MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Momentum is building in the Wisconsin Legislature to increase penalties for drunken driving in the wake of two extensive newspaper series on problems associated with drinking in the state.

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, along with police officers and family members of drunken driving victims, have been meeting for months. They are looking at a variety of proposals to change current law. Those included making a first offense criminal instead of a misdemeanor and requiring minimum jail time for all offenses.

Similar attempts in recent years have stalled in the Legislature.

But two newspaper series by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Gannett Wisconsin Media have brought newfound attention to the state's love for drinking, and the costs associated with drunken driving.