Wisconsin’s drunk driving laws are about to get tougher, as lawmakers meet in a special session today. “It looks like a really solid piece of legislation,” says state Senator Jon Erpenbach, a Waunakee Democrat who applauds efforts by sponsors of an OWI crackdown bill. “We haven’t taken these kinds of steps crack down on drunk driving, certainly since I’ve been in the legislature. We’ve always dealt with this issue. Pretty much every session there’s been something, but nothing this big. I think it’s a pretty good compromise.”
The key element to the bill, and the keystone of the compromise, is how its funded: the legislation socks drunk drivers with the costs associated with their crimes, through increased fines. “They’re going to be upping the fines pretty tremendously on those who are arrested for drunk driving, and that’s where it should come from,” says Erpenbach. The Senate’s Minority Leader, Juneau Republican Scott Fitzgerald, agrees. “The assessments that are put on the drunk drivers themselves seems to be palatable to most of the legislators, compared to what we were talking about, which was some sort of general sales tax increase to pay for it,” says Fitzgerald. “It’s going to send a message to drunk drivers.”
The bill makes fourth offense OWI a felony, requires ignition locks for repeat offenders, and funds treatment programs for alcoholics. “There’s certainly going to be critics out there that are going to say it doesn’t go far enough,” says Fitzgerald. “I understand that.”
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WIBA’s John Colbert contributed audio to this report