Posted 4:16 p.m.
MADISON, Wis. -- Venues with a capacity of fewer than 500 people would be
banned from allowing the use of pyrotechnics under a bill the Wisconsin
Senate approved today in response to a deadly nightclub fire in Rhode
Island.
The Senate approved the bill on a voice vote and sent it to the
Assembly. It needs the approval of the full Legislature and Gov. Jim
Doyle to become law.
Sen. Neal Kedzie, R-Elkhorn, proposed the legislation in response to the
Feb. 20 fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick that killed 100
people. Authorities believe the blaze began after pyrotechnics from the
band Great White set foam soundproofing inside the building on fire.
Abouty 200 people were injured.
Currently, there is no state law regarding the use of pyrotechnics in
Wisconsin, and venues only have to receive local permits for their use.
Local ordinances would continue to govern the use of pyrotechnics at
larger venues. But the bill would impose various fines, from $1,000 and
up to 90 days in jail for a single violation and up to $10,000 and up to
six years in prison for a violation resulting in death.
The bill would have an exemption for the use of fireworks in an
educational display put on by a postsecondary institution.
