MADISON, WI – Today, State Senator Jodi Habush Sinykin (D-Whitefish Bay) introduced bipartisan legislation to protect religious freedom and keep our faith communities safe. Religiously-motivated incidents are on the rise, both nationally and here in Wisconsin. The FBI has reported an increase of 78.6% in religiously-motivated hate crimes from 2021 to 2023 and, regrettably, Wisconsin’s faith communities are tracking a similar spike in incidents of threats and crimes. The bill introduced today allocates $5 million annually to create a Nonprofit Religious Security Grant Program to be administered by the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs (DMA) Division of Emergency Management.
Senator Habush Sinykin released the following statement:
“Every person in Wisconsin deserves the freedom to worship and gather in community without the fear of violence. Unfortunately, recent years have shown a concerning rise in religiously-motivated threats and incidents here in Wisconsin and nation-wide. The frequency and associated risks of these occurrences demand immediate action to keep our state’s religious communities safe.
“The religious security grants authorized under the bipartisan bill introduced today will help to ensure safe places of worship and community here in Wisconsin by supporting the expansion of security infrastructure and safety training in response to ongoing threats.
“I am especially proud to be introducing this important bill, as it represents a bipartisan effort that brings people and faith communities together and will help to ensure the safety and freedom of religious communities across Wisconsin.”
