Madison, WI – The State Senate passed Assembly Bill (AB) 28 today, authored by Senator Howard Marklein, which provides protective status to employees in county jails with unanimous, bi-partisan support. The bill now moves to Governor Tony Evers for signature.
“I am proud to lead this bill that gives our county jailers the option of becoming classified as a protective status position. This status allows them to receive duty disability insurance and early retirement because of the nature of their jobs. County jailers often face difficult, dangerous situations in a high stress environment. I firmly believe that they should be eligible for these benefits if they so choose,” Marklein said.
AB 28 allows county jailers to elect to pay the additional costs of protective status classification including both the employer’s additional Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) contribution and duty disability costs. There is no increased cost to the county taxpayer when a county jailer chooses these benefits. The bill also allows jailers to opt-out of protective status if they do not want to assume these costs.
“I partnered with the Badger State Sheriff’s Association and the Wisconsin Counties Association to craft this bill. The Wisconsin Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs Association has also added their support to our work,” Marklein said. “I am proud to support law enforcement and to champion our hard-working county jailers by offering this option to them.”
AB 28 passed the State Assembly on March 14, 2023 96-0. It passed the Senate today, March 22, 2023 31-0.
