March 24, 2017

Working for you!

Addressing OWI Offenses in Wisconsin:

It's no accident. It's a choice.

It's no secret that drunk or drugged driving is a persistent problem in Wisconsin. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, in 2015 there were approximately 24,000 convictions for drunk driving, and alcohol-related crashes killed 190 people and injured nearly 2,900 in our state. These crashes are entirely preventable. I believe part of the reason Wisconsin has this issue is because our laws reflect a drinking culture that does not take drinking and driving seriously. To help change that, I co-sponsored three bills, authored by Rep. Jim Ott (R- Mequon) and Senator Darling (R- River Hills), to increase the penalties for Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) offenders, and I have been actively pushing these bills in the legislature (See description of bills below).

One of these tragic deaths was Dylan Thorne. Dylan was 18 years old when a drunk driver with a blood alcohol content over double the legal limit crossed the center line at 1:30 in the afternoon and struck his car head-on. Dylan's full-size Mercury Marquis is pictured to the right.

Dylan's future was extinguished because of someone else's bad choice.

His family told me that he had just passed a placement exam that morning to attend Fox Valley Technical College to pursue a career in law enforcement. On Thursday, the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety held a public hearing on this package of bills. I invited the Thorne family to testify before the committee, telling the story of Dylan's horrific death and the years-long ordeal in the courts that followed. I admire their willingness to share Dylan with us as they strive to stop senseless deaths like his.

Watch a news story by WBAY Channel 2 to learn more about Dylan: click here.

Watch the news story by WMTV Channel 15 to learn more about this week's public hearing: click here.

Dylan Thorne's Family

AB 97/SB 73: This bill creates a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years for a conviction of homicide while OWI. Currently, the law's maximum sentence ranges from 25 to 40 years, but it does not specify a minimum sentence. The bill allows for judicial discretion in cases in which the deceased person was a passenger in the automobile which the convicted person was driving, provided the judge gives a written reason for deviating from the minimum.

AB 98/SB 74: Under current law, all repeat OWI offenders as well as first time OWI offenders whose blood alcohol concentration is 0.15 or higher, are required to install an ignition interlock on an automobile registered to them. The law requires that the interlock device be in place on the automobile at the time the driver’s license is reinstated, and must remain on the automobile until the order expires. Unfortunately, a loophole exists because some OWI offenders choose to drive before their license is reinstated. In the event that that they are stopped by an officer, they will be cited for driving without a valid license, but not face the more serious offense of violating the court order concerning the ignition interlock. This bill requires that those subject to an ignition interlock order cannot drive any automobile without an interlock from the time of conviction until the order expires. This bill does not require the offender to install the interlock device on their personal automobile until his or her license is reinstated, however, if stopped while driving without a license the driver will be cited for driving without the interlock unless the automobile has an operating device in place. 

AB 99/SB 72: This bill creates a mandatory minimum for fifth and sixth offenses. Under current law, a person who commits a fifth or sixth OWI offense is guilty of a Class G felony and may be fined up to $25,000, imprisoned for up to ten years, or both. Under current law, a person who commits a fifth or sixth OWI offense must be fined at least $600 and imprisoned for at least six months. Under this bill, for a fifth or sixth OWI offense, a sentencing court is required to impose a sentence of at least 18 months confined in prison.

Unveiling the New Website for the Murphy Office!

I am excited to announce the new website for my office! You can visit it by clicking here. The new website is much more user friendly, contains more resources for constituents, provides easier ways for constituents to contact me, and it contains updates about my work in the legislature more regularly than the old website.

You will also find a link to my 2017-2019 Budget Survey. Please take a moment to fill the survey out and let me know your thoughts on Governor Walker's proposed budget. Watch your mailbox, too, because you will receive the same survey in the mail soon. I welcome your comments at any point throughout the budget process, through any medium, and I hope you find the new website to be a better resource for staying in contact with me about issues of importance to you.

(Click the picture above to visit the new website)

Constituents Visiting from the 56th District

Wisconsin Dental Association

Disability Advocacy Day

Houdini Elementary School

"Like" Representative Murphy's Facebook Page

I use Facebook to update constituents more frequently on my work in Madison and the 56th Assembly District. I look forward to using this as another way to connect with constituents and encourage you to follow it and watch for regular updates.