Legislature passes tougher DUI laws; Doyle to sign measure

beer tax – said lawmakers “don’t have the backbone” to fully fund the bill.

Earlier estimates said the measure would cost .1 million to .9 million a year, but the morning before the vote, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau warned lawmakers state costs would be .4 million to million a year.

The new costs are for increased incarceration in state prisons, probation and treatment. The expenses do not include the costs of housing more inmates in jails, which counties pay for with property taxes.

An earlier fiscal analysis from the Department of Corrections overestimated how much the increased use of ignition interlocks would affect recidivism. The fiscal bureau said the devices would curb recidivism by 7%, not the 65% estimated by the Corrections Department.

Among those voting for the bill was Rep. Jeff Wood (I-Chippewa Falls), who has twice been convicted of drunken driving and faces three pending charges of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. An Assembly ethics committee is considering whether to expel him from the Legislature.

Wood declined to comment but said in a statement he supported the bill because it expands treatment. He said he recently enrolled in a treatment program.

“It gave me a second chance at a life of sobriety,” his statement said. “Unfortunately, for most people, obtaining the treatment they require is out of reach due to financial constraints. I hope Wisconsin continues to look at helping people treat the disease instead of addressing the punishment alone.”

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