Saint Paul, Minnesota – On Thursday, the Minnesota House passed a DWI reform bill that would extend the time that repeat offenders must use ignition interlock devices to start their cars, in response to the fatal Park Tavern crash last September.
Steven Bailey, 56, had five prior DWI convictions. Police say he was drinking again when he plowed into the Park Tavern patio in St. Louis Park over Labor Day weekend, killing server Kristina Folkerts and Methodist Hospital employee Gabe Harvey.
DFL Rep. Larry Kraft, who represents St. Louis Park and sponsored the bill, described the state’s current ignition interlock laws as too “linear” and stated on the House floor that his proposal “ramps up the time repeat offenders are required to be on interlock much more aggressively, and increases the lookback period from 10 to 20 years in certain circumstances.”
The bill eventually passed almost unanimously, with only five dissenting votes.
“The individual who committed this heinous act had five prior DWI convictions. My question was, “Why is he still driving?” Kraft said in an interview prior to the vote. “That’s what this legislation is about, requiring people that are repeat offenders to spend more time on interlock and make sure that more of them get on interlock from a public safety focus perspective.”
Kraft’s proposal was supported by many Republican colleagues, including Rep. Jeff Witte, who spoke in favor of it on the House floor as a way to hold repeat offenders accountable.
“This bill prioritizes the safety of Minnesotans by keeping repeat drunk drivers off the road,” Witte told the crowd.
Several Methodist colleagues, as well as St. Louis Park Mayor Nadia Mohamed, were present for the vote in the House chambers.
“We’re here so that what happened in St. Louis Park never happens again in our state,” Mohamed told the crowd. “It makes it harder for people who are drunk driving to drive a vehicle.”
The Senate is expected to take up this legislation next week. Given its strong bipartisan support in that chamber, this legislation is likely to reach the governor’s desk for signature before the May 19 deadline.