Three bills penned by a local state legislator have taken their first steps towards becoming law.
The bills penned by Senator Andre Jacque, which are aimed at granting greater protections for victims of abuse, passed the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.
The first is Assembly Bill 19, which would increase penalties for crimes committed against “adults at risk.” The New Franken legislator crafted the bill with Representative Rob Kreibich of New Richmond, and with the support of the Alzheimer’s Association and the Wisconsin Nurses Association. A companion bill, Senate Bill 15, also passed the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety in March.
Meanwhile, Assembly Bill 236, which Sen. Jacque worked on with Representative Dave Murphy of Hortonville, would join 20 other states in establishing a bill of rights for sexual assault survivors. Sen. Jacque explained to SeehaferNews.com that the measure looks to “require the state to process the kits of sexual assault victims in a timely manner, and keep victims informed about the status of their kit throughout an investigation.”
Lastly, Assembly Bill 252 was crafted at the request of the Department of Defense and was a partnership with Representative Robert Brooks of Saukville. This measure aims to protect victims of domestic abuse or neglect among military family members by requiring county human and social service agencies to immediately bring cases of alleged domestic abuse against a child to the attention of the DoD. Sen.
Jacque said of all of these bills, “Protecting every Wisconsin citizen who has been victimized by criminal behavior will always be one of my top priorities, and I am encouraged to see these critical legislative proposals advance.”
