Two Republican legislators are continuing their quest to crack down on drunken driving, reintroducing bills Thursday that would make a first offense a crime and impose stiffer penalties on repeat offenders.

A Republican lawmaker is renewing his fight against drunken driving as the new legislative session begins with bills calling for stiffer penalties and ignition interlock requirements.

Wisconsin legislators completed their push to get tougher on drunken drivers, passing a bill early Wednesday morning that would create harsher sentences for repeat offenders through the Assembly and on to Gov. Scott Walker.

A proposal to create a mandatory minimum prison sentence for homicide by intoxicated operation of a motor vehicle would put a heavy financial burden on the state, according to reports filed by three state agencies Wednesday.

Despite plenty of compelling arguments for making first-time drunken driving offenses a crime, Wisconsin won’t be moving in that direction anytime soon, predicts defense attorney Andrew Mishlove.

State Rep. Jim Ott keeps fighting the good fight against Wisconsin's drunken driving scourge.

State lawmakers are moving closer to outlawing 'upskirting' in Wisconsin.

Some chronic drunken drivers in Wisconsin spend little time behind bars on felony charges due to lenient sentencing.

The number of attorneys serving in the Legislature is slated to bottom out again as new lawmakers prepare to be sworn in early next year.

A proposed bill would allow those who receive payments from a structured settlement to more easily transfer future payments in exchange for a lump sum.

A recent change in Wisconsin's drunken driving laws is making it harder for prosecutors to pursue criminal charges for some drunken crashes.

Following a morning of criticism about a proposed criminal code rewrite that would eliminate preliminary hearings, a Wisconsin Judicial Council committee voted to not pursue the change Tuesday.

The Wisconsin Judicial Council will discuss a proposed rewriting of the state’s criminal code during its meeting Friday.

In compromising on and even killing some proposed changes to the state’s tort laws, supporters say they have furnished proof they are not mindless puppets controlled by outside interest groups. But plans already are afoot to resurrect some of the tort proposals that did not make it through the Legislature this session.

The state Senate's public safety committee has approved a bill that would require all first-time drunken driving offenders to appear in court.

A bill that would rewrite Wisconsin’s criminal code won’t be passed during the current legislative session, though its sponsor said he will reintroduce it next year.

Republican lawmakers are trying to get rid of the unlimited liability that parents are exposed to under Wisconsin statutes if their children cause an automobile accident before turning 18.

Until 5:05 p.m. Wednesday night, state Rep. Gary Hebl thought there would be an amendment to a bill requiring the installation of devices that prevent someone convicted more than once of drunken driving from starting a car after having a drink.

Dean Collins, Brookfield’s assistant chief of police, will not enforce a number of state statutes. It’s not that he doesn’t want to, he said, but legally, he can’t.

The Assembly’s judiciary committee will hold a public hearing in Milwaukee on Friday for a bill that seeks to overhaul the state’s criminal code for the first time since 1969.

A proposal to rewrite Wisconsin’s criminal code is drawing ire from some because of a clause that would eliminate preliminary hearings in felony cases.

Democrats challenged a pair of Republican lawmakers Thursday to prove measures for tougher drunken driving penalties would actually make a difference, demanding to see statistics and data that would justify the bills' costs.

The time has come to admit we are too lax on drunken driving in Wisconsin. That admission alone, however, will do little to alleviate the problem. Action is required.

Two Republican legislators started moving a package of proposals through the state Assembly on Thursday to toughen Wisconsin's drunken driving penalties.

The state Assembly voted 60-36 Wednesday in favor of a bill that would cap at $30 million the amount of contingency fees lawyers can collect for doing state work.

Two Wisconsin tort reform proposals received approvals from a legislative judiciary committee Thursday and one more or less died.

Lawmakers are arguing a recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision warrants a change in decades-old law to prevent rises in malpractice suits filed and the practice of “defensive medicine.”

Two Republican legislators are gearing up for another try at toughening the notoriously weak drunken driving laws in Wisconsin, where pounding booze is hard-wired into the culture - and drunken driving kills scores every year.

Civil and criminal protections for individuals using deadly force to defend themselves would be increased under a bill passed Thursday by a state Assembly committee.

A late amendment forced legislators Thursday to postpone debate of a bill that would increase self-defense rights in the state.