This part prescribes the requirements necessary to implement 23 U.S.C. 163,which.08 BAC per se laws through the use of incentive grants and Section 351 of Public Law 106-346—Appendix, which requires the withholding of Federal-aid highway funds from any State that has not enacted and is not enforcing a 0.08 BAC per se law as described in 23 U.S.C. 163.

The purpose of this part is to specify the steps that States must take to qualify for incentive grant funds in accordance with 23 U.S.C. 163; and the steps that States must take to avoid the withholding of funds as required by Section 351 of Public Law 106-346—Appendix.

As used in this part:

(a) Alcohol concentration means either grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood or grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath.

(b) ALR means either administrative license revocation or administrative license suspension.

(c) BAC means either blood or breath alcohol concentration.

(d) BAC per se law means a law that makes it an offense, in and of itself, to operate a motor vehicle with an alcohol concentration at or above a specified level.

(e) Citations to State law means citations to all sections of the State's law relied on to demonstrate compliance with 23 U.S.C. 163,including,if,all.

(f) Has enacted and is enforcing means the State's law is in effect and the State has begun to implement the law.

(g) Operating a motor vehicle means driving or being in actual physical control of a motor vehicle.

(h) Standard driving while intoxicated offense means the non-BAC per se driving while intoxicated offense in the State.

(i) State means any one of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico.

In order to avoid the withholding of funds as specified in § 1225.8 of this part, and to qualify for an incentive grant under § 1225.5 of this part, a State must demonstrate that it has enacted and is enforcing a law that provides that any person with a blood or breath alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent or greater while operating a motor vehicle in the State shall be deemed to have committed a per se offense of driving while intoxicated or an equivalent per se offense. The law must:

(a) Apply to all persons;

(b) Set a BAC of not higher than 0.08 percent as the legal limit;

(c) Make operating a motor vehicle by an individual at or above the legal limit a per se offense;

(d) Provide for primary enforcement;

(e) Apply the 0.08 BAC legal limit to the State's criminal code and, if the State has an administrative license suspension or revocation (ALR) law, to its ALR law; and

(f) Be deemed to be or be equivalent to the standard driving while intoxicated offense in the State.

(a) Certification requirements. (1) To qualify for a first-year grant under 23 U.S.C. 163,a,that.08 BAC per se law that conforms to 23 U.S.C. 163 and § 1225.4 of this part and that the funds will be used for eligible projects and programs.

(i) If the State's 0.08 BAC per se law is currently in effect and is being enforced, the certification shall be worded as follows:

(ii) If the State's 0.08 BAC per se law is not currently in effect, but will become effective and be enforced before the end of the current fiscal year, the certification shall be worded as follows:

(2) To qualify for a subsequent-year grant under 23 U.S.C. 163,a.

(i) If the State's 0.08 BAC per se law has not changed since the State last qualified for grant funds under this program, the certification shall be worded as follows:

(ii) If the State's 0.08 BAC per se law has changed since the State last qualified for grant funds under this program, the certification shall be worded as follows:

(3) An original and four copies of the certification shall be submitted to the appropriate NHTSA Regional Administrator. Each Regional Administrator will forward the certifications it receives to appropriate NHTSA and FHWA offices.

(4) Each State that submits a certification will be informed by the agencies whether or not it qualifies for funds.

(5) To qualify for grant funds in a fiscal year, certifications must be received by the agencies not later than July 15 of that fiscal year.

(b) Limitation on grants. A State may receive grant funds, subject to the following limitations:

(1) The amount of a grant apportioned to a State under § 1225.4 of this part shall be determined by multiplying:

(i) The amount authorized to carry out section 163 of 23 U.S.C. for the fiscal year; by

(ii) The ratio that the amount of funds apportioned to each such State under section 402 for such fiscal year bears to the total amount of funds apportioned to all such States under section 402 for such fiscal year.

(2) A State may obligate grant funds apportioned under this Part for any project eligible for assistance under title 23 of the United States Code.

(3) The Federal share of the cost of a project funded with grant funds awarded under this part shall be 100 percent.

(a) In each Federal fiscal year, grant funds will be apportioned to eligible States upon submission and approval of the documentation required by § 1225.5(a) and subject to the limitations in § 1225.5(b). The obligation authority associated with these funds is subject to the limitation on obligation pursuant to section 1102 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21).

(b) As soon as practicable after the apportionment in a fiscal year, but in no event later than September 30 of the fiscal year, the Governor's Representative for Highway Safety and the Secretary of the State's Department of Transportation for each State that receives an apportionment shall jointly identify, in writing to the appropriate NHTSA Regional Administrator, the amounts of the State's apportionment that will be obligated to highway safety program areas and to Federal-aid highway projects. Each NHTSA Regional Administrator will forward copies of the joint letters to the appropriate NHTSA and FHWA offices.

(c) Apportionments will not be made by the NHTSA and FHWA unless this letter from the State is received.

(a) Beginning with FY 2004, to avoid the withholding of funds, each State shall certify to the Secretary of Transportation, before the last day of the previous fiscal year, that it meets all the requirements of 23 U.S.C. 163 and this part.

(b) The certification shall contain a statement from an appropriate State official that the State has enacted and is enforcing a 0.08 BAC per se law that conforms to 23 U.S.C. 163 and 23 CFR part 1225.

(1) If the State's 0.08 BAC per se law is currently in effect and is being enforced, the certification shall be worded as follows:

(2) If the State's 0.08 BAC per se law is not currently in effect, but will become effective and be enforced before the end of the current fiscal year, the certification shall be worded as follows:

(c) An original and four copies of the certification shall be submitted to the appropriate NHTSA Regional Administrator. Each NHTSA Regional Administrator will forward copies of the certifications received to the appropriate NHTSA and FHWA offices.

(d) Once a State has been determined to be in compliance with the requirements of 23 U.S.C. 163 and this part, it is not required to submit additional certifications, except that the State shall promptly submit an amendment or supplement to its certification provided under this section if the State's 0.08 BAC per se law changes.

(e) Certifications submitted in FY 2003. (1) Any State that submits a certification of compliance under § 1225.5 of this part, in conformance with the requirements of 23 U.S.C. 163,on,2003, will qualify for an incentive grant in FY2003 and will avoid the withholding of funds in FY 2004. All certifications submitted in conformance with the incentive grant program will meet the certification requirements of the sanction program.

(2) Any State that submits a certification of compliance under this section, in conformance with the requirements of 23 U.S.C. 163,between,2003,2003, will not qualify for an incentive grant in FY2003,but,thereby.

(f) Certifications submitted in FY 2004 or thereafter. Any State that has been in noncompliance with the requirements of 23 U.S.C. 163 and this part, in or after FY 2004, will initially be subject to a withholding of funds in accordance with § 1225.8 of this part. Following the submission of a conforming certification of compliance by such States, all withheld funds will be restored to a States' appropriate apportionment categories in accordance with § 1225.9 of this part.

(a) Beginning in fiscal year 2004, the Secretary shall withhold 2 percent of the amount required to be apportioned for Federal-aid highways to any State under each of paragraphs (1), (3), and (4) of section 104(b) of title 23, United States Code, if a State has not enacted and is not enforcing a law that meets the requirements of 23 U.S.C. 163 and § 1225.4 of this part.

(b) In fiscal year 2005, the Secretary shall withhold 4 percent of the amount required to be apportioned for Federal-aid highways to any State under each of paragraphs (1), (3), and (4) of section 104(b) of title 23, United States Code, if a State has not enacted and is not enforcing a law that meets the requirements of 23 U.S.C. 163 and § 1225.4 of this part.

(c) In fiscal year 2006, the Secretary shall withhold 6 percent of the amount required to be apportioned for Federal-aid highways to any State under each of paragraphs (1), (3), and (4) of section 104(b) of title 23, United States Code, if a State has not enacted and is not enforcing a law that meets the requirements of 23 U.S.C. 163 and § 1225.4 of this part.

(d) In fiscal year 2007, and in each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary shall withhold 8 percent of the amount required to be apportioned for Federal-aid highways to any State under each of paragraphs (1), (3), and (4) of section 104(b) of title 23, United States Code, if a State has not enacted and is not enforcing a law that meets the requirements of 23 U.S.C. 163 and § 1225.4 of this part.

If a State meets the requirements of 23 U.S.C. 163 and § 1225.4 of this part within 4 years from the date that a State's apportionment is reduced under § 1225.8, the apportionment for such State shall be increased by an amount equal to the reduction, as illustrated by appendix A of this part. The restored apportionment will be available to a State, as quickly as possible, upon a determination by NHTSA that the State is in conformance and notification to the FHWA.

If a State has not met the requirements of 23 U.S.C. 163 and § 1225.4 of this part by October 1, 2007, the funds withheld under § 1225.8 shall begin to lapse and will no longer be available for apportionment to the State, in accordance with appendix A of this part.

(a) Beginning with FY 2004, NHTSA and FHWA will notify States of their compliance or noncompliance with the statutory and regulatory requirements of 23 U.S.C. 163 and this part, based on a review of certifications received. States will be required to submit their certifications on or before September 30, to avoid the withholding of funds in a fiscal year.

(b) This notification of compliance will take place through FHWA's normal certification of apportionments process. If the agencies do not receive a certification from a State, by June 15 of any fiscal year, or if the certification does not conform to the requirements of 23 U.S.C. 163 and this part, the agencies will make an initial determination that the State is not in compliance.

(a) Each fiscal year, each State determined to be in noncompliance with 23 U.S.C. 163 and this part, based on NHTSA and FHWA's preliminary review of its certification, will be advised of the amount of funds expected to be withheld under § 1225.8 from apportionment, as part of the advance notice of apportionments required under 23 U.S.C. 104(e), which is ordinarily issued on July 1 of each fiscal year.

(b) If NHTSA and FHWA determine that any State is not in compliance with 23 U.S.C. 163 and this part, based on the agencies' preliminary review, the State may submit documentation showing why it is in compliance. States will have until September 30 to rebut the initial determination or to come into compliance with 23 U.S.C. and this part. Documentation shall be submitted through NHTSA's Regional Administrators, who will refer the requests to appropriate NHTSA and FHWA offices for review.

(c) Each fiscal year, each State determined not to be in compliance with 23 U.S.C. 163 and this part, based on NHTSA's and FHWA's final determination, will receive notice of the funds being withheld under § 1225.8 from apportionment, as part of the certification of apportionments required under 23 U.S.C. 104(e), which normally occurs on October 1 of each fiscal year.