The Assembly today along party lines sent a bill to the governor that would require prosecutors to get an OK from a judge before dismissing or amending a charge for certain crimes, such as domestic abuse, sexual assault or a crime against a child.
SB 76 passed 53-43 along party lines after lawmakers clashed over an amendment from Democrats to order the release of documents, files and records related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Before the amendment was rejected, Majority Leader Tyler August condemned Assembly Dems for the effort. The Walworth Republican said today was “one of the more embarrassing days for the Assembly minority than I’ve seen in a really, really long time.”
He suggested Assembly Dems were frustrated because Gov. Tony Evers “cut them out” of negotiations on the state budget and criticized what he called “gotcha votes.”
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Lawmakers in Washington — including some Republicans — have pushed for the release of more documents related to investigations into Epstein. Dems have also highlighted Epstein’s past ties to President Donald Trump.
Rep. Clinton Anderson, D-Beloit, said “what’s embarrassing is getting mad at us talking about holding a pedophile accountable.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Lee Snodgrass, D-Appleton, argued it would be hypocritical for Republicans to oppose the amendment after passing legislation to increase penalties for human trafficking during the floor session.
“You simply cannot vote for that and then vote down this amendment. That is a level of duplicitousness that you simply cannot justify to your constituents,” she said.
Speaker Pro Tempore Kevin Petersen, R-Waupaca, interrupted several Dems, questioning Epstein’s relevance to Wisconsin and asking them to focus their remarks on the amendment, not national issues.
The chamber also passed by voice vote SB 25, which would prohibit judges from conducting a hearing to determine if there’s probable cause to charge a law enforcement officer in an officer-involved death if a district attorney has already declined to pursue the case. The bill includes an exception for cases involving new or unused evidence. There was no debate on the measure.
The Senate has already approved the bills, which now head to Gov. Tony Evers’ desk for action.
The chamber also approved by voice vote AB 136, sending it to the Senate next. The bill would make it a Class I felony to impersonate with the intent to mislead others a peace officer, firefighter, emergency services medical practitioner or emergency medical provider.
Co-author Rep. Chuck Wichgers, R-Muskego, noted the gunman who shot and killed Minnesota lawmakers Melissa Hortman, John Hoffman and their spouses posed as a police officer to earn their trust. He cited “brazen individuals” impersonating law enforcement, including a recent incident in his district.
“This crime violates public trust, it confuses legitimate law enforcement efforts, and it often involves other serious crimes as we saw in Minnesota,” Wichgers said.
