Hidalgo County District Attorney Rene Guerra said the paperwork is never done.
Day after day he and his team of prosecutors read through numerous cases—most of those DWI’s.
"We have hundreds of cases…I couldn't even tell you the numbers," said Guerra.
He said the proposed law would definitely help with that backlog.
"This bill is what we've been advocating,” said Guerra. “We want to treat the first time offenders differently rather than marking them from the very beginning and clogging up the system."
This new proposed bill would allow first time DWI offenders the chance to get deferred adjudication instead of jail time.
That means they will get arrested for the offense but their record won’t show a conviction—if they complete certain requirements set forth by the court.
For people like Blanca Meckel the proposed bill is met with mixed emotions.
Back in 1995 Blanca’s husband was killed by a drunk driver, 16 years later the pain is still fresh in her mind.
"The pain never goes away,” she said. “It lessens a little bit with time but it never goes away."
Blanca said, despite the pain she still suffers, she would support this bill with certain conditions.
"During there probation they would need to install an interlock device in the car in case they reoffend---it will be counted against them as a DWI offense," Meckel said.
Guerra disagreed.
He said the interlock device is not the way to go.
He believes treating the addiction is the only way to keep people from re-offending.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKGBT