State
Representative Dennis Bonnen presents an oversized gavel to
Beverly Wollam. The gavel was the one Speaker Tom Craddick used last week to
signify passage of HB 103, which Bonnen filed in honor of her son Justin.
Danbury
family presented gavel
Justin Wollam Act passed by House
ANGLETON -- Sometimes clouds do have silver linings. W. R. and Beverly
Wollam of Danbury saw that bright lining last week when State Representative
Dennis Bonnen got House approval for the Justin Wollam Act, a bill he filed
in honor of their son.
Officer Justin Wollam, a former area policeman, died when he was hit head-on
by a drunk driver during a high-speed chase in Anchorage, Alaska on July 9,
200l.
HB 103, which
now awaits Senate approval, will require a person convicted of an
alcohol-related offense to pay an additional $100 fine to prevent similar
crimes. In the long run that can mean more help for local policemen and
that is exactly what the Wollam family and Bonnen would like to see.
“Justin loved
being a policeman so much,” Beverly Wollam said. “He would be proud to see
something done in his name to help his fellow officers.” The Legislative
Budget Board estimates that HB 103 could result in $7.9 million of revenue
for Texas municipalities and counties to use to deter alcohol-related
offenses.
The money will
go to the police department that filed the charges. While the original
bill specified that funds were to be used to purchase equipment, Bonnen
filed an amendment where the money could also be used for other purposes.
“If they need it to pay overtime on New Year¹s Eve and put more officers on
duty, they can use it for that,” Bonnen explained. “If they want to use it
to buy equipment, they can do that. The only restriction is that it be
used to help prevent alcohol-related offenses.” The Justin Wollam Act
will apply to agencies across the state. “At first you tend to think of
this as a local issue but it is a major
statewide issue,” Bonnen said. “This bill affects every community in Texas.”
Beverly Wollam approached Bonnen last year about filing the bill and he
gives her full credit for its success. “I was honored to be asked to write
this legislation,” Bonnen said. ”This was a young officer who died
protecting his community. Here was his mother wanting to see that this did
not happy to any other family. It was something I thought should be done in
Texas.”
Fellow legislators agreed, quickly getting the bill out of committee and
onto the House floor this week. The Wollams, accompanied by their son
Russell, attended one committee hearing and were on the House floor when the
bill came up Tuesday. The three stood before the House while a resolution
was read for Justin. Beverly Wollam held a large photo of her son
during the reading of HR 714. “I told Russell I wanted to hold the photo
of Justin to show who he was,” she said. “It put a face to the bill.”
House members gave the family a standing ovation.
“The Justin Wollam Act has gotten a tremendous response,” Bonnen said.
”I had lawmakers coming up to me, asking to have their names added to the
bill.” Beverly Wollam was touched by how thoughtful people were
at the Capitol. “One representative came up and hugged me and told me he
had lost a child too,” she said. “I had so many tell me how proud they were
to be on this bill.”
Senator Mike Jackson, who will carry the bill in the Senate, also told her
he was impressed with the bill. In addition to driving while
intoxicated offenses, the fine will be imposed on those convicted of public
intoxication and other alcohol-related crimes. It will apply to both minors
and adults. Bonnen says it makes sense for offenders, rather than
taxpayers, to pay
more of the burden of enforcing alcohol-related offenses. “Drunk
drivers impose a tremendous cost on society, both physically and
emotionally,” Bonnen said.
According to the National Highway Safety Administration, alcohol is a factor
in 25 percent of Texas’ crash costs. The state also leads the nation in
alcohol-related traffic fatalities. After House Speaker Tom Craddick
banged down the gavel to indicate passage of the bill, Bonnen asked for the
gavel. On Friday he presented it to Beverly Wollam. He had added a plaque
inscribed ³In honor of the Justin Wollam Act, HB 103. Gavel presented to
the Wollam family by Speaker Tom Craddick and Rep. Dennis Bonnen, April 9,
2003, 78th Legislature.²
Bonnen said
working with the Wollams had been inspiring. “They took a tragedy and
turned it into a positive,” he said. “They did not choose to sit back and
be victims but instead to let their son¹s life make a difference. People
like the Wollams are why we legislators run for office. It¹s an honor to
represent them.” Although he did not personally know Justin Wollam,
Bonnen said he recalls meeting him once. Years ago, he and his father were
on the road to Galveston when they had car trouble. A young man stopped to
offer
assistance. “After I filed the bill, my father reminded me of the
incident,” he said. “The man who had stopped to help us was Justin Wollam.”
Justin¹s 6-year-old daughter Kristin, who lives in Alaska, will spend a
month with the Wollams this summer. “When she grows up, she will be
able to see that her daddy was someone very special,” Beverly Wollam said.
“It means so much to me to have this bill passed in his name. This way he is
still here.”
