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The Montana Department of Transportation reports that Montana has one of the highest alcohol-related fatality rates in the nation, and to address that problem, the Montana Legislature is expected to make changes to DUI laws in the 2011 session.

Currently, there are 11 draft bills and five sponsors addressing DUI laws, all with one thing in common. MT State Senator Jim Shockley of Victor said, "What they are trying to do is get a grip on the DUI problem."

The Law & Justice Interim Committee heard proposals from legislators and lobbyists on Wednesday, and committee members agreed that the most moving testimony came from a panel of high school students.

Christian Zigler, a Plains High School graduate, told the panel, "I don't have any statistics, but I know what is happening around my town and my county, and underage drinking is an epidemic. It's tearing our youth and our future apart."

The students added their ideas to the stack of bills the Committee is tackling; the draft bills range from allowing game wardens to issue alcohol citations to requiring training for bartenders.

With such differing approaches to the problem, legislators say the bills will most likely not get combined. MT State Representative Ron Stoker of Hamilton said, "Probably all 11 of these drafts will become bills." He added that bills that come out of the interim committee are stronger because they have bipartisan support.

But even with shared vision, it doesn't mean the bills are feasible; Stoker noted, "It's a high priority, but it is not a big revenue generator."

And with the state facing a $450-million dollar revenue shortfall, it will be up to legislators to decide where DUI laws fit in.

Representative Stoker says he expects at least one more DUI-related bill to come forward before next session.

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