(412) 596-8124

On October 20th, 2014, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed a law changing the way courts handle prior drunk driving (DUI) convictions at sentencing.

In Pennsylvania, you face harsher punishments if you have prior DUI convictions.  Before the change, prior DUI convictions only led to an increased punishment if the defendant was convicted of the prior DUI before committing the new offense.  With the change in the law, any DUI conviction that exists at the time of sentencing will lead to an increased punishment.  By changing the law, the General Assembly invalidated the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s ruling in Commonwealth v. Haag.  Governor Tom Corbett approved the law, which took effect immediately, on October 27th, 2014.

For more information, go to:

Senate Bill 1239 of 2014: “An Act amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in licensing of drivers, further providing for occupational limited license; in driving after imbibing alcohol or utilizing drugs, further providing for grading and for prior offenses; and, in enforcement, further providing for reports by courts.”