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Read. Follow. Verify.Senate Bill 251 establishes mandatory minimum jail or community service for repeat OWI offenders and integrates watercraft into vehicle operating laws
Last action · February 12, 2026: Recommitted to Committee on Ways and Means pursuant to House Rule 126.3Sponsors: Aaron Freeman and 4 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate Bill 251 requires courts to order at least 10 days in prison or 240 hours of community service for individuals with one prior operating while intoxicated (OWI) conviction, and at least 20 days in prison or 480 hours of community service for those with two or more prior convictions, effective July 1, 2026. The legislation also repeals the separate crime of operating a motorboat while intoxicated by expanding the definition of a vehicle under OWI laws to include watercraft, and permits individuals to waive an initial hearing and apply for .
Repeat OWI offenders face mandatory unsuspended jail terms or community service hours, s are barred for these specific sentences, and watercraft operators become subject to standard vehicular intoxication laws.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Individuals with prior OWI convictions
Individuals with prior convictions face increased mandatory minimum jail terms or community service hours and are prohibited from earning good time credit on these sentences.
Watercraft operators
Law enforcement officers
Law enforcement officers gain explicit authorization to administer roadside chemical tests under certain conditions and follow updated procedures for chemical test requests.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the new mandatory minimum penalties for repeat OWI convictions?
Can individuals earn good time credit while serving an OWI sentence under this statute?
How does the bill affect operating a boat while intoxicated?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed both. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
13 actions- Feb 12, 2026HouseRecommitted to Committee on Ways and Means pursuant to House Rule 126.3
- Feb 12, 2026HouseFloorCommittee report: amend do pass, adopted
- Feb 3, 2026HouseRepresentative Olthoff added as cosponsor
- Feb 2, 2026HouseIntroducedFirst reading: referred to Committee on Courts and Criminal Code
- Jan 29, 2026SenateReferred to the House
- Jan 28, 2026SenateHouse sponsor: Representative Jeter
Show 7 earlier actions
- Jan 28, 2026SenateFloorThird reading: passed; Roll Call 124: yeas 47, nays 1
- Jan 26, 2026SenateFloorSecond reading: ordered engrossed
- Jan 22, 2026SenateSenator Charbonneau added as coauthor
- Jan 22, 2026SenateFloorCommittee report: amend do pass, adopted
- Jan 13, 2026SenateFloorCommittee report: amend do pass adopted; reassigned to Committee on Appropriations
- Jan 8, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst reading: referred to Committee on Corrections and Criminal Law
- Jan 8, 2026SenateAuthored by Senators Freeman, Carrasco
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Unification of Maritime and Land OWI Laws
The legislation repeals the distinct statutory framework for operating motorboats while intoxicated and integrates watercraft directly into standard vehicular OWI statutes.
Connected Entities
Sources
iga.in.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance80How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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