Senate could vote on hit-and-run bill initially left off calendar
BY ANDREW LACOMBE, FOX 11 NEWS TUESDAY, MARCH 15TH 2016
The state Senate may end up voting Tuesday on a bill designed to close a loophole in the state's hit-and-run law, according to a spokesperson for Sen. Van Wanggaard.
Tuesday is expected to the Senate's final meeting of the year, and Assembly Bill 201 was initially left off the calendar.
Under current law, drivers who hit another occupied vehicle are required to stop. The bill by State Rep. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, would require all drivers who hit something or someone to stop and investigate what they hit.
As FOX 11 has reported, a Green Bay family has been pushing for the bill since their son was killed in a hit-and-run crash five years ago.
Jeff and Colleen Kennedy have testified in Madison about the bill. Their son John was killed when he was in his wheelchair on Velp Ave. He was hit by Mark Sperber, who was sentenced to prison. John Kennedy had taken to the street to avoid a snow-covered sidewalk.
"We just want to, hopefully, avoid someone else living through this the pain that we've lived through for the past five years. If any good can come out of John's passing, then, that's just a bonus," said Jeff Kennedy in December.
The Assembly passed the bill last month, and a Senate committee unanimously approved it last week.
Jacque says he's cautiously optimistic the bill will be passed Tuesday. Jacque says he was outraged when the bill was left off the initial calendar.
Check fox11online.com and watch tonight's FOX 11 News at Five for the latest updates.