- Podcasts
Podcasts - Videos
Videos - Policy Issues
Policy Issues - About
About
"No Real Safety Measures"
Democrats in the Wisconsin Assembly are taking a stand against a series of bills that would get tougher on crime across the state.
Republicans on Thursday approved nine pieces of legislation that would do everything from boost penalties for shooting police dogs, allow communities to impound cars that are used in reckless driving cases, and punish Milwaukee Public Schools if they do not return school resource officers to schools.
Rep. Ann Roe (D-Janesville) said Democrats don’t object to everything on that list.
“Penalizing reckless driving and those who hurt K-9 units are bipartisan issues. However, most of these bills offer no real or substantive safety measures for our communities,” Roe said Thursday.
Instead Roe wanted the Assembly to vote on the Democrats’ top priorities including "$12 million to the newly created Office of Violence Prevention," and "Establishing Red Flag gun laws and universal background checks in the state of Wisconsin."
Rep. Darrin Madison (D-Milwaukee), called the Republican proposals "false solutions."
“We know that we absolutely cannot fix our inhumane, unacceptable conditions in Wisconsin’s incarceration institutions by creating new ways to throw people into jail or prison. Wisconsin has an incarceration rate higher than nearly every other democratic nation and locks up a higher rate of Black people than every other state but one," Madison added. "That’s a clear, ongoing failure.
Madison said he hopes Gov. Evers will “fulfill his commitment” and veto the Republican legislation.
Republicans, however, called their legislation common sense, and said they voted to uphold public safety.
Rep. Alex Dallman, R-Markesan, said the public safety legislation includes protections for police dogs, and tougher punishments for reckless drivers.
“Repeat and violent criminals in Wisconsin should not be able to walk free, and communities should not be any less safe because soft-on-crime, left-wing judges continue to let criminals off with a slap on the wrist,” he said.
The package now heads to the Senate for votes there.
Interested in the content of this Article?
Reach out to the MacIver Institute to aquire more information
