Representative Bob Kulp's Listening Session in Marshfield, Final Topics
Friday, February 6th, 2015 -- 12:43 PM
-Representative Bob Kulp was in our area on Monday of last week, holding listening sessions for residents to voice their concerns.During the session, the final topics discussed covered a wide range including criminalizing 1st Offense OWI's, drug testing those receiving benefits and raising the speed limit.
He said, "We're, as I understand, one of the only states left that does not have a criminal, or felony, for 1st time offense. I personally think that to criminalize them with a felony is probably not a good thing. Because, if you think about it, all of us have probably had a friend that's gone out and done that once. The data shows that if you're a one time offender; it's not the one time offenders, they typically stop after the first time. They got the message. If they didn't get the message, they'll go and offend and offend and offend and offend. And so I think bringing back some kind of very stiff penalties, maybe, on the 1st offense, a lot stiffer than we have now perhaps, but not criminalizing it. Because that stays on your record and, in my way of thinking, it's not a good way to handle it."
"I would prefer to see if you're identified as having drug use and public benefits, rather than to see the benefits immediately withheld, have them mandated to be referred to a treatment program. The issue there is the effectiveness of the treatment program."
"I do have a curiosity myself of what the cost to change the signs is. My guess is that it's several million dollars maybe more than that. I'm assuming there's a Legislative Fiscal Bureau, a fiscal sheet, saying this bill will cost X amount of dollars. There are pros and cons either way. I hear more people saying should than don't."
Representative Kulp was in Granton, Marshfield and Abbotsford.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.