Mothers Against Drunk Driving Announces 2018 Legislators of the Year

31 State Lawmakers Recognized for Helping Advance MADD’s Mission

WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 26, 2018) — Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) announces the “2018 Legislators of the Year” who partnered with MADD on lifesaving legislation to stop the tragedies caused by drunk driving, the leading killer on U.S. roads.

MADD recognized 31 lawmakers from 13 states for their commitment to saving lives, including six from Alabama, four from Colorado, three from Iowa, Idaho and New Jersey, two from Louisiana, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Wisconsin, and one from Indiana, Hawaii, Michigan and Oklahoma.

“MADD is honored to work with legislators who share our goal of eliminating the 100 percent preventable crime of drunk driving,” said MADD National President Colleen Sheehey-Church. “We thank these legislative champions for their leadership and for recognizing the importance of their role in reversing this public safety crisis.”

Many of the 2018 Legislators of the Year played a major role in MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, which was launched in 2006. A key component of the Campaign calls for the passage of all-offender interlock laws, which require the use of an ignition interlock for any convicted drunk driver who seeks driving privileges during license suspension. Prior to the Campaign, only one state — New Mexico — had an all-offender interlock law. Today, 32 states and Washington D.C. have enacted all-offender interlock laws.

Other components of MADD’s Campaign include supporting high-visibility law enforcement, such as sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols, advocating for development of the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS), which is an advanced vehicle technology to passively detect alcohol on a driver’s breath, and taking personal responsibility by always planning ahead for a non-drinking designated driver when plans include alcohol.

2018 MADD Legislators of the Year:

Alabama

Senator Jim McClendon

Senator Paul Bussman

Representative Arnold Mooney

Representative Allen Farley

Representative Johnny Mack Morrow

Representative Will Ainsworth

Colorado

Senator Lois Court

Representative Dave Young

Senator Jack Tate

Representative Jeni James Arndt

Hawaii

Senator Laura Thielen

Idaho

Representative Ryan Kerby

Representative Melissa Wintrow

Senator Grant Burgoyne

Indiana

Representative Timothy Wesco

Iowa

Representative Sandy Salmon

Representative Jarad Klein

Senator Tom Shipley

Louisiana

Representative Tanner Magee

Representative John Bagneris

Michigan

Representative Klint Kesto

New Jersey

Senator Nicholas Scutari

Senator Joe Lagana

Assemblywoman Joann Downey

Oklahoma

Senator Kim David

Rhode Island

Senator Maryellen Goodwin

Representative Robert Nardolillo

South Carolina

Senator Brad Hutto

Representative Eddie Tallon

Wisconsin

Senator Chris Larson

Representative Christine Sinicki