How this headline may connect to industries in Louisiana. Technical scores are below — click any ? for what a metric means.
Jada's Law: New DUI law headed to Gov.Jeff Landry's desk.Jada's Law: New DUI law headed to Gov.Jeff Landry's desk A stricter DUI law is headed to the governor's desk.Jada's Law is named after a young woman from Slidell who was killed by a drunk driver in 2018."I know God doesn't waste anything, and so her life can't be a waste," Jennifer Bright, Jada's sister-in-law, said, " if this law just saves one person's life, then it was worth it." House Bill 1246 passed unanimously in the House and Senate.The law aims to require anyone taken into custody for a DUI to be held until police determine they are safe to get behind the wheel again."A lot of times it's generally eight hours, but it's up to the discretion of the police, so if someone is highly intoxicated or otherwise not safe to release, it could be longer than that," state Rep.Brian Glorioso said.Glorioso led the charge in Baton Rouge to get this law on the books after realizing Louisiana didn't already have a law of this kind."When we finally got all the details about what happened, how Jada died, we realized there were serious gaps in the law," Bright said.Jada was killed on Thanksgiving Day in 2018, on her way home from college.According to their attorney, the driver behind the wheel was allegedly released from a Mississippi jail with a BAC four times over the legal limit."We will never get over the loss of Jada; that will always be a pain in our heart," Bright said.Bright searched both Mississippi and Louisiana laws and learned that neither state has a law in place that requires jails to hold someone until they are declared safe to drive again.So, Jennifer decided to start with Louisiana first."We were emailing people, emailing legislation, and not really getting called back, or being told that they were presenting too many bills and it wasn't really being put on the schedule," Bright said.Glorioso took on this bill after hearing Jada's story back in February.He worked with other state leaders and the sheriff's association."Jada's not going to be remembered for how she died anymore; she's going to be remembered because of the lives that are saved because of her story," Bright said.This law does not allow law enforcement to hold those who have a bond.It also excludes anyone getting picked up by someone else and those under 18.Once signed, the law will take effect Aug.