The Overview

Starting January 1, 2031, California's Department of Motor Vehicles must revoke the license of a driver with four or more drunk-driving convictions within 10 years who injures someone else while driving drunk, and it cannot reinstate that license for 72 months. California's Irene's Law, AB 1687, became law when Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed it Sept. 25. More than 1,300 people die each year in alcohol-related crashes in California, and drivers with prior DUI convictions were involved in a majority of fatal and injury DUI crashes in the state, according to CalMatters. ​

What the Law Does

The law requires the California Department of Motor Vehicles to revoke the driving privileges of anyone convicted of a DUI that proximately causes bodily injury to another person, when that driver also has four or more prior DUI convictions within the past 10 years. The department cannot reinstate that person's driving privileges until 72 months after the revocation date.

To get reinstated after that period, the driver must agree to maintain a functioning, certified ignition interlock device, a breathalyzer wired to the ignition that prevents the car from starting if alcohol is detected, for a mandatory term of 72 months. The law is named for a 12-year-old girl killed by a repeat drunk driver and is part of a broader package of DUI bills Newsom signed in September 2026, according to Streetsblog California.

Legislative Status

Asm. Tom Lackey (R) authored the bill, with principal coauthors Asm. Cottie Petrie-Norris (D) and Sen. Bob Archuleta (D), and coauthors Asm. Laurie Davies (R) and Asm. Heather Hadwick (R).

Every recorded vote, from the first committee vote March 24 through final passage, was unanimous. The full Assembly passed the bill 73-0 on May 26 and concurred in Senate amendments 75-0 on Aug. 30; the Senate passed it 39-0 the same day.

At a Senate Transportation Committee hearing, Lackey described the bill as increasing the DMV revocation period for a third DUI conviction from three years to eight years.

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