Governor Tony Evers will sign Ethan’s Law at 3:00 this afternoon in his office.
The bill, co-authored by local legislators First District State Senator Andre Jacque of De Pere and 25th Assembly District Representative Paul Tittl of Manitowoc, will prevent children in protective care from being placed with admitted child abusers.
This legislation passed both the Senate and Assembly with unanimous bipartisan support and honors the memory of 7-year-old Ethan Hauschultz of Manitowoc who died in April 2018 after suffering a pattern of cruel abuse at a Town of Newton home.
In that home, Ethan had been lawfully placed by County workers despite a lengthy record of violence by his caregiver and great uncle Timothy Hauschultz.
He had been found guilty of felony child abuse in 2009 among several other violent past offenses but because of a plea bargain, Timothy Hauschultz’s record showed the conviction as Disorderly Conduct–a Non-Violent Misdemeanor.
Senator Jacque stated earlier “The current system failed Ethan Hauschultz and unfortunately many other children. This is just another important step forward to make sure that we’re protecting children and keeping them out of harm’s way.”
