TRUTH-IN-SENTENCING BILL ADVANCES

Senate to vote on its version amid continuing partisan wrangling

Madison -- Nearly one year after it was first proposed by the governor, a
state Senate committee advanced a truth-in-sentencing bill Monday, but
partisan wrangling over who will get credit for the popular measure
threatened final approval.

At issue in the potential gridlock over whether the Democrat- or
Republican-sponsored version of the legislation eventually becomes law is
who gets political bragging rights in an election year.

The Senate is expected to vote Thursday on its version of the measure, but
the Republican leader of the Assembly, where a similar bill was passed nine
months ago, said the Assembly is unlikely to take up that Senate bill.

"I see no reason why we should have to start this process again," said
Speaker Scott Jensen (R-Town of Brookfield), noting the overwhelming
bipartisan vote in favor of the Assembly bill. "I think it's a waste of the
Senate's time because they are eventually going to have to take up the
Assembly bill. I don't think we'll be rewarding the Senate's insolence."

The Senate Judiciary Committee Monday voted, 4-0, to advance a version of
the truth-in-sentencing measure that was introduced by Democrats. That
version does not include increased maximum sentences for felony crimes, a
provision that is part of the bill approved by the Assembly last May.

The Republican sponsors of the Assembly bill said they could not go along
with that modification of their truth-in-sentencing measure, which requires
prisoners to serve their full sentences and eliminates parole.

"That sends a pretty poor message to criminals," said Rep. Scott Walker
(R-Wauwatosa).

Jensen called the Senate bill a "watered-down version" of the Assembly
measure and said it was proof that Senate Democrats do not really support
truth in sentencing.

"They're trying to cover their butts. They don't want truth in sentencing
to pass, but they want to be able to tell their constituents they voted for
it," he said.

However, some lawmakers denied that politics had anything to do with
advancement of the Senate version of the bill.

"Let's not quibble about inside politics," said Sen. Robert Wirch
(D-Kenosha), the committee chairman. "People want truth in sentencing and
not election-year posturing."

Nevertheless, although Wirch scheduled a hearing on both the Assembly and
Senate versions of the measure Monday, he precluded the committee from
taking any action on the Assembly bill.

The Assembly bill increases the current maximum sentences for felonies by
25% to 50%. Walker said that was done to ensure that the state can impose
strict supervision on prisoners after they are released from prison.

Sen. Brian Burke (D-Milwaukee), sponsor of the Senate bill, said his
proposal would allow a special commission to review the entire state
criminal code and recommend sentencing changes.

Walker and other sponsors of the Assembly bill have endorsed the creation
of such a criminal code commission and had suggested the Senate could
establish such a commission simply by passing an amendment to the Assembly
bill.

The Senate bill also calls for additional state funding for child abuse
prevention programs. However, sponsors of the Assembly bill also agreed to
accept the funding provision as an amendment to their legislation.

Both the criminal code commission and the prevention grant funding were
included in an agreement on truth in sentencing reached between Gov. Tommy
Thompson and Attorney General Jim Doyle last year.

In his testimony before the Senate committee Monday, Doyle said the state
had made great improvements in its criminal justice system, "but the
glaring deficiency in the system is how we sentence people."

"Truth in sentencing will be a major step forward," he said.

Doyle, a Democrat, endorsed Burke's bill and urged lawmakers to set aside
partisan politics on the issue of truth in sentencing.

"This is an issue far too important for partisan wrangling," he said. "I'm
baffled that for months we've been hung up on a political credit-taking
mission that doesn't get us truth in sentencing."

Thompson's chief of staff, John Matthews, endorsed the Assembly version of
the bill and its provision to increase maximum sentences before the
commission makes its report.

"After prisoners are released, we know they're going to be watched,"
Matthews said of the extended sentences. "We cannot put real truth in
sentencing on hold waiting for some future Legislature to take up the
commission's report. It's just too critical."

Truth in sentencing was initially proposed by Gov. Tommy Thompson last
February as a major part of his 1997-'99 state budget bill.

By mutual agreement of the leaders of both houses of the Legislature, that
proposal was taken out of the budget because it dealt with a major change
in state policy and was introduced as separate legislation.