A proposal currently being passed around for sponsorship in the Wisconsin State Legislature would make the first offense for operating while intoxicated a crime.
The proposal, put forth by Rep. Peggy Krusick, D-Milwaukee, Rep. Jim Ott, R-Mequon, and Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, would make the first-offense OWI a misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $500 and imprisonment of up to 30 days in jail.
The OWI package also includes giving police departments the right to set up sobriety checkpoints, prohibiting repeat offenders from driving with a BAC above .02 for two years after the previous offense and requiring counties to seek reimbursements from jailed offenders, according to Krusick.
“We are moving forward with this reasonable reform package to demonstrate that Wisconsin is finally serious about taking a strong stand against drunken driving,” Krusick said.
She added the package also upholds the enforcement of mandatory minimum jail sentences for those convicted, jails serious offenders directly after conviction, mandates those with BACs above .08 pay the same monetary penalties as other OWI offenders and creates funding for state legal reimbursements and treatment services.
Ott said currently, drunken driving offenses are treated like traffic citations, and this bill is necessary as a deterrent to drunken drivers.
“The fact is drunken driving is a serious problem in Wisconsin,” Ott said. “There are lots of deadly crashes by drunken drivers, and I think there is a public outcry for tougher laws and has been for some time.”
Ott also said this bill will supplement a previous OWI bill, which passed through the Assembly in September. That bill only criminalizes a first offense OWI if a minor under the age of 16 is riding in the vehicle.
He added he does not expect the bill to come before the Assembly until the next session, which starts in January.
One of the sponsors of the previous OWI bill, Rep. Terese Berceau, D-Madison, said she supports the idea of criminalizing a first offense OWI, but said she has not signed on as a sponsor because she has not finished fully reviewing the proposal.
