North Dakota bill wipes records clean for drunken drivers

BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota House has endorsed a bill requiring the state’s courts to seal drunken driving records if the offender stays out of trouble for at least seven years.

Representatives voted 89-3 on Monday to approve the bill that backers said was aimed at giving convicted drunken drivers who stay out of trouble better odds of getting a job.

Devils Lake Republican Rep. Dennis Johnson also sponsored successful legislation two years ago sealed the court records of convicted first-time drunken drivers if they aren’t charged with another DUI or any other crime for seven years.

Johnson says the latest legislation is retroactive.