A proposal to change Arkansas' driving while intoxicated law to prevent the state losing more than $50 million in federal highway funding has stalled before a legislative panel.
The proposal to make DWI an offense that prosecutors don't have to prove intent failed twice Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The panel was expected to meet again Wednesday to take up the proposal.
The measure was proposed after the state Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that DWI is not a "strict scrutiny" offense where prosecutors don't have to show intent. State highway officials have said the ruling threatened highway funding that's tied to the state's DWI laws.
The DWI law change is among several items on the agenda for a special legislative session that began Tuesday.
