From Donna Wyss

Browntown

To the editor:

No one asks to be the victim of a crime. Yet each year in Wisconsin thousands of people are dragged into the criminal justice process through no fault of their own. That’s why I’m a supporter of Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin, bipartisan legislation to amend our state Constitution and give victims of crime equal rights in our legal system. I want to urge area Senator Howard Marklein and Representative Todd Novak to support Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin in the 2019 legislative session.

Wisconsin has a proud tradition of leading on victims’ rights, and Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin is the natural next step. The proposal would place additional victims’ rights in the Wisconsin Constitution and strengthen the rights that are already in it so that victims’ rights are not automatically trumped in the courtroom by those of the accused. This bipartisan legislation has passed key hurdles in the state Legislature and was approved in both houses with broad support from lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. But there are still more votes to go to make this a reality. In order to amend our state Constitution, Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin must be passed one more time in the state Legislature and then supported at the ballot box by voters. If lawmakers act quickly in January, that vote could be during the April 2 election. 

Please join me in encouraging our local legislators to make Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin a priority in January so that Wisconsin’s voters can support this bipartisan legislation on April’s ballot. Visit equalrightsforwi.com/message to send a message to Senator Marklein and Representative Novak and urge them to support Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin.

We’ve made great strides in our effort to strengthen the rights of crime victims, but we have a long way to go to ensure that Marsy’s Law becomes a reality in Wisconsin. Victims should not have to wait any longer for equal rights.