Madison, WI — Senator Eric Wimberger (R – Green Bay) issued the following statement after the signing of Assembly Bill 978, a bill he authored to establish a statewide Human Trafficking Council made up of subject matter experts from law enforcement, victim support groups, and various state agencies to assess, coordinate, and multiply anti-trafficking efforts across Wisconsin.
“While even a single instance of human trafficking is too much, trafficking has reached crisis levels in Wisconsin. One of the challenges is a lack of data on these crimes, and this council brings together experts to ensure the state is doing all we can to tackle this issue.” Said Wimberger.
“I want to thank Rep. O’Connor and the rest of the Speaker’s Taskforce on Human Trafficking for their hard work in tackling this important issue. The work of the taskforce and the legislation that was signed today are important next steps in ending human trafficking in Wisconsin.”
Assembly Bill 978, which is part of a larger package created by the Speaker’s Taskforce on Human Trafficking, gives the newly created Human Trafficking Council four years to compile an inventory of human trafficking prevention programs and maintain an online database. The Council also must assess sex trafficking activities in each county, and determine whether a county is experiencing above-average sex trafficking activities.
The governor also signed two other pieces of legislation that were passed as part of the Speakers Taskforce on Human Trafficking:
· Assembly Bill 973 mandates training on identifying for individuals employed in industries such as community-based residential facilities, hotels, and public transport.
· Assembly Bill 976 expands Wisconsin’s current law to allow any child under the age of 18 to testify via video in a human trafficking case when it is permitted by the court.
