Original sentence: (Five of the six members of the committee were trial attorneys who represented defendants in DUI cases.) The scaled-back version of the legislation that reached the Governor's desk bore little resemblance to Romney's original plan.At the time, Massachusetts had a relatively weaker DUI statute than most other states , and was forfeiting $9 million annually in federal highway funding due to its non-compliance with tighter federal standards.Pressured by constituents and media coverage, the House and the Senate restored many of the provisions included in the original legislation, and in October of 2005 Romney signed Melanie's Bill — the strictest DUI statute in Massachusetts' history — into law.Public opinion in support of the Governor's plan drove the state legislature to re-address Romney's amendments.The state House Judiciary Committee stripped a number of the provisions of Melanie's Law and sent a less-strict version to an eventual conference committee
Edited sentence: A massive outcry in favor of the Governor's plan forced the state legislature to consider Romney's amendments.Five of the six members of this conference committee were themselves trial lawyers who defended drunk drivers.Governor Romney urged Massachusetts residents to contact their representatives and ask them to adopt the tough new laws.In October of 2005 Romney signed Melanie's Bill into law, creating the toughest drunk driving regulations in Massachusetts history.It also increased license suspensions, raised sentencing guidelines and required repeat drunk drivers to install ignition-interlock devices in their vehicles.Massachusetts had some of the weakest drunk driving laws of any state in the country.Melanie was killed in 2003 by a repeat drunk driver while walking to the beach with friends.Pressured by angry constituents and negative media coverage, the House and the Senate restored many of the tough provisions included in the original legislation.Romney dubbed the legislation "Melanie's Bill" in honor of 13-year-old Melanie Powell.The bill included provisions that gave prosecutors greater power to go after repeat offenders with stiffer penalties.The scaled back version of the legislation that reached the Governor's desk bore little resemblance to Romney's original plan.The state House Judiciary Committee stripped many of the tough new provisions of Melanie's Law and sent a watered-down version to an eventual conference committee.The state was losing $9 million annually from its highway budget because existing laws were not in compliance with federal standards