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Madison, Wisconsin (AP) — Republicans in Wisconsin on Thursday planned to give a final push to a constitutional amendment that would make it more difficult for violent criminals to get bail out of prison.
What you need to know
- Republicans in Wisconsin were due Thursday to give a final push to a constitutional amendment that would make it harder for violent criminals to bail out of prison.
- Republican lawmakers are scrambling to chase the bill to get it in front of voters on the April 4 ballot.
- It received final approval from the state Senate on Tuesday.
- The amendment is a chance for the Republican-controlled Congress to win an early victory in the new Congress while avoiding a veto from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
Republican lawmakers are rushing the bill, which received final approval from the state Senate on Tuesday, to be put before voters on the April 4 ballot. Congress was expected to pass it without difficulty on Thursday.
The amendment is a chance for the Republican-dominated Congress to win an early victory in the new Congress while avoiding a veto from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. The proposal’s popularity among conservatives could also drive supporters to pivotal election polls that will determine the ideological dominance of state supreme courts.
State law requires Congress to approve two consecutive constitutional amendments before they can be put to the ballot for voters to ratify. The governor cannot veto constitutional amendments. Congress and the Senate will first pass the Bail Amendment in February 2022.
The proposed amendment would require judges to consider the defendant’s potential risk to public safety when setting bail. Cash bail is currently set only as a means of ensuring that the person appears in court. Democrats argue that the amendment could create further inequities in the criminal justice system by making it easier for wealthy defendants to get out of prison.
Opponents also focus on what they see as glaring problems in predicting how the law will be applied. Only applies, but state law currently provides three different definitions of what constitutes a violent crime. A judge must decide which definition to follow unless the legislator reveals which definition applies to bail.
Scott Kelly, chief of staff to Senator Van Wangard, the bill’s main sponsor, said he hopes Republicans will pass a bill clarifying definitions before the amendment is enacted. Stated.
Republican Rep. Cindi Duchow, a key congressional sponsor of the amendment, wants crimes like rape, child abuse, human trafficking and murder included in the definition, but hopes it stays out of misdemeanor crimes. said. Opponents were concerned about waiting to define its scope until the law was passed.
Supporters of the amendment have been working to get it passed since 2017. Their efforts gained momentum in 2021 after Darrell Brooks Jr. drove his SUV into the Waukesha Christmas parade, killing six people. Brooks had put $1,000 in an earlier case, just two days before his November 21st parade. Wanggaard said Tuesday that the measures were not a response to the parade killings.
Congress is also scheduled on Thursday to consider an advisory referendum that Republicans want to put on the ballot in April. They will ask voters whether they believe they should.
State law already requires unemployment benefit recipients to seek work. Republicans have also passed job application requirements to receive other welfare benefits, but those laws have been put on hold due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions by President Joe Biden’s administration.
After the Senate approved the ballot question on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Devin Lemmahue said the results, which would not change state law, would be used to support a push to require Medicaid recipients to find work. suggested that it could be done.
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