Madison, WI—Legislators from the 2023 Speaker’s Task Force on Human Trafficking released the following statement after reintroducing several bills recommended for passage in last year’s bipartisan final report:
“Last session, the Speaker’s Task Force on Human Trafficking sought to understand how trafficking impacts our communities and how we can more effectively combat this growing issue. We heard testimony from state agencies, DAs, local law enforcement, and nonprofit victim service providers, all of whom underscored how difficult it is to combat sex trafficking in Wisconsin,” said Jerry O’Connor (R- Fond du Lac). “As the former Chair of the Speaker’s Task Force on Human Trafficking, I am proud to join with legislators on both sides of the aisle to reintroduce a package of bills to combat this issue.”
“For years, I have worked to advance legislation protecting child victims of human trafficking. I am encouraged by the passage of several bills recommended by the Human Trafficking Task Force last session, but there is still more work to be done. Despite some progress, Wisconsin remains behind most states on the Shared Hope scorecard, with Wisconsin receiving an F grade for laws combating trafficking and protecting survivors,” said Rep. Jill Billings (D- La Crosse). “Our work with the task force was an important bipartisan effort to end the blight of human trafficking in Wisconsin. By reintroducing these bills, we can help protect survivors and make Wisconsin safer for everyone.”
“Human trafficking is a pressing issue for the State of Wisconsin across all communities, both rural and urban. Last session, I helped introduce 5 bipartisan bills to help combat trafficking and exploitation in our state, one of which was signed into law as 2023 Wisconsin Act 237,” said Rep. Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison). “As legislators, we must continue to work together to introduce and support legislation that provides aid to survivors and gives our communities and law enforcement the tools necessary to end human trafficking in our state.”
“Sex trafficking is a very real problem in Wisconsin, with reported occurrences in all 72 counties,” said Sen. André Jacque (R- New Franken). “Raising awareness by teaching our students about the dangers of sexual exploitation and human trafficking, and funding organizations assisting victims, is an important part of a comprehensive strategy to combat the spread of this activity in our state.”
Today, legislators introduced a package of bills aimed at combating human trafficking, including:
- LRB 4259 – Requiring human trafficking and sextortion prevention instruction. (Reps. O’Connor, Stubbs, Mursau, B. Jacobson, Steffen, & Sen. Jacque)
- LRB 5565 – Establishing a human trafficking victim services grant program (Reps. O’Connor, Mursau, Stubbs, & Sen. Jacque)
- LRB 5479 – Courtroom supports for and sealing the identifying information of child victims and child witnesses of human trafficking crimes. (Reps. O’Connor, Billings, & Sen. James).
- LRB 0845 – Displaying a human trafficking resource center hotline poster (Reps. Stubbs, Gundrum & Sen. Wirch)
- LRB 2290 – Sex offender registration for certain crimes (Reps. Dittrich, Tittl & Sen. Feyen)
- LRB 5616 – Civil causes of action for human trafficking and trafficking of a child (Reps. Mursau, Steffen, Stubbs, & Sen. Wanggaard).
“We must do more to protect survivors of trafficking, and I am proud to reintroduce my bill to protect the identifying information of child victims and provide them with additional courtroom support,” said Billings.
“Republicans and Democrats remain committed to working together to eliminate human trafficking in Wisconsin,” concluded O’Connor.
