House OKs making 3rd DUI a felony

Rep. Kris Hansen, R-Havre, overcame the odds Monday when the House of Representatives voted 57-43 to make a person's third driving-under-the-influence conviction a felony.

"When I first mentioned this, everyone told me there wasn't a chance," said Hansen, who sponsored the bill.

In addition to the usual opposition to stricter drunken driving laws, there was major concern about the cost.

The state Department of Corrections estimated that cost of the additional incarceration at $4.5 million, a bill that most lawmakers would automatically reject in these fiscally troubled times, Hansen said.

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