Bill > HB1708

This bill, effective July 1, 3000, aims to enhance public safety by increasing penalties for operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant (OUI) when the driver is deemed "highly intoxicated," meaning they have a significantly elevated blood alcohol content or exhibit extreme impairment. The bill amends existing law to make a first offense as a highly intoxicated driver a misdemeanor with stricter penalties, including a minimum ten-day jail sentence or a year of probation with specific conditions, and a longer license revocation period. For repeat offenses within ten years where the driver was highly intoxicated, the offense is elevated to a class C felony, carrying even more severe penalties such as a longer prison term or a four-year probation with stringent requirements, including a minimum thirty-day jail sentence and a significantly extended license revocation. Additionally, the bill modifies the conditions under which certain offenses are ineligible for probation, now explicitly including operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant as a non-probationable offense in certain circumstances.

Justice, Transportation and Infrastructure

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1708&year=2026