Bills addressing reckless driving, school resource officers pass the Assembly

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- State lawmakers took additional steps Thursday to address reckless driving and the delay of placing police officers in Milwaukee schools.

Lawmakers in the Assembly overwhelmingly approved a bill that would remove the financial burden residents face when their car is stolen in a reckless driving incident.

The measure was introduced after the Milwaukee Common Council asked lawmakers to expand a 2023 law to include provisions to give police and residents more tools to tackle reckless driving.

Those include allowing law enforcement to impound cars involved in a reckless driving incident, regardless of who owns the vehicle or if the suspect has a prior offense. Car owners also would no longer have to pay fees to get their stolen vehicle back, under the proposal.

The original bill signed by Gov. Tony Evers primarily focused on repeat offenders and increased fines for those charged.

"This is merely an effort to give Milwaukee the tools they are asking for," said Rep. Bob Donovan, the Republican author of the bill. "No victim of a stolen vehicle will be forced to pay towing costs to reclaim their property."

Rep. Russel Goodwin (D-Milwaukee) said the proposal would ensure reckless drivers face "real consequences."

The bill now heads to the state Senate.

School Resource Officers

Republicans also passed legislation seeking to hold Milwaukee Public Schools and the City of Milwaukee more accountable for hiring school resource officers.

The proposal mirrors a judge's order that requires the city and MPS to split the costs for 25 officers, but it also includes financial consequences if they fail to comply.

The measure passed the Assembly along party lines 53-44.

Donovan called the bill an "insurance policy" to ensure Milwaukee follows the payment structure and number of officers. However, Democrats criticized the proposal because a deal was reached in court to comply with the law.

"This is not an insurance policy. This is Republicans beating their chest," said Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee). "SRO's are being trained and they're supposed to be in the schools within a few weeks. This is not necessary. It's already a done deal."

This week, 38 officers started receiving training by the Instructors from the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO). The city has until March 15 to comply with a judge's order to place officers in schools, or face $1,000 in daily fines.