Assembly Republicans pushed through a slate of bills to curb perceived avenues for nations designated as foreign adversaries to influence state agencies and higher education institutions.
The six bills would limit the use and purchase of technology manufactured by “foreign adversaries” by state agencies and medical and research institutions, limit academic collaboration with some foreign colleges and universities, and create new criminal penalties for acting as an agent of certain foreign governments, among other measures.
All but one of the bills passed on a party-line vote.
All of the bills were backed by State Armor, an Austin-based think tank that has promoted similar legislation in state legislatures across the country.
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The bills largely focused on seven countries – China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Cuba, and the Venezuelan government under deposed president Nicolas Maduro – though lobbyists from State Armor have largely framed the bills as a check on Chinese influence efforts.
Republicans plugged the bills as key to bolstering state and national security.
“It protects our state, our taxpayers, our agencies, our information, our intellectual property,” said Rep. Alex Dallman, R-Markesan, on AB 662. That bill would prevent state agencies from contracting business entities “primarily domiciled, incorporated, issued or listed” in a foreign country of concern.
Democrats tied the bills to the Trump administration’s foreign policy and attacks on immigrants and questioned the motives of their colleagues across the aisle.
Speaking on AB 672, which would create a penalty enhancer for individuals “acting as an agent” of a foreign government or terrorist organization, Rep. Ryan Clancy, D-Milwaukee, condemned the bill as “terrible, racist, xenophobic legislation” and a veiled attack on immigrants and foreigners writ large.
“I find it difficult to assume the best intentions of the people slapping their names on this,” Clancy said.
Dallman said Democrats had it backwards, and added the bill was meant to protect immigrants and international students from state terror.
“This is giving protections to immigrants coming to this country from the very countries they’re fleeing from,” Dallman said.
Republicans shot down two Democratic amendments on AB 673 that would have condemned President Donald Trump for undermining public confidence in elections and calling for the release of the Epstein files.
The sole State Armor-backed bill to pick up Democratic support was AB 674, which bars insurers from covering organ transplant from a country known to have participated in forced organ harvesting, like China. That bill passed 64-33.
Also passing from that package were:
*AB 415, which would prohibit the use of software and generative AI developed by foreign adversaries on state agency devices. Rep. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, noted the bill was intended as a “more all-encompassing” version of an executive order issued by Gov. Tony Evers prohibiting certain foreign-made software;
*AB 663, which adds new restrictions on the University of Wisconsin system’s academic collaboration and research partnerships with some foreign universities and;
*AB 673, barring the use of genetic software created by foreign adversaries.
