Madison, WI – Today, The Assembly floor passed Assembly Bill 156, otherwise known as “Erin’s Law,” as well as a series of other education-related bills. Representative Rick Gundrum (R-Slinger) authored AB 156 along with Senator Jesse James (R-Thorp). The inspiration behind AB 156 comes from Erin Merryn, a child sexual abuse survivor who has gone on to share her story and help other children from being abused by passing a law in 38 other states that requires a child sexual abuse curriculum in schools. Following passage of the bill, Rep. Gundrum released the following statement:
“I am glad to see AB 156 pass the Assembly, where it will now move to the Senate for a final vote before making its way to Governor Evers’ desk. I am thankful to Erin for sharing her story and helping to get this bill passed in Wisconsin. I was appalled by the recent news story that State Superintendent Jill Underly allegedly shielded more than 200 investigations into sexual misconduct by public school teachers. AB 156 will go a long way in protecting our kids.
“The sexual abuse of a child is, unfortunately, more common than people think. Recently, I read a daunting statistic: at least one in four girls and one in twenty boys in the U.S. experience some form of child sexual abuse. This is unacceptable, and can have both short-term and long-term effects on a child’s physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. In most cases, the child cannot even fully comprehend what is happening and what is being done to them. This is why passing Erin’s Law and getting it signed into law is necessary, so we can better equip children with the knowledge and foresight in identifying wrongdoing so that no child has to experience this type of abuse.”
The bill now goes to the State Senate for consideration.
