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Bills · 2023-2024 Regular Session

AB 976

Became law Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: the testimony of a child in a criminal proceeding for a human trafficking crime. (FE)

Court — Procedure Credit Crime and criminals Crime and criminals — Felony Data processing Witness Youth Zoo

  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

Current law provides that in any criminal prosecution, the testimony of a child

witness who is under 12 years of age, or under 16 years of age if the interest of justice

so requires, may be taken in a room other than the courtroom and simultaneously

televised in the courtroom if the court finds both of the following:

1. That the presence of the defendant during the taking of the child's testimony

will result in the child suffering serious emotional distress such that the child cannot

reasonably communicate.

2. That taking the testimony of the child in a room other than the courtroom

and simultaneously televising the testimony in the courtroom is necessary to

minimize the trauma to the child of testifying in the courtroom setting and to provide

a setting more amenable to securing the child witness's uninhibited, truthful

testimony.

This bill provides that, in a criminal prosecution for a human trafficking crime,

the testimony of a child witness who is under 18 years of age may be taken in a room

other than the courtroom and simultaneously televised in the courtroom if the court

makes those same findings.

What it would cost

Fiscal estimates filed by state agencies, as official PDFs

Sponsors

Introduced by: Allen (R) , Andraca (D) , Baldeh (D) , Bare (D) , Behnke (R) , Billings (D) , Brandtjen (R) , C. Anderson (D) , Conley (D) , Considine (D) , Dittrich (R) , Drake (D) , Edming (R) , Emerson (D) , Green (R) , Gundrum (R) , Gustafson (R) , Hurd (R) , J. Anderson (D) , Joers (D) , Kitchens (R) , Krug (R) , Madison (D) , Maxey (R) , Melotik (R) , Moore Omokunde (D) , Murphy (R) , Mursau (R) , O'Connor (R) , Ohnstad (D) , Palmeri (D) , Penterman (R) , Ratcliff (D) , Shankland (D) , Sinicki (D) , Stubbs (D) , Subeck (D)

11 cosponsors

Ballweg (R) , Binsfeld (R) , Carpenter (D) , Haywood (D) , James (R) , L. Johnson (D) , Larson (D) , Taylor (D) , Testin (R) , Wichgers (R) , Wirch (D)

Votes

Assembly: Report passage recommended by Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Ayes 15, Noes 0

Passed 15–0 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.

Senate: Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, Ayes 7, Noes 0

Passed 7–0 Feb 27, 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 Mar 11, 2024 official source full page

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

Full history

  1. Jan 19, 2024 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Billings, O'Connor, Joers, Gustafson, Maxey, Penterman, Gundrum, Conley, Krug, Brandtjen, Mursau, Kitchens, Emerson, Dittrich, C. Anderson, Sinicki, Considine, Madison, Ohnstad, Stubbs, Baldeh, J. Anderson, Behnke, Palmeri, Subeck, Murphy, Edming, Allen, Bare, Ratcliff, Melotik, Drake, Green, Moore Omokunde, Hurd, Andraca and Shankland; cosponsored by Senators James, L. Johnson, Taylor, Wirch, Ballweg, Larson, Testin and Carpenter

  2. Jan 19, 2024 · Assembly

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

  3. Jan 22, 2024 · Assembly

    Representative Binsfeld added as a coauthor

  4. Jan 24, 2024 · Assembly

    Representative Haywood added as a coauthor

  5. Jan 24, 2024 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  6. Jan 25, 2024 · Assembly

    Representative Wichgers added as a coauthor

  7. Feb 1, 2024 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  8. Feb 7, 2024 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Ayes 15, Noes 0

  9. Feb 7, 2024 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  10. Feb 13, 2024 · Assembly

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

  11. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  12. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  13. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  14. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed

  15. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  16. Feb 15, 2024 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  17. Feb 16, 2024 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  18. Feb 16, 2024 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  19. Feb 19, 2024 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Judiciary and Public Safety

  20. Feb 27, 2024 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  21. Feb 27, 2024 · Senate

    Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, Ayes 7, Noes 0

  22. Feb 27, 2024 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  23. Mar 11, 2024 · Senate

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

  24. Mar 11, 2024 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 3-12-2024 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  25. Mar 12, 2024 · Senate

    Read a second time

  26. Mar 12, 2024 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  27. Mar 12, 2024 · Senate

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  28. Mar 12, 2024 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in

  29. Mar 12, 2024 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  30. Mar 12, 2024 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  31. Mar 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled on 3-15-2024

  32. Mar 21, 2024 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 3-21-2024

  33. Mar 28, 2024 · Assembly

    Report approved by the Governor on 3-27-2024. 2023 Wisconsin Act 238

  34. Mar 28, 2024 · Assembly

    Published 3-28-2024