State Senate Democrats announced plans to strengthen penalties for repeat drunk drivers by introducing a new bill Monday.
According to a statement released by the bill's authors, state Sen. Jim Sullivan, D-Wauwatosa, state Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, and state Sen. Jeff Plale, D-South Milwaukee, the proposed law would make it a felony to drive drunk after three previous offenses, or after two previous offenses occurring within the past five years.
Kevin Brady, spokesperson for Plale, said the legislation comes in response to a growing concern among the senators' constituents over issues of repeat offenders and accidents caused by drunk driving.
Drinking and driving is a crime that causes damage and destroys lives,"" Sullivan said in a statement. ""It's a problem that won't go away without an aggressive legislative intervention.""
The proposed bill acknowledges drunk driving is a complex issue and approaches it on multiple levels, according to Mike Brown, spokesperson for Lehman.
""The bill tries to strike a balance between both punishment and treatment, recognizing that in some cases the way that we're going to reduce the problem with repeat drunk driving is helping people deal with substance-abuse issues,"" he said.
The legislation remains in the early stages of becoming a law and requires passage in numerous committees, as well as approval from Gov. Jim Doyle.
According to Brady, in the past Doyle has spoken in favor of increasing penalties for drunk drivers.
Doyle has yet to make a statement concerning the proposed legislation.
According to Kimberly Liedl, spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, Senate Republicans are waiting for a more comprehensive proposal before expressing support for the bill.
