The state Legislature soon could be taking a very long, overdue step in the direction of trying to slow Wisconsin's drunken driving problem.
Drunken driving puts a strain on law enforcement resources, jails, the court system, and most importantly the lives of those impacted by drunken driving crashes. Lawmakers from both parties have said drunken driving a priority in the fall session that started Wednesday.
The State Assembly will be voting today on a bill that would make first-offense drunken driving a crime if a child younger than 16 is in the vehicle.
It's a start - if the provision makes it through a final negotiated version of the bill with the state Senate. A stronger start would be better.
Wisconsin is the only state in which first-offense drunken driving is treated only as a traffic citation.
The bill would make it a misdemeanor crime, but only if a 16-year-old is in the vehicle. But no driver, regardless of age or who's in the vehicle, should be allowed to get away with merely a traffic ticket for drunken driving. All drunken drivers are dangerous. The bill would be better if it made all first-offenses a misdemeanor crime - increasing the penalty and, in theory, the deterrent. Changing the culture of drunken driving in Wisconsin will require bold measures, not half-steps.
It also will require funding, to pay for the additional strain on the justice system, as well as for other worthwhile measures in the bill. Those include requiring the installation of ignition controls in the vehicles of first-time offenders with blood alcohol concentrations of more than 0.15 percent.
Sen. Jim Sullivan, D-Wauwatosa, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that lawmakers are close to reaching an agreement, but he and Rep. Tony Staskunas, D-West Allis, said they are working to find a way to fund the proposals.
"If this is public policy worth defending, it's worth paying for," Sullivan said. "The only question that remains is, 'How do you pay for it?'"
Sullivan told the Journal-Sentinel possibilities could include increasing the liquor tax, reallocating funds generated from the beer tax and increasing forfeitures for drunken driving. The Assembly proposal shifts beer tax revenue from the general fund to pay for community-based corrections programs.
Whatever the funding mechanism - including raising the beer tax for the first time in four decades - the Legislature must find a way to fund tougher drunken driving measures. The problem is too important to get hung up on finances.
Drunken driving puts a strain on law enforcement resources, jails, the court system, and most importantly the lives of those impacted by drunken driving crashes. Lawmakers from both parties have said drunken driving a priority in the fall session that started Wednesday.
The State Assembly will be voting today on a bill that would make first-offense drunken driving a crime if a child younger than 16 is in the vehicle.
It's a start - if the provision makes it through a final negotiated version of the bill with the state Senate. A stronger start would be better.
Wisconsin is the only state in which first-offense drunken driving is treated only as a traffic citation.
The bill would make it a misdemeanor crime, but only if a 16-year-old is in the vehicle. But no driver, regardless of age or who's in the vehicle, should be allowed to get away with merely a traffic ticket for drunken driving. All drunken drivers are dangerous. The bill would be better if it made all first-offenses a misdemeanor crime - increasing the penalty and, in theory, the deterrent. Changing the culture of drunken driving in Wisconsin will require bold measures, not half-steps.
It also will require funding, to pay for the additional strain on the justice system, as well as for other worthwhile measures in the bill. Those include requiring the installation of ignition controls in the vehicles of first-time offenders with blood alcohol concentrations of more than 0.15 percent.
Sen. Jim Sullivan, D-Wauwatosa, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that lawmakers are close to reaching an agreement, but he and Rep. Tony Staskunas, D-West Allis, said they are working to find a way to fund the proposals.
"If this is public policy worth defending, it's worth paying for," Sullivan said. "The only question that remains is, 'How do you pay for it?'"
Sullivan told the Journal-Sentinel possibilities could include increasing the liquor tax, reallocating funds generated from the beer tax and increasing forfeitures for drunken driving. The Assembly proposal shifts beer tax revenue from the general fund to pay for community-based corrections programs.
Whatever the funding mechanism - including raising the beer tax for the first time in four decades - the Legislature must find a way to fund tougher drunken driving measures. The problem is too important to get hung up on finances.
