A proposal co-authored by two local lawmakers honors the memory of a 7-year-old Manitowoc boy who died in April 2018 after suffering a pattern of cruel abuse by his designated caregiver.
First District State Senator Andre Jacque and 25th Assembly District Representative Paul Tittl’s bi-partisan measure “Ethan’s Law” cleared the Senate Committee on Human Services Children and Families on a unanimous vote late yesterday.
Ethan Hauschultz and his two siblings were placed in the home of their great uncle Timothy Hauschultz after neglect was discovered in their own home. Court records revealed that Timothy was found guilty of a felony child abuse case in 2009 among several other violent past offenses.
A plea bargain showed his conviction was reduced to disorderly conduct —a non-violent misdemeanor.
“Ethan’s Law” would prohibit Human Services Workers from placing a child with any adult who had been found guilty of abusing a child, entered a plea of “no contest” to a child abuse charge, or plea-bargained that crime down to a lesser offense.
Tina McKeever-Hauschultz and Damien Hauschultz also have been charged in Ethan’s death. Senator Jacque adds “Ethan’s senseless, preventable murder highlights the vulnerability of our children. The law needs to safeguard their welfare when the adults who are supposed to fail to do so.”
Ethan’s Law now heads to the full Senate for a vote.
