Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session
Relating to: battery or threat to jurors and providing a penalty.
Crime and criminals — Battery Crime and criminals — Felony Judge Jury Legislature — Criminal penalties joint review committee on
- Introduced, stopped here
- Passes Assembly, not reached
- Passes Senate, not reached
- Governor signs, not reached
- Law, not reached
Unfamiliar terms? Glossary
What this bill does
Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, the crime of battery is defined as intentionally causing another person bodily harm and is a Class A misdemeanor. Under current law, if the battery is a special circumstance battery—for example, the battery is committed against an individual because of the individual’s status as a law enforcement officer, witness in a trial, or juror—the penalty is increased to a Class H felony. Under this bill, a threat or battery against a juror or a threat or battery against a family member of a juror is a Class H felony.
Current law also allows a judge, upon sentencing a person for a crime, to prohibit the person from contacting a victim of or witness to the person’s crime during any part of the person’s sentence or probation. The bill allows a judge to prohibit a person who is convicted of a crime from contacting, for any part of the person’s sentence or probation, a juror who served at any proceeding related to the person’s crime.
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.
Sponsors
Registered lobbying interests · 2
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 passage recommended by Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Ayes 13, Noes 1
Passed 13–1 May 6, 2025 official source full pageNo individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.
Full history
- Feb 17, 2025 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Sortwell, Behnke, Dittrich, Donovan, Franklin, Maxey, Murphy, Mursau, Nedweski, Novak, O'Connor, Piwowarczyk, Wichgers, Zimmerman and Subeck; cosponsored by Senators Wanggaard, Nass and Wimberger
- Feb 17, 2025 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety
- Apr 9, 2025 · Assembly
Public hearing held
- Apr 23, 2025 · Assembly
Executive action taken
- May 6, 2025 · Assembly
Report passage recommended by Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Ayes 13, Noes 1
- May 6, 2025 · Assembly
Referred to committee on Rules
- Jun 20, 2025 · Assembly
Withdrawn from Committee on Rules and referred to calendar of 6-24-2025
- Jun 24, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Stubbs added as a coauthor
- Jun 24, 2025 · Assembly
Laid on the table
- Jan 23, 2026 · Assembly
Representative Doyle added as a coauthor
- Mar 23, 2026 · Assembly
Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1