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Bills · 2023-2024 Regular Session

AB 556

Became law Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: expediting criminal proceedings when a victim or witness is an elder person and preserving the testimony of a crime victim or witness who is an elder person.

Court — Procedure Credit Crime victim District attorney Juvenile court Juvenile delinquency Senior citizen Sentences and penalties Witness

  1. Introduced, completed
  2. Passes Assembly, completed
  3. Passes Senate, completed
  4. Governor signs, completed
  5. Law, completed

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill creates a requirement that a court expedite proceedings in criminal

and delinquency cases and juvenile dispositional hearings involving a victim or

witness who is an elder person. Under the bill, the court must take appropriate

action to ensure a speedy trial in order to minimize the length of time the elder person

must endure the stress of involvement in the proceedings.

This bill also creates a requirement that a court preserve certain testimony in

criminal matters involving a victim or witness who is an elder person. Under the bill,

in criminal and delinquency cases and juvenile dispositional hearings involving a

victim or witness who is an elder person, the prosecuting attorney may file a motion

to preserve the testimony of the elder person. If the prosecuting attorney files such

a motion, the court must then hold a hearing to record the testimony of the elder

person within 60 days. The bill requires the defendant to be present at the hearing

and the witness to be subject to cross-examination at the hearing. The recorded

testimony of the elder person from the hearing is admissible at later court

proceedings in the case. Under the bill, an elder person is any person who is 60 years

of age or older.

Sponsors

Introduced by: Armstrong (R) , Behnke (R) , C. Anderson (D) , Conley (D) , Dittrich (R) , Donovan (R) , Edming (R) , Gustafson (R) , Joers (D) , Kitchens (R) , Macco (R) , Maxey (R) , Michalski (R) , O'Connor (R) , Ohnstad (D) , Ortiz-Velez (D) , Petryk (R) , Sinicki (D) , Snyder (R) , Wichgers (R) , Wittke (R)

9 cosponsors

Ballweg (R) , Carpenter (D) , Hesselbein (D) , Jacobson (D) , Marklein (R) , Quinn (R) , Ratcliff (D) , Subeck (D) , Testin (R)

Votes

Assembly: Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on Judiciary, Ayes 7, Noes 0

Passed 7–0 Feb 7, 2024 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Assembly: Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Judiciary, Ayes 6, Noes 1

Passed 6–1 Feb 7, 2024 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Senate: Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2

Passed 3–2 Feb 19, 2024 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Senate: CONCURRENCE

Passed 29–3 Feb 20, 2024 official source full page

Full history

  1. Oct 26, 2023 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Macco, Wittke, C. Anderson, Armstrong, Behnke, Conley, Dittrich, Donovan, Edming, Gustafson, Joers, Kitchens, Maxey, Michalski, O'Connor, Ohnstad, Ortiz-Velez, Petryk, Snyder, Wichgers and Sinicki; cosponsored by Senators Testin, Carpenter, Ballweg, Hesselbein, Marklein and Quinn

  2. Oct 26, 2023 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Judiciary

  3. Oct 30, 2023 · Assembly

    Representative Subeck added as a coauthor

  4. Nov 3, 2023 · Assembly

    Representative Ratcliff added as a coauthor

  5. Nov 7, 2023 · Assembly

    Representative Jacobson added as a coauthor

  6. Jan 11, 2024 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  7. Jan 19, 2024 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative Macco

  8. Jan 24, 2024 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  9. Feb 7, 2024 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  10. Feb 7, 2024 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on Judiciary, Ayes 7, Noes 0

  11. Feb 7, 2024 · Assembly

    Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Judiciary, Ayes 6, Noes 1

  12. Feb 13, 2024 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 2-15-2024 by Committee on Rules

  13. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  14. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 adopted

  15. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 2 offered by Representative Macco

  16. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 2 adopted

  17. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  18. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  19. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed

  20. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  21. Feb 15, 2024 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  22. Feb 19, 2024 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Senate Organization

  23. Feb 19, 2024 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  24. Feb 19, 2024 · Senate

    Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2

  25. Feb 19, 2024 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 2-20-2024 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  26. Feb 20, 2024 · Senate

    Read a second time

  27. Feb 20, 2024 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  28. Feb 20, 2024 · Senate

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  29. Feb 20, 2024 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in, Ayes 29, Noes 3

  30. Feb 20, 2024 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  31. Feb 20, 2024 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  32. Feb 26, 2024 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled on 2-26-2024

  33. Mar 21, 2024 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 3-21-2024

  34. Mar 28, 2024 · Assembly

    Report approved by the Governor on 3-27-2024. 2023 Wisconsin Act 231

  35. Mar 28, 2024 · Assembly

    Published 3-28-2024