Senator Tough on Drunk Drivers Faces Charge
A Texas state senator who has voted for tougher drunken driving laws was arrested for allegedly driving drunk.
Gonzalo Barrientos, 60, was jailed and charged with driving while intoxicated, police said. He was released after posting $1,500 bond.
Barrientos, a Democrat from Austin, has been a state senator since 1985.
In 1999, he voted for a bill that lowered the legal blood-alcohol level from 0.10% to 0.08%. In the last session, he voted for a measure that said drivers who refuse to take breath tests could lose their licenses for up to six months.
Both bills became law.
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