The Rivers McGraw Act, HB 1089, has been passed unanimously by the Mississippi House of Representatives and is going to the Senate.
The act, named after an Ole Miss student who ended his own life in November 2016 after struggling with addiction and a DUI arrest, would make significant changes to the way DUI arrests are handled for those between 18 and 21 years old.
If passed by the Senate, the law would require an eight-hour window in which a police department would have to follow special protocol after arresting 18- to 21-year-olds for DUI.
Upon arrest, the police department would be required to contact the parents or guardians and have them come to the jail in order to release the person charged with DUI. If the parents live out of state or cannot get to the police station, they must arrange for someone to come instead. If the parents or guardian can do none of these things, then the defendant would be released after eight hours on scheduled bail without additional conditions.
The bill is expected to impact college students most, something the bill’s principal author, Rep. Andy Gipson, said he welcomes.
“We hope it will result in parents’ notification whenever students are being released on bond following drug or DUI charges,” Gipson said. “So that parents can take appropriate action to get their children the help they need.”
Gipson said he was directly contacted by McGraw’s mother, Lauren, who testified in committee about the need for the bill.
Senior Ashton Johnson from Madison said the new bill is a good thing but has some concerns for the effect it will have on out-of-state students.
“There’s a lot of out-of-state people from Ole Miss, so it’s not like people can get a plane ticket to come retrieve their child,” Johnson said. “My parents are only two hours away, but that’s not the case for a lot of people.”
So far, the bill has passed unanimously in the Mississippi House of Representatives and has been sent over to the Mississippi State Senate.
“I expect some version of this bill will pass,” Gipson said.
Statistically, McGraw was not alone in battling his addiction. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, almost 20 percent of students meet the criteria for an alcohol use disorder. Additionally, alcohol is involved in more than a quarter of suicides in the United States every year.
Cases like Rivers McGraw’s are not out of the ordinary. According to the University Police Department daily crime log, there have been at least 72 alcohol-related arrests made on campus in the past month.
For friends of McGraw, HB 1089 hits close to home. Chip Young from Jackson said this is a much-needed bill.
“I wish Rivers would have had time to sober up and go to treatment,” Young said. “I think a bill like this would have saved his life.”
This article was submitted to The Daily Mississippian from an advanced reporting class.
