WPC! JVUN % 0U: w@5 4u  0K 0D 0J' q 0Ty 0^ 0h+ 0r 0| 0 0 1u 0d  BpU>U*U*B)DCH AM D3v~vL 0@ AO_ 0Dt D/ B c:\office\wpwin\template\opinion.wpt(9 Z 6Times New Roman RegularX(Z>$XXXXX  TR[A' Legal[A' LegalA' LegalA' LegalT7 XXdXXd7  ,rAZ"Arial Regular E,e eeeӀԡ 3|x((2$ Z>!XXXXX  TR[A' Legal3'A' Legal3'T7v]XXdXXd7    `   0  (#$  0  2 0Indent123  2" 0Indent20 23  2, 0Indent30 0 23  26 0Indent40 0 0 23  2@ 0Indent50 0 0 0 23  2J 0Indent60 0 0 0 0 23  2T 0Indent70 0 0 0 0 0 23  2^ 0Indent80 0 0 0 0 0 0 23    ?AGMSYaioIndent0I.A.1.a.(1)(a)i)a)P 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X d<  9p`(&Times New Roman<  9p`(Arial<  9p`(Times% Line 7 d%%%%7Border 1dd-&C << G  !  #d#"   X #  \RA'\#d#   #   YYY FILED#XSeptember18,1997CecilW.CrowsonAppellateCourtClerk    !#d#"   X #  \RA'\#d#    $       TheUnitedStatesSupremeCourtandtheappellatecourtsofthisstatehaveheldthattheword presumptionshouldnotbeusedinjuryinstructions.Theword inferenceshouldbeusedinstead.Sandstromv.Montana,442U.S.510,99S.Ct.2450,61L.Ed.2d39(1979);Statev.Coker,746S.W.2d167,170(Tenn.1987),cert.denied,488U.S.871,109S.Ct.180,102L.Ed.2d149(1988). 'dxdPtPtHH(FG(HH(d'hStyl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Geneva   h HD: Geneva  h HD: Geneva ("$    -C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5($$   1  ' dxdP Pd ! . "   X #  \RA'\#$$Xd##$$Xd#   ݛ  R'(&A1-j|` . `@Rߛ INTHECOURTOFCRIMINALAPPEALSOFTENNESSEEATNASHVILLEJUNE1997SESSION  STATEOFTENNESSEE,   APPELLEE, )      ) No.01C019608CR00343      )      ) PutnamCountyv.      )      ) JohnA.Turnbull,Judge      )      ) (DrivingWhileUndertheInfluence)MARKSPENCERKING,   )      )   APPELLANT. )FORTHEAPPELLANT:    FORTHEAPPELLEE:JackyO.Bellar     JohnKnoxWalkupAttorneyatLaw     AttorneyGeneral&Reporter212MainStreet     500CharlotteAvenueCarthage,TN37030    Nashville,TN372430497J.BrandenBellar     JanisL.TurnerAttorneyatLaw     AssistantAttorneyGeneral212MainStreet     450JamesRobertsonParkwayCarthage,TN37030    Nashville,TN372430493       WilliamA.Gibson       DistrictAttorneyGeneral       145SouthJeffersonAvenue       Cookeville,TN38501       WilliamS.Roberson       AssistantDistrictAttorneyGeneral       145SouthJeffersonAvenue       Cookeville,TN38501OPINIONFILED:____________________________AFFIRMEDJoeB.Jones,PresidingJudge    #OPINION   #X Theappellant,MarkSpencerKing(defendant),wasconvictedofdrivingwhileundertheinfluence(DUI)followingabenchtrial.ThesoleissuewhichthisCourtmustresolveiswhetherevidenceofthechemicalbreathtestshouldhavebeenadmittedintoevidence.Thedefendantarguesthisevidenceshouldnothavebeenintroducedbecausethe1995amendmenttoTenn.CodeAnn.5510408(b),whichrenderedthestatuteunconstitutional,wasineffectatthetimehewasarrested.Afterathoroughreviewoftherecord,thebriefssubmittedbytheparties,andthelawgoverningtheissuepresentedforreview,itistheopinionofthisCourtthatthejudgmentofthetrialcourtshouldbeaffirmed. Thedefendantmovedthetrialcourttoexcludeasevidencetheresultsofthechemicalbreathtest.Thetestrevealedthedefendanthadabloodalcoholcontentof.14%.ThetrialcourtagreedwiththedefendantthatTenn.CodeAnn.5510408,asamendedin1995,wasunconstitutional.However,thecourtconcludeditcouldapplythestandardcontainedinthestatutebeforetheamendment.Thus,thecourtdismissedthedefendantsmotiontosuppress,andthetestresultswereintroducedintoevidenceoverthedefendantsstrenuousobjection.   I.    Areviewoftheinitialstatutoryprovisions,theamendmentstothestatute,andtheeffectofthechangesarerelevanttotheinquiry. Priorto1995,Tenn.CodeAnn.5510408(b)stated:8 8 Evidencethattherewas,atthetimealleged,tenhundredthsofonepercent(.10%)ormorebyweightofalcoholinthedefendantsbloodshallcreateapresumptionthatthedefendantwasundertheinfluenceofsuchintoxicant,andthatdefendantsabilitytodrivewasimpairedthereby,sufficientlytoconstituteaviolationof5510401. )    In1995theTennesseeGeneralAssemblyamendedTenn.CodeAnn.5510408.Thestatute,asamended,stated:   X    Evidencethattherewas,atthetimealleged,tenhundredthsofonepercent(.10%)ormorebyweightofalcoholinthedefendantsbloodshallbeconclusiveproofthatthedefendantwasundertheinfluenceofsuchintoxication,thatthedefendantsabilitytodrivewasimpairedtherebyandshallconstituteaviolationof5510401.      X 1995Tenn.Pub.Acts,Ch.517,1. ThisamendedstatutebecameeffectiveonJuly1,1995.ItwasineffectwhenthedefendantwasarrestedonNovember12,1995.TheAttorneyGeneralsubsequentlyrenderedanopinionwhichstatedthe conclusiveproofprovisionofthestatuterenderedthestatuteunconstitutional.TennesseeAttorneyGeneralOpinion95117(November28,1995). TheTennesseeGeneralAssemblyamendedthe1995Actin1996.Thisamendmentreturnedthestatutetoitsstatuspriortothe1995amendment.1996Tenn.Pub.Acts,Ch.915,2,3.The1996Actbecameeffectiveuponitspassage.TheActwaspassedbytheTennesseeGeneralAssemblyonApril24,1996.GovernorSundquistsignedtheActonMay8,1996.   II.    Thetrialcourtwascorrectinfindingthe1995Actwasunconstitutional.Thecourtwasalsocorrectinapplyingtheactinexistencepriortothe1995Act.Therefore,thetrialcourtproperlyadmittedtheresultsofthechemicalbreathtest,andtreatedtheresultsasaninferencethatthedefendantsabilitytooperateamotorvehiclewasimpairedpursuanttoTenn.CodeAnn.5510401,et.seq. Inthisjurisdiction,anunconstitutionalstatuteoranamendmenttoaconstitutionalstatuteisvoidabinitio󀄄fromthedateofitsenactment.Statev.Driver,598S.W.2d774,776(Tenn.1980);Leechv.AmericanBooksellersAssn,Inc.,582S.W.2d738,740(Tenn.1979);Statev.Dixon,530S.W.2d73,74(Tenn.1975).Therefore,theunconstitutionalprovisiondoesnothavetheeffectofamendingorsupersedingtheexistingconstitutionalstatute.Id.Inotherwords,thepriorconstitutionalstatuteisunaffectedbytheefforttoamendorsupersedethestatute,anditremainsinfullforceandeffect.      _______________________________________      JOEB.JONES,PRESIDINGJUDGECONCUR:______________________________________̀WILLIAMM.BARKER,JUDGE______________________________________̀THOMAST.WOODALL,JUDGE