As the Senate heads into session today, the fate of many important bills will be determined.

One of the bills on the floor agenda would prohibit the use of text messaging devices for drivers of any age. According to the bill, violators would be charged a fine between $100 and $400 for a first offense, and $200 to $800 for further offenses.

Although a law already exists prohibiting inattentive behavior while driving, this new bill targets text-messaging devices, which are defined as electronic devices capable of sending or receiving text communications from others.

“Texting while driving has become almost an epidemic problem,” said Senate President Fred Risser, D-Madison. “It’s time for the Legislature to pay attention to it.”

Risser said experts in the field have reported texting while driving is worse than drunken driving and causes too many accidents.

Despite the amendment on the bill to reduce the penalty, Risser said he is confident the bill will move through the Senate.

Another bill being considered by the Senate would ratify the union agreement between the state and the Teaching Assistants’ Association and the American Federation of Teachers for teaching assistants of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW-Extension collective bargaining unit.

The measure would create a retroactive wage increase for the 2007-09 fiscal year for teaching assistants, which, according to Kimber Liedl — spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau — would be a 5.85 percent wage increase.

Liedl added other state employee unions have also received similar agreements.

“The teaching assistants are one of the last unions to settle,” Liedl said. “This is just bringing them to the same rate as other union increases.”

She said that Fitzgerald, however, voted against the bill because he felt other union contracts held more importance and a lot of TAs who were teaching two years ago are not currently teaching.

Despite this opposition, Risser said he is sure the bill will pass.

“I can say with legislative certainty the contract will be approved by the full Legislature tomorrow,” Risser said.

Although not on the agenda for today, a bill to increase penalties on drunken driving will see the Senate floor in the future.

The Assembly already passed a similar drunken driving bill which criminalizes the first offense operating while intoxicated when a minor under the age of 16 is a passenger.

A Senate committee recently added an amendment to increase the tax on hard liquor by 50 cents to approximately $1.36 per liter.

This tax increase will go toward funding district attorneys, public defenders, circuit courts and the justice and correcitons departments, according to the bill.

Risser said he is confident the Senate will pass at least one bill that increases the consequences of drunken driving before the end of this year’s legislative session.

“There is no question the Legislature will be acting on not one but several bills on drunken driving this session,” Risser said.