Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill into law Monday making a fourth operating while intoxicated offense a felony, regardless of circumstances.
The bill, co-authored by state Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, and state Rep. Jim Ott, R-Mequon, is designed to crack down on drunk driving. Currently, a fourth OWI offense is only a felony if it occurs within five years of a third offense.
A fourth OWI offense now carries a penalty of up to six years in prison.
Walker praised the bill as a way of preventing drunk drivers from harming Wisconsinites.
“Our hope is this will prevent any number of deaths in the state of Wisconsin,” Walker said in a ceremony at a Capitol conference room.
The measure cleared the state Assembly 95-1 and passed the state Senate on a voice vote.
Walker also signed a number of other bills Monday, including ones that bar local governments from printing forms of ID, streamline the adoption process and shorten the redemption process on foreclosures to three to six months.
