A bipartisan measure to strengthen penalties for drunken driving passed the Minnesota House of Representatives with broad support on Thursday.

Lawmakers introduced the bill in the wake of a crash that killed two people and injured nine others last September at Park Tavern in St. Louis Park. The suspected driver, 56-year-old Steven Bailey, allegedly had a blood-alcohol content more than four times the legal limit and had five prior drunken-driving convictions on his record.

“Since the tragedy which impacted our community last year, it has been a top priority of mine to try and stop people who have a recurring problem with drinking and driving from killing or injuring Minnesotans,” said Rep. Larry Kraft, DFL-St. Louis Park, the bill’s chief author in the House. “This bipartisan legislation is focused on improving public safety and is a critical step toward prevention and safer roads for everyone.”

Included in the bill are provisions to lengthen the required time to use an ignition interlock for repeat offenders and to double the lookback period for past DWI offenses from 10 years to 20 years.

An ignition interlock is a breathalyzer built into a vehicle that requires a driver to register a 0.0 blood-alcohol content before the car will start.

Under current law, a formula for repeat offenders requires one to four years of ignition interlock use. The bill that passed the House by a 123-5 vote would require 10 years of ignition interlock for drivers with three or more past DWI convictions.

A companion bill in the Senate is awaiting a third reading and a final vote.