Madison – Last week, the Wisconsin State Assembly passed two critical bills authored by Representative Lindee Brill (R-Sheboygan Falls): Assembly Bills 957 and 958, among three others. AB 958 authorizes four new full-time positions for the Department of Justice’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and AB 957 funds them. AB 957 passed unanimously, a vote of 97-0, and AB 958 passed by voice vote without objection.
Speaking in favor of the passage of ABs 957 and 958 on the Assembly Floor, Representative Brill said:
“CyberTips are increasing exponentially. In 2015, ICAC received 1,736 tips, in 2020, they received 3,505, by the end of 2025, they had received 19,909. Behind every single one of those nearly 20,000 tips is a child.
“Let’s be clear about what this means: CyberTips aren’t just suspicious or predatory chat logs, they include some of the most horrific imagery imaginable, including child sexual abuse material. Material that is so psychologically disturbing that agents have to set their monitors to grayscale and mute the sound just to review it. And they have to review it. Every one of these CyberTips could represent a child being exploited, abused, victimized, or worse, and each one must be reviewed and investigated by the ICAC Task Force to bring the perpetrators to justice and prevent further victimization.
“Our response must match the scale of this threat. Assembly Bills 957 and 958 would do just that: empower the heroes of the Department of Justice’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to confront the rising tide of child victimization and exploitation on the internet by authorizing and funding four new full-time positions: two ICAC criminal analysts, one ICAC outreach specialist, and one ICAC digital evidence examiner.”
These bills are widely supported by law enforcement, including the Wisconsin District Attorneys’ Association, whose past president, Eric Toney (District Attorney of Fond du Lac County), spoke in favor of the bills at a joint press availability on February 17th with Representative Lindee Brill and Senator Jesse James (R-Thorp), the Senate author of the bills.
The Representative’s office is located in Room 409 North at the Wisconsin State Capitol. She may be reached at (608) 237-9127 or by email at Rep.Brill@legis.wisconsin.gov.
Representative Lindee Brill (R-Sheboygan Falls) serves the 27th Assembly District, which includes portions of Sheboygan, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Manitowoc counties.
