HARRISBURG – PennDOT announced that a new state law has changed the grading of certain DUI offenses, adding more stringent penalties for these violations. The legislation created Act 59 of 2022 – referred to as “Deana’s Law” – which amends the state’s Vehicle Code by increasing the grading for certain DUI offenses, requiring consecutive sentencing for certain repeat DUI offenders, and imposing an 18-month driving privilege suspension for a DUI conviction graded as a felony of the second degree. Another change is that a sentence imposed on an individual for a DUI offense who has two or more prior offenses shall be served consecutively to any other sentence the individual is serving or any other sentence imposed by the court, except for violations that are required to be merged. In addition, it provides a sentencing enhancement in cases where an individual has four or more prior DUI offenses.
