SF4665

Purpose

This bill updates Minnesota law to address impaired driving involving substances other than alcohol. It changes how license suspensions, reinstatement, and driver monitoring work; adds ignition interlock and testing requirements; creates a pathway for restricted licenses; and authorizes rulemaking and funding.

Main Provisions

• Definitions and scope

  • Introduces and clarifies terms like alcoholrelated violation and substancerelated violation.
  • Expands what counts as an impairment offense to include refusals to test and driving under the influence of substances such as cannabis, controlled substances, intoxicating substances, and combinations of substances.
  • Uses terms such as ignition interlock device (IID) and program participant.

• Revocation, denial, and reinstatement rules

  • Revises how long a license can be revoked for alcoholrelated and substancerelated violations.
  • Sets minimum revocation periods that depend on the type of violation and the number of prior incidents (qualified prior impaired driving incidents).
  • Adds longer revocation periods if the violation involved bodily harm, great bodily harm, or death.
  • Establishes rules for how violations from other states affect Minnesota revocation time.

• Test refusals and test failures

  • Creates time-based minimums for license revocation after refusing chemical tests or failing tests, with adjustments based on age, BAC level, and prior incidents.
  • If there is bodily harm or death, longer revocation periods apply.
  • If the person is in a program (IID or substance use testing), these periods can be tied to completing those programs.

• Ignition interlock device (IID) and substance use testing programs

  • Requires program participants to install and use an IID on any vehicle they drive, with location tracking capabilities.
  • Participants must not drive vehicles that don’t have a functioning IID.
  • Requires participation in an IID program, a substance use testing program, or both, depending on the violation.
  • Requires completion of licensed substance use disorder treatment or rehabilitation to regain full driving privileges.
  • Extends the program period if a participant tests positive for alcohol or certain drugs, and provides credit for time already spent in the program when calculating the total required time.
  • Allows termination from the IID or testing program, with reentry allowed under certain conditions, but no credit for time spent before termination.

• Restricted license for program participants

  • Creates a restricted Class D license for participants under certain IID/testing conditions.
  • The restricted license can be issued without requiring payment of reinstatement fees upfront.
  • The restricted license requires proof of insurance and only allows driving vehicles equipped with a functioning IID.
  • Employers’ vehicles may be driven under certain conditions with written consent.
  • Participants may seek conditional reinstatement before full driving privileges are restored, subject to meeting prerequisites and IID/testing requirements.
  • Additional prereqs and timelines apply for eventual full reinstatement, including abstinence periods and no positive test results for a specified window.

• Prerequisites, extensions, and eligibility

  • The commissioner has authority to determine when a participant is eligible for full restoration of driving privileges, but full restoration requires meeting all prerequisites and no recent positive tests.
  • If a participant’s IID or testing program shows a positive result or a new violation, the time to full reinstatement can be extended.

• Special rules for out-of-state and nonresident cases

  • Provisions address how out-of-state convictions affect Minnesota licensing and how nonresident operating privileges are treated under the new framework.

• Rulemaking and funding

  • The bill authorizes rulemaking and appropriations to implement these changes.

Notable Changes / Impact

• Expands the category of impaired driving to clearly include substances beyond alcohol, with detailed definitions for substancerelated violations.
• Introduces mandatory ignition interlock devices and monitoring (including location tracking) for program participants.
• Ties license reinstatement to completion of a licensed substance use disorder treatment or rehabilitation program.
• Establishes a restricted license option (Class D) for people in the IID/testing programs, with specific restrictions and prerequisites.
• Increases the consequences for offenses that involve bodily harm or death, and for repeat offenses (inimical to public safety).
• Adds a structured pathway for out-of-state convictions and nonresident privileges under the IID/testing framework.

Implementation Considerations

• Requires administrative rulemaking to implement the IID program, testing programs, and rehabilitation standards.
• Involves coordination with insurance requirements and vehicle restrictions for participants.
• Introduces ongoing monitoring (including location tracking) as part of the IID program.

Summary of Key Effects

• More offenses are treated as impairments (not just alcohol) for licensing purposes.
• Licenses can be revoked longer and more often for substancerelated violations and repeat offenses.
• Driving becomes possible only through devices and programs that monitor and limit behavior (IID, substance testing, rehabilitation).
• A clear pathway exists to regain driving privileges through restricted licenses and required treatments.

Relevant Terms

• ignition interlock device (IID)
• ignition interlock device program
• location tracking capabilities
• program participant
• alcoholrelated violation
• substancerelated violation
• licensed substance use disorder treatment
• rehabilitation
• abstinence
• positive breath/breath alcohol concentration 0.02 or higher
• qualified prior impaired driving incident
• inimical to public safety
• restricted license (Class D)
• testing program (substance use testing program)
• nonresident operating privilege
• out-of-state conviction
• bodily harm, great bodily harm, death
• test refusal period
• test failure period
• reinstatement prerequisites
• rulemaking
• appropriation/ funding