Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: Passed Senate 1 D cosponsors

S 203 — An act relating to penalties for second or subsequent violations of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs

Last action — Read first time and referred to the Committee on Judiciary

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced January 06, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Stalled 28% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Moderate

How often bills like it became law.

  • Passed Senate

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

59 added · 51 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendment to Bill S 203 adds wording to clarify that individuals who are convicted three times of a specific violation related to driving under the influence face a mandatory minimum sentence of 96 consecutive hours in jail, which cannot be suspended or deferred. It keeps the option for the court to decide on a different sentence under certain conditions, as long as they clearly explain their reasoning on the record. This change emphasizes the importance of holding repeat offenders accountable while still allowing for judicial discretion in unique cases.

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AS PASSED BY SENATE S.203 Page 1 of 3 S.203 An act relating to penalties for second or subsequent violations of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
BILL AS INTRODUCED AND PASSED BY SENATE S.203 Page 1 of 3 S.203 Introduced by Senator Hashim Referred to Committee on Judiciary Date:
January 6, 2026 Subject:
Motor vehicles;
operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
penalties Statement of purpose of bill as introduced:
This bill proposes to clarify that the enhanced penalty for a second or subsequent violation of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs applies when the operator has been convicted of a previous violation of the offense within the 20 years preceding the date of the subsequent violation, not the date of the conviction for the subsequent violation.
An act relating to penalties for second or subsequent violations of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
§ 1210 is amended to read:
§ 1210 is amended to read:
PENALTIES * * * (b) First offense.
PENALTIES * * * BILL AS INTRODUCED AND PASSED BY SENATE S.203 Page 2 of 3 (b) First offense.
A person convicted of violating who violates section 1201 of this title who has previously been convicted two times of a violation of VT LEG #388065 v.1 AS PASSED BY SENATE S.203 Page 2 of 3 that section, including at least one violation conviction within the last 20 years preceding the date of the third violation, shall be fined not more than $2,500.00 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
A person convicted of violating who violates section 1201 of this title who has previously been convicted two times of a violation of that section, including at least one violation conviction within the last 20 years preceding the date of the third violation, shall be fined not more than $2,500.00 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
The court may impose a sentence that does not include a term of imprisonment or that does not require that the 96 hours of imprisonment be served consecutively only if the court makes written findings on the record that such a sentence will serve the interests of justice and public safety.
BILL AS INTRODUCED AND PASSED BY SENATE S.203 Page 3 of 3 The court may impose a sentence that does not include a term of imprisonment or that does not require that the 96 hours of imprisonment be served consecutively only if the court makes written findings on the record that such a sentence will serve the interests of justice and public safety.
At least 192 consecutive hours of the sentence of imprisonment shall be served and may not be suspended or deferred or served as a supervised sentence, except that credit for a sentence of imprisonment may be received for time served in a residential alcohol treatment facility pursuant to sentence if the program is successfully VT LEG #388065 v.1 AS PASSED BY SENATE S.203 Page 3 of 3 completed.
At least 192 consecutive hours of the sentence of imprisonment shall be served and may not be suspended or deferred or served as a supervised sentence, except that credit for a sentence of imprisonment may be received for time served in a residential alcohol treatment facility pursuant to sentence if the program is successfully completed.
VT LEG #388065 v.1
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Action History

  1. Read first time and referred to the Committee on Judiciary

  2. Read 3rd time & passed

  3. New Business/Third Reading

  4. Reported favorably by Senator Hashim for Committee on Judiciary, read 2nd time and 3rd reading ordered

  5. Favorable report by Committee on Judiciary

  6. New Business/Second Reading

  7. Favorable report by Committee on Judiciary

  8. Second Reading

  9. Entered on Notice Calendar

  10. Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Judiciary

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 189 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (189)

189 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 189 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety transportation
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors S 203?
S 203 is sponsored by Nader A Hashim (Democrat).
What is the current status of S 203?
This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced January 06, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track S 203?
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