Heartbreaking loss for Pittsville lighter law

MADISON - Supporters of a law proposed by a group of local second-graders in 2009 to protect their classmates were disappointed early Friday morning when the bill failed to pass in Madison.

In June 2009, students in Londa Kuehn's second-grade class at Pittsville Elementary School read a story in their "Weekly Reader" magazine about children mistaking novelty lighters for toys and getting hurt. One of their classmates had been killed in a fire that might have been sparked by a lighter, and they wanted to make sure that didn't happen to another child.

For seven years, Pittsville Fire Chief Jerry Minor has been taking the children's message to state legislators, often accompanied by members of the class who proposed the law limiting the display and sale of toy lighters, on trips to Madison to lobby for the law. Each year, he and the students have been disappointed in their lack of success.

But bills authored by Sen. Julie Lassa, D-Stevens Point, and Rep. Scott Krug, R-Rome, started gaining momentum in the 2015-2016 legislative session and it looked like the idea started by the students, who now are high school freshmen, would finally become reality.

The Senate approved its version of the bill in January. The Assembly version of the bill didn't make it to the legislative calendar, but Krug said he had a commitment for the Senate version to come up for a vote Thursday at the end of what was expected to be the final meeting of the 2015-2016 session.

Minor said he was watching the session on the live feed provided by Wisconsin Eye. During the evening, he received several messages from representatives saying they had the votes and it would pass. Shortly after 1 a.m., Friday, the lighter bill was proposed.

"I was watching it when it died," Minor said. "I'm beyond disappointed. We were so sure this time."

Krug said he had 55 votes for the proposed law, but many of them were on the condition that it would undergo a voice vote and not a roll call vote. A roll call vote means legislators' votes are recorded. Many of the 53 Republican members of the Assembly were willing to vote in favor of the bill but not if they had to have their names on record voting in favor of it, Krug said.

The bill, which targets manufacturers and retailers, isn't very Republican-friendly, Krug said. There are 36 Democratic members of the Legislature and the bill needed a majority of the 99 members of the Assembly in order to pass.

At the last moment, Rep. Kevin Petersen, R-Waupaca, asked for a caucus, which meant Petersen wanted to talk about it, Krug said. Petersen said the only way he would agree to the vote was if it was done by roll call. Petersen's insistence on a roll call vote, which meant legislators would have their votes officially recorded, essentially killed the bill's chances.

Petersen could not be reached for comment Friday.

Minor said he doesn't understand why anyone would object to the law.

"This affects kids and firefighters, and I cannot believe who cannot support that," Minor said.

Krug said he is angry and disappointed about the failure. There is a small chance the Assembly could come back once more this session, but it is unlikely. However, Krug said he is prepared to start all over again during the next session.

"I'm so emotionally and completely committed to this thing, I'm not going to let it go," he said.

Minor said he has faced so many disappointments in the past seven years, he stopped allowing himself to get optimistic about the bill's chances of becoming a law. Yet this time, he believed the bill would make it, and he that he would be able to deliver good news to the students who asked him for help in 2009.

Despite the disappointment, he said he won't give up.

"As upsetting as this is, we're not done," Minor said.

You can contact reporter Karen Madden at 715-424-7308, karen.madden@gannettwisconsin.com or follow her on Twitter@KMadden715 .