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Bills from the 2023–24 session

Assembly Bill 78

Increased penalties for crimes against adults at risk; restraining orders for adults at risk; freezing assets of a defendant charged with financial exploitation of an adult at risk; sexual assault of an adult at risk; and providing a penalty

Stopped in committee

It had a but no committee vote, so it never came up for a vote. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Feb 28, 2023

  2. Committee, stopped here

    Stopped here. It had a hearing but no committee vote.

  3. Assembly vote, not reached

  4. Senate vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Apr 15, 2024: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

It sat with the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.

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What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Sexual assault of an Adult at risk Under this bill, any act of sexual misconduct that is currently a second degree sexual assault is a first degree sexual assault if the victim is an adult at risk. Under current law, if a person engages in any of the specified acts of sexual misconduct, he or she is guilty of a Class C felony. Under the bill, he or she is guilty of a Class B felony if the victim is an adult at risk, regardless of whether or not he or she knew the victim's status as an adult at risk.

freezing of assets Under current law, there is a procedure for a court to freeze or seize assets from a defendant who has been charged with a financial exploitation crime when the victim is an elder person. The procedure allows a court to freeze the funds, assets, or property of the defendant in an amount up to 100 percent of the alleged value of the property involved in the defendant's pending criminal proceeding for purposes of preserving the property for future payment of restitution to the crime victim.

Read the full summary

This bill allows the court to apply the same procedure to freeze or seize assets when the crime victim an adult at risk.

Physical abuse of an adult at risk Under current law, there is a set of penalties that apply to physical abuse of an elder person, which range from a Class I felony to a Class C felony depending on the severity of the conduct. This bill applies those same penalties to physical abuse of an adult at risk.

increased penalties This bill allows a term of imprisonment that is imposed for a criminal conviction to be increased in length if the crime victim was an adult at risk. Under the bill, a maximum term of imprisonment of one year or less may be increased to two years;

a maximum term of imprisonment of one to 10 years may be increased by up to four years; and a maximum term of imprisonment of more than 10 years may be increased by up to six years. Under the bill, the term of imprisonment may be lengthened irrespective of whether the defendant knew that the crime victim was an adult at risk.

restraining orders for an adult at risk Under current law, a person seeking a domestic violence, individual-at-risk, or harassment restraining order must appear in person in the courtroom at a hearing to obtain a restraining order.

This bill allows an adult at risk who is seeking a domestic violence, individual-at-risk, or harassment restraining order to appear in a court hearing by telephone or live audiovisual means.

Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime, the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a report.

Who's behind it

10 representatives are its ⁠. All 10 are Republicans.

3 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 13 names

Authors (10)

Signed on in support (3)

What happened

  1. Apr 15, 2024

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Jan 10, 2024

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  3. Mar 23, 2023

    The committee held a public hearing.

  4. Feb 28, 2023

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.

  5. Feb 28, 2023

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Feb 28, 2023 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Rettinger, Gundrum, Allen, Armstrong, Behnke, Brandtjen, Donovan, Knodl, Murphy and Wichgers; cosponsored by Senators Jacque and Carpenter

  2. Feb 28, 2023 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety

  3. Mar 23, 2023 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  4. Jan 10, 2024 · Assembly

    Representative Gustafson added as a coauthor

  5. Apr 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

Terms on this page

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

More in the glossary

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. 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

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1

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

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor