Assembly Speaker Doesn’t Support Criminalizing 1st-Offense Drunken Driving

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says he doesn’t want to fill up Wisconsin jails with people who make a simple mistake.  The Republican legislative leader says he doesn’t support criminalizing a first offense of drunken driving.  Among the 50 states, Wisconsin is the only one where a first offense is a civil violation rather than a crime.  Vos says we need to focus efforts on repeat offenders.  The Assembly passed two bills Thursday that would stiffen drunken driving penalties.  One would require anyone arrested for a first offense to make a court appearance.