4-19-23 wi assembly passes harsher carjacking penalties

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Assembly gave final approval to a bill designating carjacking as a criminal offense and creating harsher penalties for people who use a weapon to steal a vehicle. Its passage in the Legislature on Tuesday sends the bill to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who has said he supports the measure. The Senate passed it last month on a bipartisan 23-8 vote. Evers earlier this month signed into law a Republican-sponsored bill to crack down on reckless driving. The Republican-controlled Legislature has moved quickly this year to pass stricter criminal penalties after the GOP made rising crime rates an election issue in the 2022 midterm.