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Nassau County Deputy Presiding Officer Roger Corbin (D-Westbury) looked over the DWI property seizure amendment with Marge Lee (left) of Drive Educated Informed Commit and Totally End Drunk Driving (DEDICATED) and Dee Cornella of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.) prior to the full legislative meeting last week. The amendment corrects what the New York State appellate court called vagueness in the former law and provides a 15-day notice to those arrested for drunk driving.
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Nassau County Deputy Presiding Officer Roger Corbin (D-Westbury) and members of the legislature last week unanimously approved an emergency amendment to the County's DWI seizure law. The seizure law, which had been approved in 1999, allowed the county to seize vehicles of those individuals arrested for drunk driving. The former law was thrown out earlier this month by the state appellate court and deemed unconstitutional because it was too vague and did not give those arrested sufficient notice of what offending conduct would result in the loss of their car. The amendment also provides a 15-day notice to those arrested for drunk driving. "We corrected and clarified the bill with this amendment," said Corbin. "If you are driving drunk tonight in Nassau County, New York you will have your car seized." "The principal goal of the legislation was always to deter drivers from driving drunk or impaired and with this amendment we can continue toward that goal," said Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury). County Executive Thomas Suozzi signed the bill into law in his office at One West Street. Marge Lee of Drive Educated Informed Commit and Totally End Drunk Driving (DEDICATED), said, "Cars are replaceable, but people are not. Today I am grateful to the legislature and proud to live in Nassau County because each member of the legislature is now a life saver in the eyes of DEDICATED." "By passing this amendment quickly, this legislature saved the lives of people," said Dee Cornella of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.). According to Andrew Campanelli, a Garden City attorney hired by Nassau two years ago to prosecute the civil forfeiture auctions, the county has brought in about $1.3 million from the sales of impounded cars in the last 14 months. The administration is currently appealing the court's decision.
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