Davis calls for “immediate end” to “ill-advised program” he approved

In a press release today Rep. Brett Davis calls for “immediate end” to an “ill-advised program” that he "learned" about today ... and just happened to vote for in 2007.

The program Rep. Davis says he recently "learned" about is the Wisconsin Department of Corrections paying for driver’s licenses or state-issued identification cards for prison inmates who are being released as part of their re-entry package so they have identification needed to apply for jobs, among other things.

Here is a quick refresher on its origins. The 2007 budget included a bipartisan Corrections package authored by Rep. Scott Suder and yours truly, which passed Joint Finance on a unanimous, bipartisan vote. It went to the Assembly floor in the budget (Act 20) where Rep. Davis was one of 23 Republicans who voted yes, putting the following into state statute:

301.286 State identification upon release from prison.

Before an individual is released from prison upon completion of
his or her sentence or to parole or extended supervision, the
department shall determine if the individual has an operator’s
license or a state identification card under ch. 343. If the individual
has neither, the department shall assist the individual in applying
for a state identification card under s. 343.50. The department
shall determine if the individual is able to pay all or a portion of
the fee under s. 343.50 (5) from the individual’s general fund
account. The department shall pay any portion of the fee the individual
is unable to pay from the individual’s general fund account.
History: 2007 a. 20.