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The Latest: New Mexico panel halts beer ban for DWI convicts

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The Latest on 2:30 p.m. on a New Mexico proposal to ban alcohol for repeat DWI offenders (all times local): 2:15 p.m. A Democratic-control House committee has tabled a proposal that would have banned alcohol for New Mexico's repeat drunken drivers. The House Consumer and Public Affairs voted 3-2 on Thursday to sideline a bill that would have mandated a lifetime alcohol ban for those convicted of a third drunken driving conviction. The measure would have been one of the most restrictive DWI laws in the country. Republican Rep. Jane Powdrell-Culbert of Corrales says the law was needed as a preventative measure for a state that has one of the highest rates of alcohol-related traffic deaths in the nation. But Democrat Rep. Deborah Armstrong of Albuquerque says treatment was the answer and not regulating someone's behavior that had nothing to do with driving. A similar proposal won House support in 2013 but languished in the Senate. ___ 3 a.m. A new proposal would ban alcohol for New Mexico's repeat drunken drivers in what would make for one of the most restrictive DWI laws in the country. The bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Jane Powdrell-Culbert of Corrales is scheduled to be heard by a House committee Thursday. Under the legislation, those convicted of a second drunken driving offense would be prevented from purchasing and consuming alcoholic beverages for a year. A lifetime ban would be imposed after a third conviction. Those placed on alcohol bans would be required to get driver's licenses like those issued to people under the age of 21. A similar proposal that addressed ignition interlocks as well as the purchase of alcohol by offenders won House support in 2013 but languished in the Senate.