California lawmakers plan to make things tougher on intoxicated drivers with a new bill passed by the Assembly, authored by Assemblyman Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale.

Assembly Bill 6 passed with a unanimous vote on the Assembly floor, and now moves on to the state Senate for approval, which is expected to be voted upon in the next two months. (In the video below, Lackey tests out some of the new technology.)

The legislator who has spent decades as a California Highway Patrol officer is probably one of the foremost experts in the Capitol on the issues facing law enforcement on the road, based on his previous experience.

“As someone who spent 28 years with the CHP, I know how dangerous an impaired driver can be,” said Lackey. “To deal with a problem as complex as drugged driving, we need a coordinated response based on strong science and best practices. This CHP-led taskforce will make sure that happens.”

From the legal standpoint, Lackey also observed the prosecutorial challenges in getting justice for those who had a friend or family member killed by someone driving under the influence of something other than alcohol. One of the challenges is that there’s no standard 0.08 intoxication level for marijuana, for example.

“The bill would have CHP officers come up with the best practices that law enforcement agencies can use that would show how someone is impaired,” said Tim Townsend, Lackey’s chief of staff, noting a lot of those years in the CHP were spent on the graveyard shift, meaning Lackey had the unenviable position of notifying many family members of those killed in a crash, “and it will also test out some new technology.”

One of the factors to help accomplish the bill’s goals is the fact that there’s already a funding mechanism to provide for the creation of the task force.

Proposition 64—which legalized recreational marijuana—included substantial funding for CHP to create drug-impaired driving enforcement programs.

This bill would build on that funding and formalize CHP as the lead agency for coordinating California’s approach to drugged driving enforcement. Their mission would also encompass prescription drugs in addition to marijuana and illicit drugs.

“Accurately identifying and prosecuting drugged drivers remains a tremendous challenge for law enforcement,” said Chief Edward Medrano, President of the California Police Chiefs Association. “Utilizing the roadway safety expertise of CHP to develop best practices and test new technology will help California officers deal with the challenge of legal recreational marijuana and rising abuse of prescription drugs.”

The prevalence of drug-impaired driving has been increasing in recent years, Lackey’s office points out.

The number of fatal crashes involving drugs or the combination of drugs and alcohol for the first time exceeded those involving alcohol only in 2012 and then again in 2013, according to a 2015 DMV report.

A 2014 roadside survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of nighttime weekend drivers in California found 20 percent of drivers with drugs in their system.