Senate Bill 71
Storage and processing of sexual assault kits and requiring the exercise of rule-making authority. (FE)
Became law
The governor signed it on Dec 7, 2021. It's .
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Introduced, passed
Feb 5, 2021
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Committee, passed
Approved
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Senate vote, passed
Passed Mar 16, 2021
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Assembly vote, passed
Passed Nov 11, 2021
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Governor, passed
Signed
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Law, here now
2021 Wisconsin Act 116
Latest entry in the official record, Apr 8, 2022: “Representative Doyle added as a cosponsor”
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Terms on this page
Wisconsin Act
The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.
Official term: Act. More in the glossary
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary
Author
A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.
Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary
What it does
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
Under current law, there is no statutory procedure for the collection and processing of sexual assault kits. This bill creates procedures for transmission, processing, and storage of sexual assault kits. Under the bill, a health care professional who collects a sexual assault kit must do one of the following: 1) if the victim wants to report the sexual assault to law enforcement, the health care professional must notify a law enforcement agency within 24 hours of collecting the kit; or 2) if the victim does not want to report the sexual assault to law enforcement, the health care professional must send the kit to the state crime laboratories within 72 hours for storage. Under the bill, if a law enforcement agency has received notification from a health care professional that a kit has been collected, the law enforcement agency must take possession of the kit within 72 hours, and must send the kit to the state crime laboratories for processing within 14 days. If the victim changes his or her mind about wanting to have his or her kit analyzed after it is given to a law enforcement agency but before the agency sends the kit to the state crime laboratories for processing, the agency must send the kit to the state crime laboratories for storage rather than for processing.
Under the bill, once the state crime laboratories takes possession of a sexual assault kit, it must do one of the following: 1) if it has received the kit of a person who has not consented to analysis, securely store the kit for a period of 10 years; or 2) if it has received the kit of a person who has consented to analysis, process the kit and then send it to a law enforcement agency to store the kit for a period of 50 years, or until the date of the expiration of the statute of limitations, or until the end of a term of imprisonment or probation of a person convicted in the sexual assault case, whichever is longer.
Read the full summary Show less
Under current law, local law enforcement agencies report certain crime statistics to the Department of Justice. The bill requires law enforcement agencies to provide additional data to DOJ regarding sexual assault kits collected and processed in Wisconsin in addition to the data currently being reported. The bill also requires DOJ to publish data on law enforcement agency compliance with DOJ reporting requirements.
Who's behind it
5 senators are its . 4 are Republicans and 1 is a Democrat.
22 more lawmakers .
See all 27 names Hide the names
Authors (5)
- Melissa Agard · Democrat, Senate
- Rob Cowles · Republican, Senate
- Alberta Darling · Republican, Senate
- Jerry Petrowski · Republican, Senate
- Van Wanggaard · Republican, Senate
Signed on in support (22)
- Jimmy Anderson · Democrat, Assembly
- Bowen and Shelton
- Rob Brooks · Republican, Assembly
- Marisabel Cabrera · Democrat, Assembly
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- Steve Doyle · Democrat, Assembly
- Jodi Emerson · Democrat, Assembly
- Rick Gundrum · Republican, Assembly
- André Jacque · Republican, Senate
- Samantha Kerkman · Republican, Assembly
- Joel Kitchens · Republican, Assembly
- Amy Loudenbeck · Republican, Assembly
- John Macco · Republican, Assembly
- Dave Murphy · Republican, Assembly
- Donna Rozar · Republican, Assembly
- Michael Schraa · Republican, Assembly
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
- David Steffen · Republican, Assembly
- Lisa Subeck · Democrat, Assembly
- Jeremy Thiesfeldt · Republican, Assembly
- Robyn Vining · Democrat, Assembly
- Chuck Wichgers · Republican, Assembly
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
How lawmakers voted
There was one vote on this bill.
Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety vote to recommend it
Passed, 7 to 0 · Mar 12, 2021
No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.
Official motion: “Report passage recommended by Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, Ayes 7, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page
What happened
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Mar 10, 2022 to Apr 8, 2022
2 more representatives signed on in support.
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Dec 7, 2021
The new law was published.
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Dec 7, 2021
The governor signed it. It became 2021 Wisconsin Act 116.
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Dec 2, 2021
Sent to the governor.
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Nov 11, 2021
1 more representative signed on in support.
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Nov 11, 2021
The Assembly passed it too.
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Nov 9, 2021
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Nov 9, 2021
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.
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Sep 29, 2021 to Oct 14, 2021
3 more representatives and 1 senator signed on in support.
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Mar 17, 2021
The Assembly received it.
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Mar 16, 2021
The Senate passed it.
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Mar 16, 2021
1 more senator signed on in support.
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Mar 12, 2021
The committee voted to recommend passing it, 7 to 0.
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Feb 25, 2021
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Feb 25, 2021
The committee held a public hearing.
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Feb 11, 2021
1 more representative signed on in support.
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Feb 5, 2021
Sent to the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.
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Feb 5, 2021
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Feb 5, 2021 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Cowles, Agard, Darling, Wanggaard and Petrowski; cosponsored by Representatives Steffen, Macco, Thiesfeldt, Loudenbeck, Kerkman, Brooks, Gundrum, Schraa, Rozar, Subeck, Murphy, Spreitzer, Vining and Cabrera
- Feb 5, 2021 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety
- Feb 11, 2021 · Senate
Representative Wichgers added as a cosponsor
- Feb 25, 2021 · Senate
Public hearing held
- Feb 25, 2021 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Mar 11, 2021 · Senate
Executive action taken
- Mar 12, 2021 · Senate
Report passage recommended by Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, Ayes 7, Noes 0
- Mar 12, 2021 · Senate
Available for scheduling
- Mar 12, 2021 · Senate
Placed on calendar 3-16-2021 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)
- Mar 16, 2021 · Senate
Senator Carpenter added as a coauthor
- Mar 16, 2021 · Senate
Read a second time
- Mar 16, 2021 · Senate
Ordered to a third reading
- Mar 16, 2021 · Senate
Rules suspended
- Mar 16, 2021 · Senate
Read a third time and passed
- Mar 16, 2021 · Senate
Ordered immediately messaged
- Mar 17, 2021 · Assembly
Received from Senate
- Sep 29, 2021 · Assembly
Representative Emerson added as a cosponsor
- Oct 6, 2021 · Assembly
Senator Jacque added as a coauthor
- Oct 14, 2021 · Assembly
- Nov 9, 2021 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to committee on Rules
- Nov 9, 2021 · Assembly
Placed on calendar 11-11-2021 by Committee on Rules
- Nov 9, 2021 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- Nov 11, 2021 · Assembly
Read a second time
- Nov 11, 2021 · Assembly
Ordered to a third reading
- Nov 11, 2021 · Assembly
Rules suspended
- Nov 11, 2021 · Assembly
Read a third time and concurred in
- Nov 11, 2021 · Assembly
Representative Kitchens added as a cosponsor
- Nov 11, 2021 · Assembly
Ordered immediately messaged
- Nov 12, 2021 · Senate
Received from Assembly concurred in
- Nov 16, 2021 · Senate
LRB correction
- Nov 16, 2021 · Senate
Report correctly enrolled
- Dec 2, 2021 · Senate
Presented to the Governor on 12-2-2021
- Dec 7, 2021 · Senate
Report approved by the Governor on 12-6-2021. 2021 Wisconsin Act 116
- Dec 7, 2021 · Senate
Published 12-7-2021
- Mar 10, 2022 · Senate
Representative Anderson added as a cosponsor
- Apr 8, 2022 · Senate
Representative Doyle added as a cosponsor
Terms on this page
Wisconsin Act
The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.
Official term: Act. More in the glossary
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary
Author
A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.
Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary
From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source
Wisconsin Act
The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.
Official term: Act
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote