Senate approves exempting some procedures from definition of abortion

The state Senate today signed off along party lines on legislation that would exempt medical procedures such as removing a dead embryo or fetus or treating an ectopic pregnancy from the definition of abortion in Wisconsin.

GOP Sen. Romaine Quinn, one of the co-authors, argued the bill was about clearing up ambiguity in state law so that women seeking life-saving treatment can get it. But Dem Sen. Kelda Roys insisted it was pure politics.

Roys, D-Madison, said Republicans have been “getting killed in elections” because of their stance on abortion and are now seeking to change the definition to shield them from the fallout of stories detailing women being denied care for a miscarriage, for example, due to a state’s abortion restrictions.

She argued changing the definition was just an effort to not “call it abortion when a woman needs an abortion.”

“Abortion is a necessary medical procedure that sometimes pregnant people need to save their lives, to preserve their health to preserve their future fertility, and nothing in this bill is going to change that,” said Roys, who’s running for guv.

Quinn, R-Birchwood, said he makes no bones about his position opposing abortion and believes that life begins at conception. Still, the co-author of SB 553 said the pro-life position has never been about criminalizing a woman seeking care in a situation like a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy.

“Intent matters,” Quinn said. “There will be a time and a place to continue the abortion debate. But that is not today.”

SB 553 includes a requirement that the physician makes reasonable efforts to save the parent and fetus from harm when performing an exempted procedure.

Dem Gov. Tony Evers has vowed to veto the bill, which next heads to the Assembly.

The Senate also approved 18-15 along party lines legislation that would reverse Evers’ veto in the 2023-25 budget that wrote into state law an annual increase in per pupil spending for the next four centuries.

The budget Republicans sent to Evers included an increase in the limit on how much districts can spend per student of $325 in 2023-24 and another $325 in 2024-25. Evers struck out numbers and a dash to make the end date 2425, giving schools an annual increase of $325 each year until then. 

SB 389 would eliminate that increase starting in the 2027-28 school year.

The per pupil limit applies to what school districts can spend between general state aids and property taxes. The 2025-27 budget didn’t include an increase in general aid, which will allow districts to raise property taxes up to the cap if they chose.

Republicans have argued the coming property tax hikes that homeowners will see on their December bills are Evers’ fault.

But Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, argued the blame lies with GOP lawmakers, who sent Evers back a budget that didn’t include a boost in state aid. He said it’s been a pattern with Republicans of underfunding schools, and they could’ve tried to change the increase in the per pupil spending limit through the budget, but didn’t.

“Instead, what happened is you decided to raise property taxes across the state, and you did it in a way that you’re forcing local school boards to make up the difference,” Larson said.

The Senate also approved:

*SB 498, which would allow the UW Board of Regents and technical college district boards to be sued for certain free speech violations. The bill also would establish due process rights for students and employees related to disciplinary and conduct violations.

If those proposed processes were violated more than once in a five-year period, it would lead to the institution’s tuition being frozen for two years. UW institutions would also face reduced funding.

The Senate signed off on the bill 17-16 as Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, joined Dems in opposition. No one spoke on the floor about the bill ahead of passage. 

A previous version of the bill passed the Assembly 62-36, but did not get a floor vote in the Senate.

*SB 532, which would restrict fees for exclusively online classes at the Universities of Wisconsin to the institution’s actual costs that would not be incurred if the student attended the course in person. The Senate signed off 18-15 along party lines.

*SB 310, which would limit local government chief executives’ emergency powers. Now, there’s no limit on how long an emergency declaration can last. The bill, authored after the COVID-19 pandemic, would limit such orders to 60 days unless the local unit’s governing body granted an extension. The legislation also would define the chief executive office who has those powers at each local level of government including mayors, county executives and village presidents. It passed via voice vote.

*SB 394, which would make it a class I felony to damage or graffiti certain historical property maintained by the state or any county or municipality. The bill includes any structure, plaque, statue, painting or other “monument of commemorative or historical significance.” It is already a class I felony to damage state-owned historical property. The Senate signed off on the legislation 18-15 along party lines.