Friday, May 3, 2013
Wisconsin's drunk driving-related incidents are the highest in the United States and state Legislators have crafted six bills to confront the issue, but they carries a hefty price tag.
Some state Republican Legislators want to toughen the laws for habitual drunk drivers and first-time drunk drivers if they cause an injury or killed someone, but the price tag for those laws could cost taxpayers up to $236 million, according to a story in the Wisconsin State Journal. Rep. Jim Ott (R-Mequon) and Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) have introduced six bills to the Senate and House. The bills would: Because of the jail time provisions, the state expects to have to build 17 facilities that would each house 300 people. "A fiscal estimate from the state Department of Corrections put the cost of the bill regarding third and subsequent offenses at between $169 million and $204 million annually. Other agencies also weighed in, …
Monday, January 21, 2013
What's blocking Wisconsin from implementing new, tougher laws against drunken driving? It could be "the dollar factor."
Mark Grapentine is a seasoned observer of state politics. He was an aide to then-state Rep. Scott Walker and a policy adviser to then-Gov. Tommy Thompson. For the past decade, he’s been a lobbyist for the Wisconsin Medical Society. In this capacity, he’s pushed for tougher state drunken driving laws — and noticed that, despite an absence of pushback, these laws have stayed mostly the same. “It has been interesting to watch how there has been a lack of progress in an area where there seems to be a tremendous amount of agreement on the need to do something,” Grapentine says. Wisconsin remains the only state where first-offense drunken driving is not a crime, although the civil penalties include license suspension and substantial fines. Two …
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Party leaders and delegates offer up some advice for U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan on what will be the biggest speech of his life.
TAMPA, FL -- All eyes will be on U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan on Wednesday night as the Wisconsin congressman formally accepts his vice presidential nomination in a prime-time speech at the Republican National Convention here. Patch chatted with Wisconsin delegates and other party leaders in Tampa about Ryan's acceptance speech and asked them what they thought he needs to do to introduce himself to America. __________________________________ Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch: "Paul Ryan just needs to go and be himself. Paul Ryan is loved in Wisconsin. Paul Ryan is a hero not just to the GOP in Wisconsin, but to all of us who share his values, who share his love of the outdoors, his love of family and his Midwestern virtues that he is going to bring to …
Thursday, March 22, 2012
The flurry of ads and campaign appearances are just beginning here as GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney's wife appears at Miss Katie's Diner in Milwaukee with state Sen. Alberta Darling.
The first wave of the upcoming tide of GOP presidential campaigning in Wisconsin descended upon Miss Katie's Diner Thursday morning, with an appearance by Ann Romney, wife of the Republican frontrunner. Romney was introduced to the small diner crowd by state Sen. Alberta Darling, who co-chairs Mitt Romney's Wisconsin campaign with former state Sen. Ted Kanavas. Darling said Wisconsin is undergoing a "revolution," and said Badger state voters are "very different from Illinois." She predicted that Romney will fare better in Wisconsin than he did in Tuesday's Illinois primary, where he took 47 percent of the vote. "We are Romney turf here in Wisconsin," she said. The Romneys, who celebrated their anniversary yesterday, received additional …
Friday, June 24, 2011
Republican Alberta Darling and Attorney General JB Van Hollen say new Justice Department unit could recover $6 to $7 for every $1 spent.
State Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) announced Friday she is introducing legislation to create a new public assistance fraud unit within the state Department of Justice. Darling, who was joined by Attorney General JB Van Hollen at her district office in Menomonee Falls in making the announcement, said the unit is being proposed because she wants to get rid of public assistance fraud in Wisconsin. “What’s most important is that we’re going to prosecute fraud and we’re going to increase the penalties to a felony,” Darling said. “It’s going to be both providers and beneficiaries that we’ll target.” Darling said she wanted to create the program in order to root out fraud after a stories done by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in the past …
Johnny Seed
10:10 am on Saturday, May 18, 2013
Matt - This is not about alcoholism but about the right to drive while drunk. There is a substantial difference. They can drink all they want they just do not need to get behind the wheel. Although I do agree with you some of alcoholics can be treated many choose not to be. Assembly proposal 70 requiring some one who gets in an accident should not be required a mandatory of ten years in jail if … more ›