State Senator Chris Kapenga Commentary: We Need Voters to Weigh in on Bail Reform Amendment

I first ran for office because I saw problems in our state and wanted to be part of the solution for positive change. One such issue is the growing epidemic of crime in our communities.

My biggest frustration lately is seeing issues in our community, but having a Governor with whom the Legislature fundamentally disagrees on the solutions. It often feels like the wheels are spinning but we are going nowhere.

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Wisconsin Legislature Passes Key Crime Bills, Stops Evers Administration Rule on ‘Conversion Therapy’

In a busy and divisive day, the Republican-led Legislature on Wednesday passed several crime bills, a measure blocking what some say is the Evers administration’s assault on the First Amendment, and a resolution demanding the governor call an election for Secretary of State.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Wisconsin’s Bail Reform Constitutional Amendment

While all eyes are on Wisconsin’s crucial Supreme Court election, the April 4 ballot also includes an important question asking voters to amend the state’s constitution.

The constitutional amendment proposes to reform a bail system that most agree is broken, although there’s argument on how to fix it. State Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) and State Rep. Cindi Duchow (R-Delafield), authors of the legislation, offer answers to many of the most frequently asked questions surrounding their proposed amendment.

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State Senator Van Wanggaard Commentary: Milwaukee’s Criminal Justice System Failed Officer Peter Jerving and Milwaukee

Last week, following the killing of police officer Peter Jerving, local and state leaders alike called for change to stop the senseless, preventable, tragic violence in Milwaukee. And they’re right. While the causes of violence are many, solving the crisis that is the Milwaukee criminal justice system would go a long way. 

Let’s start with the front line – police officers and police policies.

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Wisconsin Bail Reform Amendment Goes to Voters

A constitutional amendment proposal to reform Wisconsin’s cash bail system is now headed to voters in April’s election. Following the Republican-controlled Senate’s approval of the measure earlier this week, the GOP-dominated Assembly on Thursday passed the resolution. 

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Wisconsin State Senate Passes Bail Reform Amendment Measure

A measure calling for a state constitutional amendment on bail reform is one step closer to going to Wisconsin voters. The Senate in session Tuesday passed the measure 23-9, sending it to the Assembly for a vote on Thursday. If the resolution passes, it will head to voters to decide in an April election that includes a Wisconsin Supreme Court race that could determine whether the court’s majority is controlled by conservatives or liberals.

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Wisconsin Republicans to Vote on Bail Reform Amendment Next Week

Republicans in Madison are moving quickly to change how bail works in Wisconsin.

A pair of lawmakers want to take the first vote next week on a Constitutional amendment that would give judges more latitude in deciding when to keep someone in jail and when to release them.

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Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers Celebrates Granting More Pardons Than ‘Any Governor in Contemporary History’

Tony Evers

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Tuesday pardoned 30 individuals that were convicted for a host of violations, including drug distribution.

With the added numbers, Evers has now released 337 convicted criminals in his first three years leading the state. 

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‘Mini-Soros’ Behind Bail Calculator That Set Alleged Waukesha Killer Free

A far-left philanthropist who has been called “mini-Soros” is allegedly behind bail reform laws across America, including the one in Waukesha County, Wisconsin that freed career criminal Darell Brooks on $1000 bail before he allegedly plowed his SUV into participants of the Waukesha Christmas Parade. 

Brooks was charged with six murders and a litany of other crimes after the attack, which also injured dozens more.

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Bail Calculation Tool Developed by Left-Wing Billionaire Philanthropist Used in Waukesha

Billionaire philanthropist John Arnold is one of the creators of a bail calculation tool used in Waukesha, Wisc., the jurisdiction that set Darrell Brooks Jr.’s bail so low that he was able to be leave jail and allegedly plow an SUV into a crowd of Christmas parade-goers, killing six people and injuring several dozen others.

Arnold and his wife, Laura, fund a range of left-leaning social and legal projects, including bail reform, abortion rights, anti-gun work, and single-payer health care. A commentary published in Investor’s Business Daily called them “the mini George Soroses” because of the notable similarities between their political-philanthropic goals and those of the notoriously left-wing philanthropist, according to legalnewswire.com.

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New Evidence in Waukesha Parade Massacre Shines Uncomfortable Light on Media, Bail-Reforming Prosecutors

In a prophecy 14 years in the making, the Milwaukee prosecutor whose office let Waukesha parade massacre defendant Darrell E. Brooks off on $1,000 bail for an earlier serious offense admitted his steadfast support for bail reform would one day have deadly consequences.

“Is there going to be an individual I divert, or I put into a treatment program, who is going to go out and kill somebody?” Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm asked in an interview with the Milwaukee-Journal-Sentinel in 2007. “You bet. Guaranteed. It’s guaranteed to happen. It does not invalidate the overall approach.”

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Democratic Cities That Enacted Bail Reform See Rise in Crime, Repeat Offenses

Democratic-run cities that have implemented bail reform have seen a rise in criminal activity amid the release of criminals with multiple offenses who went on to commit additional crimes following their releases.

Just five days before allegedly plowing a red SUV through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisc., killing six, the suspected attacker, who had a long criminal history, had been released on $1,000 bail in a case in which he was accused of running a woman over in his car. The low bail for the suspect — even the Milwaukee County DA has since acknowledged it was “inappropriately low” — has thrust bail reform back to the forefront of the national conversation.

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