State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, said he expects the legislation will pass the House with a vote by next Wednesday, the federal deadline.
"The House has been anxious to get it done and moving. We don't want to jeopardize our federal funding," Benninghoff said.
The legislation would then move to the governor's desk for final consideration.
"The governor will review the bill in its final draft and decide [whether to sign it] based on what's best for the commonwealth," said Kate Philips, Gov. Rendell's spokeswoman.
The legislation would provide three sets of penalties for driving under the influence that would be based on the BAC of the individual. Those with a BAC of .08 to .09 would face penalties less severe than the current penalties for DUI.
Those with a BAC of .10 to .15 would face penalties similar to current state law and anyone convicted of DUI with a BAC of higher than .16 would face the harshest penalties, said state Sen. Jake Corman, R-Bellefonte.
It also provides increased penalties for repeat offenders, and requires those convicted of a second DUI charge to install an ignition interlock device on their car, Corman added.
The ignition interlock device is a portable breathalyzer linked to the ignition system of a car, said Tom Young, Centre Country Probation and Parole director. Once someone convicted of DUI has their driving privileges restored, they may be ordered to have the ignition interlock system installed.
The system only allows the car to start after the driver submits to a breath test that determines that the driver of the vehicle is not intoxicated. If the device detects that the driver is intoxicated, the ignition will lock, preventing the car from being driven.
The ignition interlock system also keeps a log which allows the probation department to determine if an attempt to start the car was made while the driver was intoxicated, Young said.
After the car is initially started, the system will randomly alert the driver to pull over for a retest. Should the driver fail to pull over for the retest, the system will note that in the log.
The device also has safeguards built into the system that prevent someone other than the driver from starting the car.
"This legislation will make Pennsylvania's highways safer, and this bill also protects Pennsylvania's shares of federal highway funding," Dent said.
Greg Prawdzik (senior-geography) said he doesn't agree with lowering the BAC for driving under the influence.
"I don't see the need to lower it. It will probably just mean more people get in trouble," Prawdzik said.
