Thank you for taking the time to read this week's e-update. I always strive to include information you find interesting and informative as it relates to my work in Madison and the 60th Assembly District.
My most important goal remains serving you, my constituents. Helping you find solutions to difficult problems when it seems like the state is unresponsive is the single greatest reward for my staff and me. I take constituents' input seriously and continually work hard on your behalf.
I always have your thoughts and concerns in mind when deciding whether or not to support legislation. Furthermore, I appreciate when you take time out of your schedules to contact me.
Have a great week,
This week's survey question
Currently, Wisconsin is the only state to treat first-offense OWI's as civil forfeitures. Earlier this session, legislation was introduced to make first-offense OWI's criminal offenses. This change would bring Wisconsin in line with the other 49 states.
Assembly Bill 18 would make a first-offense OWI a Class C misdemeanor with a fine of up to $300 and up to 30 days in jail. What is more, the bill contains a provision that would allow those convicted to petition the court to have their conviction reverted to a civil forfeiture if the person does not re-offend for a period of five years, thus removing the criminal conviction from their record. If the person does re-offend within the five-year period, the first offense would remain a criminal misdemeanor conviction, and the second offense would also be a criminal offense.
I do not support Assembly Bill 18 as currently written. I would be open to supporting this legislation if it included an amendment classifying a first-time OWI as a misdemeanor if the operator's BAC was in excess of 0.15.
This legislation contains a provision stating that a court may, upon petition by the individual convicted of a first OWI-related offense, vacate the person's criminal conviction and amend the record of the civil violation if he or she has not committed any OWI-related offense within five years of the initial violation. I would prefer that the record be removed, automatically, after ten years.
Personally, I am more interested in cracking down on repeat offenders, those with two or more OWI offenses, as it is clear they have a problem and pose a danger to society.
Please, take a minute to answer my one-question survey on OWI-related offenses.
Thank you to everyone who provided input regarding proof of residency requirements for voting. In total, 133 individuals responded to this week's survey.
Eighty-nine percent of respondents believed that individuals should be required to demonstrate a proof of residency when registering to vote.
Conversely, just 9 percent of respondents supported the elimination of the proof residency requirement.
Legislation
This week, the Assembly Committee on Local Government held a public hearing on Assembly Bill 256 that I coauthored with Senator Tom Tiffany (R-Hazlehurst).
Assembly Bill 256 is a technical fix to 2017 Wisconsin Act 243, which eliminated caps for Business Replacement Payments except when the condemnor is a village, city, or town. For these entities, Act 243 increased the caps to $80,000 for tenants and $100,000 for owner-occupants. Municipalities throughout the state contacted my office to inquire as to why redevelopment authorities (RDAs), community development authorities (CDAs), and counties, were not subject to these caps.
Quite simply, this bill extends the same BRP caps applicable to cities, villages, and towns, to counties. Furthermore, the bill makes BRP caps applicable to RDAs and CDAs when conducting economic development projects on behalf of cities or villages.
Town Municipal Judges
Senate Bill 94, a technical fix to Wisconsin Act 51, clarifying that the filing of an official bond for town municipal judges be optional, not obligatory, was approved unanimously by the Senate Committee on Local Government, Small Business, Tourism, and Workforce Development. The bill will now be sent to both houses of the legislature for final passage.
Testifying on behalf of the town municipal judge legislation
Election-related bills
Last week, the Senate Committee on Elections, Ethics, and Rural Affairs, approved Senate Bills 48 and 108, that I authored with Senators Dave Craig (Senate Bill 48) and Duey Stroebel (Senate Bill 108). Senate Bill 48, which was approved 3-2, allows an elector to photograph his or her marked ballot and share it on a social media platform. The bill affirms two core tenets of our republic: personal freedom and free speech.
Testifying on behalf of Senate Bill 48
Whereas, Senate Bill 108, which was approved unanimously by committee members, clarifies the process for appointing individuals to vacant city council and village board seats. The bill will now be sent to the Senate for final passage.
Testifying on behalf of Senate Bill 108
Testifying on behalf of Assembly Bill 256 before the Assembly Committee on Local Government.
60th District Events
The following are a few events that will be held, this week, in the 60th Assembly District. If you have any upcoming events that you would like included in my weekly e-update, please contact my office.
One of the best ways to date with what is happening in Madison is to sign up for the legislature's notification tracking system. This service affords you with the opportunity to track legislative activities in Madison. Upon creation of a free account, you can sign up to receive notification about specific bills of committees as well as legislative activity pertaining to a subject (i.e., health care, education, etc.).
If you have any comments regarding the subject of this E-Update, please feel free to contact me.
Rep. Rob Brooks State Capitol, Room 216 North P.O. Box 8952 Madison, WI 53708 Toll-Free (888) 534-0060 or (608) 267-2369 Rep.Rob.Brooks@legis.wi.gov| |
