Assembly didn’t take up Senate ‘born alive,’ wolf population bills before adjourning

Before adjourning last week, the Assembly declined to take up 17 Senate-approved bills, including legislation to set a statewide wolf population and to impose criminal penalties on doctors who fail to provide care if a baby is born alive after an abortion attempt.

Those Senate bills now have no path forward in the regular session after the Assembly adjourned without a floor vote on them.

The Assembly has previously approved “born alive” legislation similar to SB 384. Gov. Tony Evers vetoed identical bills in 2019 and 2021.

Likewise, Evers also previously vetoed legislation directing the Department of Natural Resources to set a wolf population goal if the animal is removed from the endangered species list, as proposed in SB 665. In his veto message two years ago, Evers said he objected to a numeric goal for the state’s wolf pack and opposed limiting the DNR’s ability to maintain a healthy population.

The Assembly version of those bills didn’t get a committee hearing this session.

The list of Senate-approved legislation that didn’t get a vote in the Assembly includes:

*SB 224, which proposed new statutory rights for crime victims who have provided a sexual assault kit.

*SB 394, which seeks to make it a Class I felony to damage or graffiti any structure, plaque, statue, painting or other monument of commemorative or historical significance located on public property or maintained by a state, county or municipality. The Assembly version didn’t get a public hearing in that chamber.

*And a Senate bill that would seek bids to maintain a public affairs network in the state in light of WisconsinEye’s fundraising challenges. Senators amended SB 994 to provide $585,631 in state funding for WisconsinEye over the next 12 months while the state awaits bids.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, had questioned the approach, asking why anyone would bid on something that doesn’t have revenue. 

Rep. Lindee Brill, who co-authored the bill in the Assembly, did not directly address why it didn’t receive a floor vote in a statement to WisPolitics. She also voted for an Assembly bill that sought to put $10 million into an endowment, with the interest helping to fund WisconsinEye operations.

“I voted yes on the Assembly-led Wisconsin-Eye bill because I believed it was a great short-term solution to provide transparency in the blackout environment that existed at that point,” the Sheboygan Falls Republican said. “I also think that Wisconsin citizens deserve a transparent, accountable, and fiscally responsible long-term approach to providing public access to our legislative work, which is why I sought out the opportunity to be Assembly lead on SB 994.”

The list includes SB 287, which would bar the Department of Administration and its agents from contracting for construction work or contractual services with an estimated cost of $50,000 with any employer that isn’t enrolled in eVerify and hasn’t verified the eligibility of each employee to work in the United States. The Assembly passed its version of the bill, AB 281, leaving the Senate the option of taking up that version.

Meanwhile, the Senate has more than 180 bills that cleared the Assembly that it can consider for the final floor period of the session next month. 

That list includes a bipartisan bill to allow online bets to be placed in Wisconsin as long as servers are located on tribal land. 

The Assembly passed AB 601 by voice vote, though four Republicans registered their opposition in the Assembly journal: Lindee Brill, of Sheboygan Falls; Joy Goeben, of Hobart; Adam Neylon, of Pewaukee; and Chuck Wichgers, of Muskego.

Other bills include: 

*AB 130 and 131, a compromise package to combat PFAS contamination that includes programs and requirements to address contamination, as well as shielding certain parties from liability under the state’s Spills Law. The Assembly passed the package on Friday after negotiations with stakeholders and the Department of Natural Resources on language in the bill. 

*AB 180, to bar those on food stamps from using them to purchase candy or soft drinks. The Assembly approved an amendment to address federal changes, including increasing the share of administrative costs borne by the state and additional positions to run eligibility checks of those enrolled. The Senate put its version of the bill on last week’s calendar before pulling it off; that version didn’t include the amendment the Assembly added to address the Department of Health Services’ request for the additional funds and positions.

*AB 1027, to require the Evers administration to hand over the state’s FoodShare rolls to the Trump administration. The Senate version hasn’t yet received a public hearing.

*AB 315 and AB 612, a $28.25 million package to renew the state’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program while limiting land acquisitions to just $1 million for land along the Ice Age Trail, along with $250,000 annually for acquisitions of 5 acres or less that improve access to hunting, fishing or trapping opportunities and are contiguous to land already owned by the state.

Senate leaders last week dropped a planned vote on renewing the program. 

*AB 840, to require the Public Service Commission to ensure ratepayers are insulated from new utility costs linked to data centers and any renewable energy facilities principally serving the data center are hosted on-site. The Senate version received a public hearing last week.

*And AB 923, to allow sextortion victims and the parents or representatives of a victim’s estate to sue for damages. The bill comes following the enactment of Bradyn’s Law, which criminalized sextortion. The Senate version hasn’t yet received a public hearing.