Opinion ID: 1122990
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: RCW 46.61.502 exceeds the Legislature's police power

Text: The Legislature may enact a law pursuant to its so-called police power only if such law (1) tends to correct some evil or promote some interest of the State, and (2) bears a reasonable and substantial relationship to accomplishing its purpose. State v. Brayman, 110 Wash.2d 183, 193, 751 P.2d 294 (1988). For example, in State v. Spino, 61 Wash.2d 246, 250, 377 P.2d 868 (1963) we struck down as unconstitutional a second degree arson statute which criminalized the burning of any building without requiring that the burning be intentionally harmful. We struck down the statute because it made possible the punishment of acts which bore no reasonable relation to the harm sought to be prevented, the intentional harmful burning of a building. Similarly, in City of Seattle v. Pullman, 82 Wash.2d 794, 800, 514 P.2d 1059 (1973) we struck down a statute outlawing loitering by minors as an unconstitutional use of the Legislature's police power because it bears no real or substantial relationship to the proclaimed governmental interestthe protection of minors. This statute flunks the police power test in the same way. If we believe the majority, the State's interest to be promoted is to curtail drunk driving. Majority op. at 1132. However, the text of RCW 46.61.502(1)(a) and (b) is construed to criminalize drunkenness at the time one takes the test, but not necessarily when one drives. In effect the statute was passed to cut off the logical and scientifically correct defense argument that the blood alcohol content in every person fluctuates within certain norms after consumption; for a short time it goes up, peaks, and then declines slowly. Except by sheer coincidence, the BAC reading while driving will always be different from any subsequent test result. But simply being drunk after driving is not a criminal act. See majority op. at 1132. However, postdriving drunkenness bears neither a substantial nor a necessary relationship to the accepted goal of prohibiting driving while drunk. Because the statute is not necessarily related to accomplishing its purpose, it exceeds the Legislature's police power and is unconstitutional.