Becker’s Bill to Prohibit Sobriety Checkpoints Sails Through House

February 12, 2019 T. Arthur Mason North Dakota

During the 2015 Legislative Session Rep. Rick Becker (R – District 7) proposed House Bill 1084. It simply proposed prohibiting sobriety checkpoints. It failed on a vote of 34-59. He again brought the issue back during the 2017 session— it was House Bill 1180. After a lengthy debate, which included a lot of discussion over the constitutionality of sobriety checkpoints and 4th Amendment rights, that legislation was defeated by a close vote of 41-46.

Not to be discouraged by the 2015 and 2017 outcomes, Rep. Becker brought the issue back to the 2019 Legislative Session in the form of House Bill 1442. After coming out of committee with a very strong 12-2 Do Pass recommendation, the bill hit the House floor for debate today and Rep. Becker was its bill carrier.

Becker’s decision to argue for passage of HB 1442, based solely off of the proven ineffectiveness of sobriety checkpoints in comparison to saturation patrols, was wise. Following his passionate floor speech — and with no arguments against it — the board lit up with a whole lot of green. The vote that was so close in 2017 wasn’t close at all today. HB 1442 easily passed by a vote of 79-14.

It will now go to the Senate for consideration.

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UPDATE: Rep. Rick Becker’s floor speech is here.

 

Sources:

  1. https://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/64-2015/documents/15-0247-01000.pdf
  2. https://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/65-2017/documents/17-0155-02000.pdf
  3. http://video.legis.nd.gov/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20190212/-1/1815?startposition=20170127132832
  4. https://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/66-2019/bill-index/bi1442.html
  5. http://video.legis.nd.gov/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20190213/-1/11077?startposition=20190212141921
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About T. Arthur Mason 883 Articles
T. Arthur Mason is a native North Dakotan who has spent nearly all of his life in the Peace Garden State. As the third of four children in Western North Dakota, Mason grew to appreciate family and the outdoors. Some of his fondest memories are annual deer hunts with family and friends. In his early teenage years, faith became a central part of T. Arthur Mason's life. He and the majority of his family attend church together on a weekly basis and find this a fulfilling aspect of their lives. Through the influence of his father, T. Arthur Mason became intrigued with politics. As a boy, he attended political events with his father and enjoyed the friendships that resulted as a byproduct of those political associations. As Mason grew older, he became convinced that the quote often attributed to Thomas Jefferson was true, "That government is best which governs least." Today, T. Arthur Mason enjoys time with his wife and children, an occasional hunt, and an increasingly active life on the political scene. This blog is the fulfillment of a dream to design a web site in the realm of politics and to advocate for the principles of Liberty and constitutionally limited government. On behalf of all those that contribute to The Minuteman, we hope you enjoy your time on the site and will share the message with others.

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