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Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signed SB 945, “Noah’s Law,” into law on May 19, 2016 with Noah’s family, fellow officers and MADD staff present.
Perseverance Pays Off
When Maryland resident and former MADD National President Jan Withers completed her term in December 2015, she focused her passion once again on passing an all-offender ignition interlock bill in her home state. She and others had already been working toward this goal for nearly eight years.
“No matter what we did, no matter how hard we worked, we could not get the bill passed,” Jan admits.
Then, in December 2015, Officer Noah Leotta was struck and killed by a repeat drunk driver as he walked back to his vehicle after stopping a suspected drunk driver.
“This egregious act caused the whole state to come out to help,” she says.
“Noah’s parents Rich and Marcia were relentless, with Rich constantly in front of the press. All of MADD came out to help, with the charge being led by Chuck Hurley, former MADD CEO and Lisa Spicknall, state program director. The entire Maryland police force showed up and held press conferences. They brought officers who had been injured by drunk drivers while on duty and many other victims.”
Finally, at the end of the 2016 legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly unanimously passed “Noah’s Law.” The bill went into effect on October 1, 2016. “Noah’s Law is one of the strongest bills requiring interlocks for all first-time offenders in the country, and we are very proud of this,” Jan says.
Ending Drunk Driving
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