North Carolina legislation · 2025-2026 Session
North Carolina H1091: DWI Modernization Act of 2026.
Status: In committee, April 30, 2026
What the bill says
An act to modernize dwi laws relating to prevention, enforcement, and recovery and to save lives of operators, passengers, and pedestrians by requiring magistrates to explain a finding of no probable cause in implied consent cases; to increase efficiency in the immediate civil pretrial revocation; to require impaired drivers to pay their fair share of the costs of their processing; to reduce unnecessary motions by admitting alcohol and oral drug screening tests to prove the arresting officer had probable cause…
From the introduced text:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO MODERNIZE DWI LAWS RELATING TO PREVENTION, ENFORCEMENT, AND RECOVERY AND TO SAVE LIVES OF OPERATORS, PASSENGERS, AND PEDESTRIANS BY REQUIRING MAGISTRATES TO EXPLAIN A FINDING OF NO PROBABLE CAUSE IN IMPLIED CONSENT CASES; TO INCREASE EFFICIENCY IN THE IMMEDIATE CIVIL PRETRIAL REVOCATION; TO REQUIRE IMPAIRED DRIVERS TO PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE OF THE COSTS OF THEIR PROCESSING; TO REDUCE UNNECESSARY MOTIONS BY ADMITTING ALCOHOL AND ORAL DRUG SCREENING TESTS TO PROVE THE ARRESTING OFFICER HAD PROBABLE CAUSE; TO HAVE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK DRIVERS MEET THE SAME STANDARDS AS BUS DRIVERS; TO ALLOW REPEAT OFFENDERS A METHOD TO PROVE THEIR SOBRIETY AND OBTAIN A LEGAL METHOD TO OPERATE A VEHICLE; AND TO MAKE IT A FELONY FOR A PERSON OF LAWFUL AGE TO AID AN UNDERAGE PERSON IN OBTAINING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES WHEN THE UNDERAGE PERSON CAUSES SERIOUS INJURY TO THEMSELVES OR ANOTHER PERSON. The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: TITLE OF ACT SECTION 1. This act shall be known as "The DWI Modernization Act of 2026." PROVISIONS RELATING TO MAGISTRATES' REQUIREMENT TO EXPLAIN A FINDING OF NO PROBABLE CAUSE IN IMPLIED CONSENT CASES SECTION 2.(a) G.S. 15A-511 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: "(c1) Written Findings for Implied Consent Offense. - If the magistrate determines that there is no probable …
Sponsors
- Ager, Eric (D, 114) · primary sponsor
- (R, 119) · primary sponsor