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Man held in prison a year too long awarded $7,600
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A board that reviews financial claims against Wisconsin on Tuesday ordered the state's prison system to award a man $7,600 for the more than a year he spent in prison past his actual release date.
While ordering the Department of Corrections to pay Robin Gavinski for the 417 days he served beyond his actual sentence, the board also said the department should update its method of calculating sentences to avoid future lawsuits, but it did not specify how.
"I hope this is the impetus for DOC to make that change," said Tim Kiefer, Gavinski's Madison attorney. "It's unfair to have people sitting in prison when they're not supposed to be. And it undermines the trust in our legal system."
Sentences from some of Gavinski's three Dane County convictions were supposed to run alongside each other. But a DOC employee — and the employee's supervisor who double-checked the work — ran the sentences back-to-back, which added time to the sentence.
The department first discovered the error when Gavinski petitioned for early release in August 2012.
Gavinski, who is a high school dropout, originally requested more than $67,000 in the claim. The board instead awarded Gavinski $5,000 per year spent in prison, plus attorney fees in the case.
"People can ask how I feel about it. Well, a little angry but, hell, it is what it is," Gavinski said. "I got a pretty good life right now. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing. Just enjoying life. That's all I can do."
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Walker signs 62 bills into law MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Measures that ban revenge porn, restrict drone use and allow doctors to say "I'm sorry" without fear of legal liability were among the more than 60 bills Gov. Scott Walker signed into law on Tuesday.
Walker signed the 62 bills privately in his Capitol office. The Legislature completed its work for the year last week, leaving Walker with dozens of bills to either sign or veto.
Two of the measures he signed affect private schools that accept students who use taxpayer subsidies, or vouchers, to attend their district.
One bill will require those private schools to provide the state a host of data, including graduation rates and enrollment numbers, starting in the 2015 school year. That information, taken together with statewide test results, eventually will be publicly released on report cards similar to ones for public schools that began two years ago.
Conservative Republicans tried to impose sanctions on poorly performing public and private schools, but the measure couldn't find enough support to pass. The idea was roundly criticized from both private and voucher school proponents, as well as public school advocates.
Republicans vow to work on the issue this summer and try again next year.
Another measure Walker signed would require private schools that want to participate in the voucher program to meet new, tougher requirements. The new law requires voucher schools to maintain accreditation from legitimate agencies. Previous state law only required the schools to get accreditation, but not to keep it.
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Walker signs bill giving schools more flexibility MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Schools will no longer have to teach at least 180 days a year under a bill Gov. Scott Walker has signed into law.
The bill Walker signed Tuesday would allow schools to extend the length of their days to meet the required minimum number of hours schools must be teaching students every year.
But there would no longer be a requirement for schools to be open at least 180 days a year.
That would give schools flexibility to stay for longer hours, but for fewer days.
Rural schools support the change as a way of saving money by being open fewer days and avoiding higher transportation costs and other expenses.
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Walker signs bill increasing college contributions MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker has signed into law a bill that allows maximum contributions to a state college savings plan to increase based on inflation.
The bill Walker signed Tuesday also allows more people to contribute to the program.
The EdVest program currently allows parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts and uncles to make tax-deductible contributions to accounts to cover a child's college costs. The new law allows anyone, not just family members, to contribute to an account.
The new law also ties the current tax deduction for making a qualifying investment to the rate of inflation. Under previous law, qualifying contributions are eligible for a tax deduction up to $3,000 a year.
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