Wisconsin lawmakers are introducing a bill to help alleviate the shortage of assistant district attorneys in the state.
Rep. Andre Jacque (R-De Pere) and Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) are introducing LRB-3392/2, which will add prosecutor positions in the 24 most understaffed counties in the state, according to Rep. Jacque.
The bill would provide funding for 20 additional ADA position statewide, and would begin Jan. 1, 2019. The positions would be divided as follows:
- Adams County: 0.5
- Barron County: 1
- Bayfield County: 0.5
- Brown County: 2
- Burnett County: 1
- Columbia County: 0.5
- Douglas County: 0.5
- Dunn County: 1
- Fond du Lac County: 1
- Forest County: 1
- Grant County: 0.5
- Jackson County: 0.5
- Langlade County: 1
- Lincoln County: 0.5
- Monroe County: 1
- Outagamie County: 2
- Polk County: 0.5
- Portage County: 1
- Racine County: 1
- Shawano/Menominee County: 0.5
- Washburn County: 1
- Washington County: .5
- Wood County: 1.5
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LRB 3392/1 has an estimated cost of between $607,296 and $726,398 in the upcoming biennium. according to Rep. Jacque.
"Wisconsin has fewer ADAs now than in 2003," Rep. Jacque explained. "The average ADA in Wisconsin has a caseload that far, far exceeds the statutory caseload cap in place for public defenders."
The shortage of ADAs has created major case backlogs, according to Rep. Jacque.
"[It] provides inadequate resources to prosecute emerging categories of crime of increasing complexity, such as human trafficking and internet crimes against children, identity theft and fraud schemes," said Rep. Jacque.
Rep. Jacque and Sen. Wanggaard are asking that anyone who would like to co-sponsor the bill contact them by Monday, June 26 at 5 p.m.
