 Phone: (509) 624-9515 Fax: (509) 624-9561 Vancouver Office 500 W. 12th Street 140 Federal Building Vancouver, Washington 98660 Phone: (360) 696-7797 Fax: (360) 696-7798 Everett Office 2930 Wetmore Avenue, Suite 903 Everett, Washington 98201 Phone: (425) 259-6515 Fax: (425) 259-7152	Voted for .08 BAC provision in 1998. Believed to be supportive of .08 BAC provision this year.
Senator Herb Kohl (D-Wisconsin)	Washington Office 330 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone (202) 224-5653 Email: senator_kohl@kohl.senate.gov Milwaukee Office 310 West Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 950 Milwaukee, WI 53203 Phone (414) 297-4451 Madison Office 14 West Mifflin Street, Suite 207 Madison, WI 53703 Phone (608) 264-5538 Eau Claire Office 402 Graham Avenue, Suite 206 Eau Claire, WI 54701 Phone (715) 832-8424 Appleton Office 4321 West College Avenue, Suite 235 Appleton, WI 54914 Phone (920) 738-1640 LaCrosse Office 425 State Street, Suite 202 LaCrosse, WI 54601 Phone (608) 796-0045	Voted for .08 BAC provision in 1998. Believed to be supportive of .08 BAC provision this year.
Senator Ted Stevens (R-Arkansas)	Washington Office 522 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone (202) 224-3004 Fax (202) 224-2354 www.senate.gov/~stevens/webform.htm Anchorage Office 222 West 7th Avenue #2 Anchorage, AK 99513-7569 Phone (907) 271-5915 Fax (907) 258-9305 Fairbanks Office Box 4 Federal Building, Room 206 101 12th Avenue Fairbanks, AK 99701 Phone (907) 456-0261 Fax (907) 451-7290 Wasilla Office 851 East Westpoint Drive #307 Wasilla, AK 99654 Phone (907) 376-7665 Fax (907) 376-8526 Kenai Office 130 Trading Bay Road, Suite 350 Kenai, AK 99611 Phone (907) 283-5808 Fax (907) 283-4363 Jueau Office Box 20149 Federal Building, Room 971 Juneau, AK 99802 Phone (907) 586-7400 Fax (907) 586-8922 Ketchikan Office 109 Main Street Ketchikan, AK 99901 Phone (907) 225-6880 Fax (907) 225-0390	Unknown

Posted 6/30/00