Opinion ID: 1804136
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: postarrest advisement form

Text: In her final assignment of error, Davis argues that the advisement form is deficient because it did not inform her that refusing to submit to the chemical test subjected her to license revocation procedures under Neb.Rev.Stat. § 60-6,197(4) (Reissue 1998). She argues that the spirit of Smith [v. State, 248 Neb. 360, 535 N.W.2d 694 (1995)] and its progeny and fundamental fairness require that additional notice of the license revocation procedures be given. Brief for appellant at 19. In Smith v. State, 248 Neb. 360, 535 N.W.2d 694 (1995), we affirmed a district court's order finding that the defendant was not fully advised of the consequences of submitting to a chemical test as required by § 60-6,197(10) (Reissue 1993). At the time Smith was decided, § 60-6,197(10) read as follows: Any person who is required to submit to a preliminary breath test or to a chemical blood, breath, or urine test or tests pursuant to this section shall be advised of (a) the consequences of refusing to submit to such test or tests and (b) the consequences if he or she submits to such test and the test discloses the presence of a concentration of alcohol in violation of subsection (1) of section 60-6,196. Refusal to submit to such test or tests shall be admissible in any action for a violation of section 60-6,196 or a city or village ordinance enacted pursuant to such section. This section was amended by the Legislature in 1996 with the enactment of L.B. 939. Since February 27, 1996, and thus at the time of Davis' arrest, § 60-6,197(10) (Reissue 1998) has stated that [a]ny person who is required to submit to a chemical blood, breath, or urine test or tests pursuant to this section shall be advised that refusal to submit to such test or tests is a separate crime for which the person may be charged. This case provides us with our first opportunity to measure the sufficiency of an advisement form against the current language of § 60-6,197(10). When Smith v. State, supra , was decided, § 60-6,197(10) required that an arresting officer advise a person of the consequences of their decision to submit to a test. Our holding in Smith was based on the fact that the advisement form read to the defendant did inform him of some of the consequences of his decision, but did not inform him of all the consequences of his decision. For that reason, the defendant was not properly advised, and the decision to revoke his license was reversed. With the enactment of the current version of § 60-6,197(10), the Legislature has essentially determined that an individual must be advised of only one of the consequences of their decision to submit to a chemical test, i.e., that refusal to submit to the test is a crime for which they may be charged. That is exactly what Davis was advised of. We find no error where the arresting officer complied with the exact requirement of the statute.