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State Senator Van Wanggaard's eNewsletter 2015

Contact Senator Wanggaard:

State Senator Van Wanggaard
21st Senate District
608.266.1832

Sen.Wanggaard@legis.wi.gov

Wisconsin State Capitol
P.O. Box 7882
Madison, Wisconsin 53707-7882
Get Directions

Local Events

Racine County Breakfast
on the Farm
Lone Chestnut Farms, Burlington
June 27th, 7:00 - 11:00 am

7th Annual Dan Jam Music Festival
Johnson Park, Racine
June 27th, 2:00 - 10:00 pm

Kenosha Civic Veterans Parade
Kenosha (Route Map)
June 28th, 1:00 pm

Armenian Picnic
Johnson Park, Racine
June 28th, 10:30 am - 7:00 pm

B-Town Sounds
Echo Park, Burlington
July 9th, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

If you would like to add an event to the Local Events calendar, please send information to: Colleen.Moran@legis.wi.gov

Wanggaard Bills Signed into Law

On Wednesday, I met Governor Walker and fellow legislators at the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office where I was proud to have two of my bills relating to off-duty police officers and legal gun owners signed into law.

Senate Bill 35 eliminates Wisconsin’s outdated 48-hour waiting period for handgun purchases. This waiting period made sense when it was enacted 40 years ago when background checks were difficult and time consuming. Today, we can search dozens of data points nationwide with the click of a button, making the 48-hour waiting period a needless obstacle for legal gun owners in the modern age.

Senate Bill 70 corrects an oversight in Wisconsin law to restore qualified retired and off-duty law enforcement officers' ability to carry concealed weapons in school zones. Off-duty and retired police officers are certified every year and committed to public safety. Correcting this oversight in our concealed carry law will eliminate an unnecessary hurdle for law enforcement and provide an additional level of safety to our schools.

Both bills passed the legislature with bipartisan support and the new laws took effect today.

Preventing Drunk Driving

On average, Wisconsin has over 33,000 OWI arrests each year, 5,000 alcohol related crashes resulting in 200 fatalities and 3,000 injuries. Wisconsin has the highest rate of drunk driving in the nation, with one person killed or injured in an alcohol-related crash every 2.8 hours on our roadways. We have many things to be proud of in our great state, but these statistics are not what we want to be known for.

One way to crack down on drunk driving is with the use of ignition interlock devices, which can reduce recidivism by 50-90%. However, IIDs are useless if offenders neglect to install them, and less than half of all drunk drivers ordered to install an IID in Wisconsin since 2010 actually complied with the judge’s orders.

To address this problem, I authored Assembly Bill 266 with Representative Dave Heaton (R-Wausau). AB 266 would create incentives to install IIDs and comply with installation orders so we can increase compliance and reduce drunk driving. I am happy to say the bill has already garnered bipartisan support in the legislature as well as a wide array of law enforcement groups and other organizations dedicated to safety on the roads.

In the District

On Sunday, June 14th I had the opportunity to participate in the Concordia Lutheran School and Faith Lutheran Church of Sturtevant groundbreaking ceremony. The groundbreaking is for the expansion of their K5-8th grade school building. The expansion will allow for 75 more students over the next 2-3 years. Congratulations, Concordia!

Special Guest

I was happy to have my granddaughter, Hattie Kay, join me as my very special guest for the signing of Senate Bill 35 and Senate Bill 70 on Wednesday, June 24th. What a treat!