Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation S.2712B/A.4755B to support local STOP-DWI programs by directing two of the mandatory surcharges currently assessed against those committing impaired driving offenses to fund local prevention programs. This law will provide essential resources to support county-level, community led interventions to protect New Yorkers.
“As a former County Clerk, I know how critical our local STOP-DWI programs are to protecting our families across the state from impaired driving,” Governor Hochul said. “Community led interventions are the most effective methods we have, and I am proud to sign this legislation to provide them direct support.”
New York State is a nationally recognized leader in traffic safety and combatting impaired driving, establishing the first Special Traffic Options Program for Driving While Impaired (STOP-DWI) program in the nation. Since 1981, STOP-DWI has provided thousands of training and intervention programs in schools and community centers, employing a general deterrence model focused on prevention, incapacitation, reform and changing behavior.
This new law will direct two surcharges assessed as part of impaired driving convictions to the relevant county’s STOP-DWI program. Since their inception, STOP-DWI programs have been funded by fines included in sentencing for impaired driving offenses. In recent years, as mandatory surcharges and other fees have been imposed on impaired driving convictions in addition to the base fine, funding for STOP-DWI has gone down by as much as 50 percent in certain counties, imperiling the financial stability of critical programs.
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