PA's 'Deana's Law', Which Would Fight Repeat DUIs, Moves Forward

HARRISBURG — A package of reforms aimed at updating Pennsylvania's drunk driving laws involving repeat offenders has moved forward in the state legislature.

Known as 'Deana's Law,' the legislative reforms are geared toward stiffening penalties in drunk driving cases involving those who previously were convicted of getting behind the wheel impaired.

'Deana's Law' is named in honor of Deana Eckman, a 45-year-old Delaware County woman who was killed by a repeat DUI offender back in February 2019. The man who killed Eckman was on parole for his fifth DUI at the time of the fatal crash.

Patch previously reported on the senate version of the measure, which was being pushed by her family and championed by State Sen. Bob Mensch, a Montgomery County Republican.

The measures were introduced as companion pieces of legislation in both the House and Senate, with each bill named '773' after Eckman's birthday.

According to media reports, the state House passed its version of the bill on Wednesday by a vote of 168-32. Legislative records show that the House bill was then transferred to the Senate Transportation Committee for review, where that body's version of the bill also awaits further action.

In his co-sponsorship memo back in January highlighting the senate version of the bill, Mensch said that his goal was to focus on the "very worst DUI offenders" with this legislation, which changes the way sentences are handed out in repeat DUI cases.

As of now, under Pennsylvania law, repeat DUI offenders can be sentenced concurrently in certain cases, but the reform measure would make it so judges would have to hand out sentences consecutively, which would likely mean more time in prison in serious cases such as the one involving Eckman.

In September, Eckman's parents, Rich and Rosann DeRosa, of Delaware County, testified before the Senate Transportation Committee on why the changes are needed.

"Commit multiple crimes within a reasonable timeframe, you get a free pass for one of them," Rich DeRosa testified back in September. "Concurrent sentencing is an absolute insult to law abiding citizens. There's no logic that can ever be presented to make concurrent sentencing acceptable to me. Deana's Law would mandate consecutive sentencing for the worst DUI offenders."

The senate bill was originally introduced the previously legislative session by Sen. Tom Killion of Delaware County, according to legislative records.

On Thursday, the Delaware County Daily Times reported that one of the minority 'no' votes on Wednesday came from State Rep. Greg Vitali, a Democrat from Delaware County, who stated he opposed the measure because mandatory minimum sentences in criminal cases "takes the power away from elected judges to do justice," according to the newspaper.

Mensch previously stated that he sponsored the senate version of the bill because, "Five prior DUIs does no one any good when we allow that kind of driver to remain on the road to continue to threaten other peoples' lives."