MADD, MSP support 0.08 pct. BAC

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Several groups including Michigan State Police and Michigan's Mothers Against Drunk Driving are urging lawmakers to maintain the state's 0.08 percent blood-alcohol content driving threshold.

Michigan's House Judicial Committee took up a package of bills Wednesday that would keep the limit at 0.08 percent. It is scheduled to rise to 0.10 percent in October.

State police Legislative Liaison Dwayne Gill says studies show 0.08 laws contribute to a reduction in alcohol-related deaths.

Sherry McGee of Mothers Against Drunk Driving says a person's critical driving skills become impaired when they reach the 0.08 percent threshold.

If the bill isn't passed, Michigan could lose $50 million in federal funding for violating federal safety standards.

Republican Andrea LaFontaine of Columbus Township who sponsored one of the bills called it "common sense."