Wisconsin Democrats Pitch Crime Legislation as Milwaukee’s Homicide Rate Sets Records

None of the Democratic plans touched on Milwaukee’s record-breaking homicide numbers in 2021. The lawmakers were also silent on the effort to change Wisconsin’s bail system.

The first and last pieces of the package of crime legislation from Democrats at the Wisconsin Capitol focus solely on money.

Democratic lawmakers on Monday unveiled a series of plans that they say will make the state safer.

“With the pieces of legislation that promote victim safety, and with the shared revenue enhancement that supports local units of government, we believe this package of bills would really help address crime in Wisconsin,” Rep. Evan Goyke, D-Milwaukee told reporters at the Capitol.

Goyke says the package of legislation comes with a roughly $100 million price tag.

The largest piece would increase state aid to cities and counties, the so-called shared revenue.

“One of the bills in this package would increase shared revenue by 2% in the first year of the biennium, and 2% in the next year. A roughly $30 million increase in shared revenue over two years, and that’s just the beginning,” Goyke explained.

The Wisconsin Democratic crime package also includes a series of new grants through the state’s Department of Justice. Those grants would largely focus on victim services and monitoring people who are out on bail.

Wisconsin Democrats also want to focus on domestic violence.

One plan would institute new reporting requirements for domestic violence suspects who are banned from having a gun, while another would spend more on the state’s Safe at Home program.

“This provides substitute addresses and mail forwarding services for victims of various forms of abuse,” Rep. Robyn Vining, D-Wauwatosa, said.

None of the Wisconsin Democratic plans touched on Milwaukee’s record-breaking homicide numbers in 2021. The lawmakers were also silent on the effort to change Wisconsin’s bail system to keep people like the Waukesha Christmas parade suspect behind bars and away from being able to commit new crimes.

Republicans at the Wisconsin Capitol are planning on voting out their package of crime legislation on Tuesday.