Politics on the Hudson

The state Legislature is expected to pass legislation that would toughen drunken-driving laws, making it a felony for driving while impaired with a child as a passenger.

The measure would also require people convicted of a DWI in New York, and every person convicted of a DWI-related crime, to have an ignition interlock installed as a condition of their sentence.

The Assembly and Senate said they’ve reached an agreement to pass the bill, called “Leandra’s Law.” It is named after 11-year-old Leandra Rosado, who died last month in an accident in Manhattan as a passenger in a vehicle whose driver police said was drunk.

The Assembly initially didn’t want to make it a felony for all drunk drivers who had a child in the car, only for those who had blood alcohol levels more than twice the legal limit of .08.

But after pressure, the Assembly said it would go ahead with the tougher law, which they said would be the toughest drunken driving law in the nation.

“If enacted, this bill will make our roads safer and ensure the security of our families,” said Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan.

The legislation would make it a felony to drive drunk with a passenger under age 15 with a blood alcohol level above .08. The law would carry a possible prison sentence of up to 1-1/3-to-4 years for a first offense.

Additionally, the law would require interlock devices that prevent intoxicated drivers from starting a vehicle. And if a convicted driver tries to bypass or tamper with the system, the law would consider that a crime.

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