State Legislative News

March Traffic deaths 6th lowest since WWII
According to the Wisconsin DOT, March tied for the sixth lowest total in fatalities since WW II. The safest March on record was 2010 when 23 people died on Wisconsin highways.

Brown Jug bill on the move!
Assembly Bill 61, the Brown Jug Bill, was voted out of the Assembly State Affairs Committee and now heads to the State Assembly for a vote. The bill allows a licensee to take an underage person to court and receive a $1000 judgment from the underage person if they illegally attempted to enter a licensed premise. The law has served as a great deterrent in Alaska where underage drinking offenses have declined as a result of the legislation. Please contact your legislator and urge them to support AB 61. Representative Andre Jacque (R- Green Bay) and Senator Rick Gudex (R-Fond du Lac) have authored the bill and are working to get it passed.

US Supreme Court rules warrant needed for most OWI blood draws
In an 8-1 decision the US Supreme Court ruled that police need to get a search warrant before drawing blood on a person suspected of drunk driving. The Court said that in most cases law enforcement needs to obtain a search warrant prior to drawing blood. Wisconsin law allows for the drawing of blood of a suspected drunk driver – this case will change how prosecutors can legally obtain blood for an OWI conviction.

Fiscal Estimate for 3rd OWI felony is $236 million
Below is the cost of a 3rd conviction OWI as a felony. SB 60 and AB 71 would make a 3rd OWI a felony. It comes with a hefty price tag. Using CY2011 DOT conviction data and population assumptions that predict 25% of 3rd Offense, 90% of 4th Offense through 6th Offense, and 100% of 7th Offense or more OWl sentences would be sentenced to prison the estimated increase in operating costs to the Department of Corrections would be between $158.2 million and $226.0 million annually. Construction of 17 new 300 bed facilities similar to DACC would cost approximately $236.3 million, excluding land acquisition costs.

SafeRide Surcharge Increase to $25
Please contact your legislator to urge their support of an amendment to the state budget to increase funding for the SafeRide Program. With a decline in OWI convictions funding for the TLW SafeRide Program has declined. The Program is funded in part by a $15 OWI conviction surcharge. The DOT fund will run out by June and we are seeking an increase in the surcharge from $15 to $25 per OWI conviction. No state money is required to fund this program, instead it is funded by OWI convictions.

Last year the TLW provided over 75,000 free rides home to patrons at a cost of nearly $1 million. Let’s keep growing the SafeRide Program by increasing the OWI conviction surcharge. Please urge your legislators to support this important change.

Go to http://legis.wisconsin.gov/Pages/ default.aspx to find your legislators email address. Also please Like the TLW Facebook Page to keep updated on important issues as well as our Thursday Member of the Week Feature.

Contact your state senator and tell them to pass it.