The state Senate and Assembly approved the ""Impartial Justice"" bill Thursday, which would allow public funding for state Supreme Court campaigns and marking the end of the legislative floor session.
The bill, authored by state Sen. Pat Kreitlow, D-Chippewa Falls, passed the Assembly on a 51-42 vote and the Senate on a 19-13 vote.
The bill would allow up to $100,000 of public funding for primary elections and $300,000 for general elections. The campaign funding would come from an optional donation on state income tax forms. The bill would require the state treasury to subsidize any shortfall in funding.
""[The bill's passage] is long overdue, especially after the last three races. It's a good first step to restore confidence in the Supreme Court,"" said Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin, a nonprofit government watchdog group.
If signed by Gov. Jim Doyle, who supports it, the bill would be enacted Dec 1, which means it would appear on this year's income tax forms.
A bill that would increase penalties for drunken driving, authored by state Sen. Jim Sullivan, D-Wauwatosa, passed the Senate unanimously. The bill would create a harsher punishment system for those arrested for operating while intoxicated. The passage of the bill is particularly timely due to state Rep. Jeffrey Wood's, I-Chippewa Falls, recent third OWI arrest in the past year.
According to Andrea Gage, media coordinator for Sullivan, the senator authored the bill because ""Wisconsin has the highest drunk driving rate in the nation."" Alcohol-related accidents killed 234 and injured more than 4,000 people in 2008, Gage said.
In a statement, Sullivan said, ""It is frustrating to realize there is nothing within the power of the legislative body to make up for the kind of tragedy families have suffered as a result of drunk driving.""
The state Assembly did not take up the bill Thursday night.
