JACKSON - The blood alcohol rate to be considered legally drunk in Mississippi will drop from .10 percent to .08 percent effective July 1 under a bill Gov. Ronnie Musgrove signed into law.
Musgrove signed dozens of bills Monday and Tuesday.
The DUI bill tightens laws by lowering the measure of intoxication. It came in response to a federal mandate that states set a .08 percent standard by 2004. States refusing to do so will see millions of dollars in federal highway construction money shifted to public safety programs.
The difference between .08 percent and .10 percent could come from having one or two extra drinks in a short time, experts say.
The governor also signed a bill that will allow state wildlife officers to donate illegally killed deer, game birds and fish to needy recipients or to jails that prepare food for prisoners.
The law goes into effect July 1.
State law already allowed the state Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks to give the seized animals to charitable institutions or to state facilities. The bill adds the needy and law enforcement agencies with facilities to prepare food for prisoners.
Other bills signed by Musgrove:
- Increases the terms of office for chancery, circuit and county judges from four years to six years. The law would take effect if voters ratify a companion constitutional amendment and it is approved by the Justice Department.
- Increase the penalty for making bogus bomb threats to a fine of up to $10,000 and up to 10 years in prison, or both. The law took effect after Musgrove signed it.
- Designate a portion of U.S. 49 in Mendenhall in Simpson County as the "Sheriff E.C. Mullins Memorial Highway." Mullins died March 20, 2001, of an apparent heart attack after being assaulted. The law took effect when Musgrove signed it.
- Designate as eligible for a scenic river designation Magee's Creek in Walthall County from the confluence of Varnell Creek to the Bogue Chitto River. The law took effect when Musgrove signed it.
- Prohibit seduction of minors over the Internet. Penalty for conviction would be up to three years in prison and a fine up to $10,000. The law takes effect July 1.
- Declare candidates elected when only one person qualifies for an office. The law takes effect after Justice Department approval.
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