upstatelaw

In many respects this law is among the toughest in the nation. Melanie’s Law set up a state run ignition interlock program on January 1, 2006.

A conviction for any misdemeanor or felony DWI under VTL sections 1192(2),(2-a) or (3), or a conviction for any Penal Law charge that has a violation of those VTL §1192 sections as an essential element, requires a mandatory sentence including the installation of an ignition interlock.

Some hospitals and their ethics committees discriminate against people with disabilities by denying treatment and even food and fluids against the express wishes of patients and their families on the grounds that some health care providers deem their quality of life too poor.

One aspect of the legislation that is particularly troubling is the fact that the program is to be administered by the county probation departments – not the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.