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Kentucky Bill Would Limit First-Offense DUI Convictions

belchonock, 123rf Stock Photo

A bill moving through the Kentucky state legislature would restrict people to just one first-offense DUI conviction in a lifetime. 

State law treats DUI offenses on a sliding scale, with penalties escalating for each subsequent conviction. But if someone has two DUI convictions more than 10 years apart, both are treated as a ‘first offense.’ House Bill 261 would only let people be convicted of a first-offense DUI once, regardless of when the offense occurred.

Bill sponsor Representative Jim DuPlessis said it would discourage risky behavior. Some Democrats voted against the bill because they said it would prevent people from getting their records expunged.

State Representative Darryl Owens said it would make it harder for people to get jobs because of a "stupid" mistake.

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