Madison, WI – Today, State Senator Jesse James (R-Thorp) had multiple legislative initiatives pass the Senate floor with bipartisan support. The bills focused on protecting our Wisconsin children and promoting changes to the state’s mental health system that would benefit those seeking or receiving treatment. Assembly Bill 388 creates the legislative framework for the $10 million set aside in this year’s state budget for Rogers Behavioral Health to establish a behavioral health hospital in Chippewa Falls.    

“I am incredibly excited that we are almost to the finish line and one step closer to bringing more mental health services to the Chippewa Valley. With this new hospital, adults will have more options available for treatment, and we will finally have dedicated youth mental health beds back in our region. This bill passing today is the result of bipartisan compromise, and I am thankful for all who were involved in making this happen.”

Additionally, the Senate passed Assembly Bill 201, which addresses the rising crime of sexual extortion, or ‘sextortion.’ In most of these cases, adults will coerce kids and teenagers into sending explicit images of themselves online, and once they do, they then blackmail these kids by threatening to release the images unless they pay a fee or provide some other service in return. This year, two parents in central Wisconsin lost their son, Bradyn, to suicide as a result of this crime.

“These criminals are targeting our children and have no remorse for the consequences of their actions. Kids should never feel like they are backed into a corner and have no way out. Establishing these penalties creates an enforcement mechanism for this serious offense.” Senator James added.

The other legislation  Senator James authored that passed during today’s floor session include Assembly Bill 153, which makes changes to the income change notification  process for child support payments, Assembly Bill 273, which adds the  chairperson of the Physician Assistant Affiliated Credentialing Board to the Controlled  Substances Board, and Senate Bill 309, which protects 911 dispatchers with  civil immunity for transferring a mental health crisis call to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline. All of these bills have passed both chambers of the Legislature and are on the way to the Governor’s desk for his signature.