A new tool in the battle against impaired driving that was set to be unveiled this year may not make it out of the state Legislature because some Democrats oppose it.
Senator Mike Padden initially was able to get a provision in the transportation budget that would have required the State Patrol to establish a pilot program for oral fluid swabs.
Senator Curtis King, the lead Republican on the Transportation Committee, says the swabs are roadside screening devices that test saliva for the presence of drugs.
Senate Democrats removed the provision in committee.
Padden and King could try to restore it with an amendment prior to the full Senate vote on the transportation budget.