This bill proposes an expansion of the legal definition of "way" in the context of driving or operating under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The current law is amended to include additional references to sections of the law where the term "way" is applicable. Specifically, the bill adds references to RSA 265-A:4, RSA 265-A:25, and RSA 265-A:31 to the existing list of sections that already include RSA 265:71, IV, RSA 265:79, and RSA 265-A:2, I. The definition of "way" encompasses public highways, streets, avenues, roads, alleys, parks, parking lots, parkways, private ways laid out by statute, ways maintained by public institutions with state funds, privately owned ways open for public use, and private parking lots of commercial establishments maintained for public benefit.

The bill includes both insertions and deletions in the amendment of RSA 259:125, II. The word "and" is deleted before the last section reference, and the new section references are inserted to broaden the definition. The act is set to take effect on January 1, 2024, as indicated by the effective date section of the bill. The bill was approved on June 07, 2023, and will be enacted at the beginning of the following year.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 259:125
As Amended by the Senate: 259:125
Version adopted by both bodies: 259:125
CHAPTERED FINAL VERSION: 259:125