Kaplan Senator Jonathan Perry Is Recognized For Authoring Drunk Driving Legislation

Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD, is recognizing their "Legislative Champions".  They are recognizing State Senator Jonathan Perry of Kaplan for his leadership in the Louisiana Legislature to stop drunk driving.

MADD National President Jan Withers says, "MADD thanks Senator Perry for his dedication and commitment to advancing MADD's mission in Louisiana. We appreciate his unwavering commitment to improving Louisiana's drunk driving law."

Last year, Perry successfully authored several DWI reform laws to improve the state's ignition interlock law.

The changes mean:

• A measure that prohibited law enforcement from being subpoenaed to a driver's license hearing making the hearing a paper review only.
• Authoring legislation that requires DWI offender to serve entire driver's license suspension upon arrest, if arrest occurred within ten years of a previous conviction, even if current arrest did not result in conviction (Act 663).

Senator Perry says,

"I am honored by this special recognition and I will continue to do whatever I can do as a public official and concerned citizen of Louisiana to try to make our highways and byways safer. We cannot rest until the reckless, senseless act of driving impaired is fully addressed. One life lost, one innocent person injured is too many."

MADD Louisiana Executive Director Floyd Johnson says,

"MADD applauds and is grateful to Senator Perry for his leadership in authoring legislation improving our DWI law.  Through the legislation he authored, Louisiana's law enforcement is better equipped to enforce laws and more convicted drunk drivers will be put on an ignition interlock."

A major portion of MADD’s advocacy efforts is the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving that started in 2006.  A big part of the campaign calls for states to enact laws requiring ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers.  In 2007, Louisiana was one of the first states to enact such a law.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving was founded in 1980 by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver.