Speculation has arisen in the Wisconsin state Legislature as to whether the current legislative session will be extended to allow adequate time for consideration of drunken driving reform bills and the expulsion of Rep. Jeff Wood, I-Chippewa Falls.

The current legislative floor session began Oct. 20 and is scheduled to end Nov. 5. However, questions have been raised as to whether this allows enough time to consider these crucial topics.

The proposed OWI bills would make some key changes to drunken driving laws, such as criminalizing a first offense OWI when a minor under the age of 16 is in the vehicle and requiring ignition interlocks for all repeat offenders and those guilty of first-time offenses with blood alcohol contents of 0.15 or greater.

Additional changes listed in the bills include making fourth OWI offenses felonies if they occurred within five years of the prior offenses and expanding statewide drug and alcohol programs.

The possible expulsion of Wood stems from an arrest on suspicion of OWI Oct. 21 in Tomah and another OWI-related arrest Sept. 23. These arrests are the fourth and fifth of their kind for Wood.

After the Sept. 23 arrest, Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, introduced the measures of expulsion, and Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan, D-Janesville, and Assembly Minority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, formed the Special Committee on Ethics and Standards to consider the matter.

The possible extension of the session is dependent on Gov. Jim Doyle’s decision at the moment, said Kimber Liedl, spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau.

“If the governor does call, we would be required to convene,” Liedl said. “However, the governor has yet to do so.”

Sheridan spokesperson Rebekah Sweeney declined to comment on the possible extension of the legislative session, saying only that as of right now, the possible extension of session is “entirely speculative” and the Legislature will concentrate on doing what it can within the time frame of this session.