Community members spoke out at a public hearing held by the Assembly Public Safety Committee Tuesday concerning a proposed bill mandating certain first-time and all second-time drunken driver offenders install ignition interlock devices in their motor vehicles.
The bill, introduced Feb. 3, would require all repeat offenders and those first-time offenders with blood alcohol content measured above 0.15 percent to install devices in their vehicles that would test their BAC before they would be allowed to drive.
The device would also require they stop their vehicle at indeterminate intervals while driving to test their BAC. The ignition interlocks would cost offenders $100 for installation and $900 per year for monthly monitoring costs.
Rep. Anthony Staskunas, D-West Allis, chair of the Assembly Public Safety Committee, compared these expenses to the $1,500 fines associated with second-time OWI offenses, along with the costs of sending repeat offenders to jail.
According to Staskunas, while a current statute exists in Wisconsin concerning the ignition interlock device, it remains flawed.
“Frankly, with the program we have with the ignition interlocks right now one of the problems is that there has been no oversight,” Staskunas said. “Judges have been very reluctant to order ignition interlock because they know that there’s no one overseeing this, and when they do order it there isn’t any consequence if an offender doesn’t follow the rules.”
Staskunas said the new bill would provide increased oversight by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
He added the bill also includes a provision for those of a lower socioeconomic status to ensure the penalty remains equal for all offenders.
“Drunk driving is really something that cuts across many economic and socioeconomic lines, (and) if the program is going to be effective we need to make sure that everybody utilizes ignition interlocks,” he said.
Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Appleton, stands behind the bill, saying it is something that crosses party lines. He added he believes it will pass in the current session.
“We have a bill here which is very much bipartisan, which drunk driving issues should be,” Kaufert said.
Many community members spoke in favor of the bill, including representatives from the Madison Police Department, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
MADD State Policy Specialist Frank Harris said this legislation is a needed and necessary step to reform drunken driving laws in Wisconsin.
“[This bill] is the first step to increasing interlock implementation, reducing recidivism rates amongst OWI offenders, preventing injuries and saving lives,” he said.
Staskunas said the next step will include a vote in front of the Public Safety Committee, which will determine whether they will present it to the entire state Assembly. He added he hopes the vote will occur in the next two to three weeks.
