COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — Lawmakers are now home for the holidays, but not before several bills were pushed across the finish line last week. Among the bills that beat the end-of-the-year deadline is House Bill 37, which is also known as “Liv’s Law.”
Liv’s Law creates harsher penalties for those convicted of driving under the influence, particularly for repeat offenders. “It was very emotional. But I knew that one of the things Liv believed was justice, and to save a life, she would be so proud,” Liv’s mother, Teresa Wright, reflects.
House Bill 37 — or Liv’s Law — is the years long effort of Bryan and Teresa Wright. The couple says they were ‘overwhelmed’ last Wednesday when lawmakers voted to pass the legislation, that they say, sends a timely message before the holidays.
“That promise that I made to her, the very first one, was that I would seek justice until my very last breath. And we [ were ] able to do that,” says Bryan. Bryan and Teresa’s daughter — Oliva — was killed by a drunk driver near Ashville back in September of 2020.