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Senate approves alcohol bills One increases health benefits for alcoholics, one lets cops take cars By PETER WONG SALEM -- Two different experiences of Ashlanders with alcohol led to Senate approval Tuesday of two bills sponsored by Ashland lawmakers. By a 25-2 vote, it cleared Senate Bill 1331 by Sen. Lenn Hannon, R-Ashland, to boost health insurance benefits for treatment of mental illness and alcohol and drug dependency by 25 percent. By a 27-0 vote, it cleared House Bill 3304 by Rep. Judy Uherbelau, D-Ashland, to allow police to confiscate the cars of repeat drunken drivers. Both bills go to the House. A senator for 25 years and the Senate's senior Republican, Hannon referred to his own treatment for alcoholism last year. "Having been through this process of alcohol rehabilitation in the past year and a half, I saw the effects of what some people had and some people did not have in terms of (insurance) coverage," he said. "As soon as they bumped up against their limitations, they were in essence discharged to go back to drinking or doing drugs." Most of Hannon's own treatment costs, which ran into thousands of dollars, were covered by the insurance policies of state government and his employer, Standard Insurance Co. of Oregon. Oregon has required coverage for treatment of mental illness, alcohol and drug dependency since 1983. Current payment requirements, set in 1987, are $10,500 for an adult every two years and $12,500 for a child. Hannon's bill would increase these amounts by 25 percent. About two years ago, Congress lifted lifetime and annual spending limits for mental and physical health insurance coverage. But the changes do not apply to policies that limit the duration of inpatient coverage or the number of outpatient visits for treatment. To comply with federal requirements, insurers often convert dollar amounts, such as those in Oregon, to a set number of days for inpatient or outpatient treatment. Hannon originally sought to put group coverage for such treatments on a par with benefits for physical illnesses and injuries. His original bill died in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee after it was opposed by health insurers and large- and small-business groups. Hannon managed to win approval by the Senate Public Affairs Committee of a scaled-down version, including a study of insurance parity, after he provided Republican leaders with the decisive vote for an unrelated bill. An Ashland woman's differing experience with alcohol seven years ago, when a drunken driver broadsided her and left her severely injured, led to House Bill 3304. It can be characterized as "two strikes, and you could lose your wheels." The Senate changed it from Uherbelau's original bill, which passed the House last month. It now would allow police to confiscate the cars of those arrested for drunken driving if they have been convicted of drunken driving in the past three years, or if they have been convicted of murder, manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide or assault resulting from driving. The offender would have to own the car. The House version was more complex. "This bill is an attempt to discourage drinking and driving by those who have a problem with drinking and continuing to drive automobiles," said Sen. Peter Courtney, D-Salem. Oregon State Police estimate between 2,000 and 3,000 second-time convictions for drunken driving statewide each year. When a drunken driver broadsided Angela Barber in 1992, his license was suspended because he was a habitual traffic offender. He had several previous convictions for drunken driving, and his blood alcohol content the night of the collision was almost three times the legal limit. He was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to assault, drunken driving and a firearms violation. The 1997 Legislature let police with "reasonable grounds" impound vehicles of people arrested for drunken driving, driving while their licenses are suspended or revoked and committing another crime, or driving without a license. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA