Assembly Bill 976
The testimony of a child in a criminal proceeding for a human trafficking crime. (FE)
Became law
The governor signed it on Mar 28, 2024. It's .
-
Introduced, passed
Jan 19, 2024
-
Committee, passed
Approved
-
Assembly vote, passed
Passed Feb 15, 2024
-
Senate vote, passed
Passed Mar 12, 2024
-
Governor, passed
Signed
-
Law, here now
2023 Wisconsin Act 238
Latest entry in the official record, Mar 28, 2024: “Published 3-28-2024”
Following saves it on this device. New actions show on your Following page. You can also get updates in a feed reader.
Embed this on your site
Paste this code into your page. The card shows the latest record each time it loads. Preview the card
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.
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.
Read the full summary Show less
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.
Who's behind it
37 lawmakers are its . 20 are Democrats and 17 are Republicans.
11 more lawmakers .
See all 48 names Hide the names
Authors (37)
- Scott Allen · Republican, Assembly
- Deb Andraca · Democrat, Assembly
- Samba Baldeh · Democrat, Assembly
- Mike Bare · Democrat, Assembly
- Elijah Behnke · Republican, Assembly
- Jill Billings · Democrat, Assembly
- Janel Brandtjen · Republican, Assembly
- Clint Anderson · Democrat, Assembly
- Sue Conley · Democrat, Assembly
- Dave Considine · Democrat, Assembly
- Barbara Dittrich · Republican, Assembly
- Dora Drake · Democrat, Senate
- James Edming · Republican, Assembly
- Jodi Emerson · Democrat, Assembly
- Chanz Green · Republican, Assembly
- Rick Gundrum · Republican, Assembly
- Gus Gustafson · Republican, Assembly
- Karen Hurd · Republican, Assembly
- Jimmy Anderson · Democrat, Assembly
- Alex Joers · Democrat, Assembly
- Joel Kitchens · Republican, Assembly
- Scott Krug · Republican, Assembly
- Darrin Madison · Democrat, Assembly
- Dave Maxey · Republican, Assembly
- Paul Melotik · Republican, Assembly
- Supreme Moore Omokunde · Democrat, Assembly
- Dave Murphy · Republican, Assembly
- Jeff Mursau · Republican, Assembly
- Jerry O'Connor · Republican, Assembly
- Tod Ohnstad · Democrat, Assembly
- Lori Palmeri · Democrat, Assembly
- Will Penterman · Republican, Assembly
- Melissa Ratcliff · Democrat, Senate
- Katrina Shankland · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Shelia Stubbs · Democrat, Assembly
- Lisa Subeck · Democrat, Assembly
Signed on in support (11)
- Joan Ballweg · Republican, Senate
- Amy Binsfeld · Republican, Assembly
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- Kalan Haywood · Democrat, Assembly
- Jesse James · Republican, Senate
- LaTonya Johnson · Democrat, Senate
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Lena Taylor · Democrat, Senate
- Patrick Testin · Republican, Senate
- Chuck Wichgers · Republican, Assembly
- Bob Wirch · Democrat, Senate
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
How lawmakers voted
There were 3 votes on this bill.
Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety vote to recommend it
Passed, 15 to 0 · Feb 7, 2024
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 Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Ayes 15, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page
Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety vote to recommend it
Passed, 7 to 0 · Feb 27, 2024
No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.
Official motion: “Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, Ayes 7, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page
Senate vote
Passed, 3 to 2 · Mar 11, 2024
No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.
Official motion: “Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2”. Official record · This vote on its own page
What happened
-
Mar 28, 2024
The new law was published.
-
Mar 28, 2024
The governor signed it. It became 2023 Wisconsin Act 238.
-
Mar 21, 2024
Sent to the governor.
-
Mar 12, 2024
The Senate passed it too.
-
Mar 11, 2024
“Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2” (the official wording)
-
Feb 27, 2024
The committee voted to recommend passing it, 7 to 0.
-
Feb 19, 2024
Sent to the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.
-
Feb 16, 2024
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
-
Feb 15, 2024
The Senate received it.
-
Feb 15, 2024
The Assembly passed it.
-
Feb 7, 2024
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.
-
Feb 7, 2024
The committee voted to recommend passing it, 15 to 0.
-
Jan 25, 2024
1 more representative signed on in support.
-
Jan 24, 2024
The committee held a public hearing.
-
Jan 22, 2024 to Jan 24, 2024
2 more representatives signed on in support.
-
Jan 19, 2024
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.
-
Jan 19, 2024
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- 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
- Jan 19, 2024 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety
- Jan 22, 2024 · Assembly
Representative Binsfeld added as a coauthor
- Jan 24, 2024 · Assembly
Representative Haywood added as a coauthor
- Jan 24, 2024 · Assembly
Public hearing held
- Jan 25, 2024 · Assembly
Representative Wichgers added as a coauthor
- Feb 1, 2024 · Assembly
Executive action taken
- Feb 7, 2024 · Assembly
Report passage recommended by Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Ayes 15, Noes 0
- Feb 7, 2024 · Assembly
Referred to committee on Rules
- Feb 13, 2024 · Assembly
Placed on calendar 2-15-2024 by Committee on Rules
- Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly
Read a second time
- Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly
Ordered to a third reading
- Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly
Rules suspended
- Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly
Read a third time and passed
- Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly
Ordered immediately messaged
- Feb 15, 2024 · Senate
Received from Assembly
- Feb 16, 2024 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Feb 16, 2024 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Feb 19, 2024 · Senate
Read first time and referred to committee on Judiciary and Public Safety
- Feb 27, 2024 · Senate
Executive action taken
- Feb 27, 2024 · Senate
Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, Ayes 7, Noes 0
- Feb 27, 2024 · Senate
Available for scheduling
- Mar 11, 2024 · Senate
Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2
- Mar 11, 2024 · Senate
Placed on calendar 3-12-2024 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)
- Mar 12, 2024 · Senate
Read a second time
- Mar 12, 2024 · Senate
Ordered to a third reading
- Mar 12, 2024 · Senate
Rules suspended to give bill its third reading
- Mar 12, 2024 · Senate
Read a third time and concurred in
- Mar 12, 2024 · Senate
Ordered immediately messaged
- Mar 12, 2024 · Assembly
Received from Senate concurred in
- Mar 15, 2024 · Assembly
Report correctly enrolled on 3-15-2024
- Mar 21, 2024 · Assembly
Presented to the Governor on 3-21-2024
- Mar 28, 2024 · Assembly
Report approved by the Governor on 3-27-2024. 2023 Wisconsin Act 238
- Mar 28, 2024 · Assembly
Published 3-28-2024
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