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Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

AB 237

Became law Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: the age at which an infant is covered under the safe haven law.

Children and families department of Family Indians and tribal issues Maternal and infant care

  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

Under current law, commonly referred to as the “safe haven law,” a child whom a law enforcement officer, emergency medical technician, or hospital staff member reasonably believes to be 72 hours old or younger (newborn infant) may be taken into custody under circumstances in which a parent of the newborn infant relinquishes custody of the newborn infant to the law enforcement officer, emergency medical technician, or hospital staff member and does not express an intent to return for the newborn infant or in which a parent of the newborn infant leaves the child in a newborn infant safety device installed in a supporting wall of a hospital, fire station, or law enforcement agency. Under current law, a parent who relinquishes custody of a child under the safe haven law and any person who assists the parent in that relinquishment are immune from any civil or criminal liability for any good faith act or omission in connection with the relinquishment. This bill changes the maximum age at which a newborn infant falls under the safe haven law from 72 hours old to 30 days old.

Sponsors

Introduced by: Behnke (R) , Brill (R) , Goeben (R) , Gundrum (R) , Gustafson (R) , Kitchens (R) , Knodl (R) , Kreibich (R) , Maxey (R) , Novak (R) , O'Connor (R) , Prado (D) , Wichgers (R)

6 cosponsors

Cabral-Guevara (R) , Dassler-Alfheim (D) , Hutton (R) , Kurtz (R) , Marklein (R) , Piwowarczyk (R)

Registered lobbying interests · 10

Organizations that registered lobbying activity on this bill with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Registration means interest, not a position for or against. Official record

Votes

Assembly: Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on Children and Families, Ayes 9, Noes 0

Passed 9–0 Jan 15, 2026 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 Children and Families, Ayes 9, Noes 0

Passed 9–0 Jan 15, 2026 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 10, 2026 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. May 2, 2025 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Gundrum, O'Connor, Novak, Brill, Maxey, Kreibich, Prado, Kitchens, Wichgers, Goeben, Behnke, Gustafson and Knodl; cosponsored by Senators Hutton and Cabral-Guevara

  2. May 2, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Children and Families

  3. May 21, 2025 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  4. Jun 5, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Kurtz added as a coauthor

  5. Sep 12, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Piwowarczyk added as a coauthor

  6. Nov 10, 2025 · Assembly

    Senator Marklein added as a cosponsor

  7. Jan 5, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative Gundrum

  8. Jan 14, 2026 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  9. Jan 15, 2026 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  10. Jan 15, 2026 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on Children and Families, Ayes 9, Noes 0

  11. Jan 15, 2026 · Assembly

    Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Children and Families, Ayes 9, Noes 0

  12. Feb 5, 2026 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 2-10-2026 by Committee on Rules

  13. Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  14. Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 adopted

  15. Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  16. Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  17. Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed

  18. Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  19. Feb 10, 2026 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  20. Feb 10, 2026 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Senate Organization

  21. Feb 10, 2026 · Senate

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

  22. Feb 10, 2026 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 2-11-2026 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  23. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Rules suspended and taken up

  24. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Read a second time

  25. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  26. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  27. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in

  28. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Senator Dassler-Alfheim added as a cosponsor

  29. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  30. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  31. Feb 16, 2026 · Assembly

    LRB correction (Assembly Amendment 1)

  32. Feb 16, 2026 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled on 2-16-2026

  33. Mar 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 3-12-2026

  34. Mar 16, 2026 · Assembly

    Report approved by the Governor on 3-13-2026. 2025 Wisconsin Act 94

  35. Mar 16, 2026 · Assembly

    Published 3-14-2026