An Eastern Wisconsin Senator is taking aim at those who vandalize historical properties.
1st District Senator Andre Jacque, along with District 37 Assemblyman William Penterman, has introduced the Preserve Our Wisconsin Legacy Act.
This measure would make it a Class I felony to damage or graffiti any structure, plaque, statue, painting, or other monument of commemorative or historical significance that is on public property or is maintained by the state or any county or municipality.
This bill came to be following the destruction of two monuments on the Wisconsin State Capitol grounds during protests three summers ago.
Those were the Han Christian Heg statue, which honors a hero who immigrated to the U.S. and became well known for his anti-slavery political views, and the Forward statue, a replica that was erected in 1996 during the celebration of the 76th anniversary of the women’s suffrage movement.
Additionally, the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial on the Capitol Square was damaged this week, which is the third time since 2017.
The duo called the measure a “common sense extension of penalties already in place for damage to church properties and cemeteries.”
