Global Courant 2023-05-11 03:27:27
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed a pair of bipartisan bills Friday that would increase penalties for carjacking and reckless driving.
The bills come as part of a Republican-backed effort to crack down on dangerous driving across the state, but especially in Milwaukee, where Mayor Cavalier Johnson has called rising rates of reckless driving a crisis. Evers signed the law in a church in Milwaukee.
CARJACKING CRACKDOWN BILL INDICATES WISCONSIN LAW
The first bill classifies carjacking as a formal crime. Until now, someone who uses or threatens to use force to steal a vehicle can be prosecuted for operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent.
Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed into law two bills on Friday that would impose tougher legal penalties on car thieves and reckless drivers. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
The bill increases the maximum sentence from 40 years in prison to 60 years. Anyone who forcibly steals a car without using a weapon still faces a 15-year prison sentence.
WISCONSIN GOV. EVERS SIGNS GOP-DEEMED REKLESS DRIVING INTO ATTACHMENT LAW
The other bill doubles fines and forfeitures for reckless driving. The range will increase to a maximum of $400 for a first offense to $1,000 for a subsequent offense. The maximum fine for reckless driving that causes bodily injury is increased to $4,000. Reckless drivers who cause grievous bodily harm face up to six years in prison, up from the current maximum of three and a half years.
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Evers signed another bill in April that would allow local governments to seize vehicles belonging to unsafe drivers.
