STRATEGY MEETING TO STRENGTHEN WISCONSIN OWI LAWS
On October 17, 2008, Senator Alberta Darling (Senate District 8) hosted a meeting to discuss changes in and strengthening of OWI laws. Also attending this meeting were Senator Mary Lazich (Senate District 28); Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke, Jr.; Deputy Inspector Edward Bailey, Legislative Liaison, Office of the Sheriff, Milwaukee County; Kari Kinnard, Executive Director of MADD; family and friends of Nancy Sellars, who was killed by a drunk driver in a hit and run crash while riding her bike; and, Paul and Judy Jenkins, the parents of Jennifer Bukosky, who was killed by an impaired driver in April, 2008, in Oconomowoc.
The changes discussed at this meeting included: criminalizing the first offense, mandatory minimum jail time for all offenses, making the third offense a felony, strict penalties for driving on a revoked or suspended license, sobriety checkpoints, mandatory ignition interlocks, and mandatory treatment/education programs for offenders.
Drafting new bills, presenting these new bills to both Houses of the Legislature, voting on the bills, and enacting the bills into law are a continuing process. The State Legislature reconvenes in January, 2009.
