Rep. Loudenbeck Child Trafficking Bill Clears Final Legislative Hurdle
Bill Passes Assembly and Moves to Governor for Signature
Madison, WI…Representative Amy Loudenbeck (R-Clinton) announced that her legislation to combat child trafficking in Wisconsin passed the state Assembly today and is now ready for the Governor to sign into law. The bill passed by a unanimous voice vote in the state Senate earlier this week.
“Working with Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen and Senator Van Wanggaard to draft this bill was an eye-opening and sometimes heartbreaking process. Tragically, innocent Wisconsin children are victimized by this brutal form of human trafficking and child sex abuse,” said Loudenbeck.
“I commend the Legislature’s action on Senate Bill 536, a bill to strengthen Wisconsin’s human trafficking laws. This proposal will give law enforcement and prosecutors more -- and better -- tools to protect both children and adults who are caught in the web of human trafficking. It also will provide increased protections and assistance to the victims of these crimes. It is a logical and necessary extension of our efforts to protect our children and hold those who would victimize them accountable,” Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said.
Senate Bill 536 will:
· Make it a felony for a person who knowingly accesses child pornography;
· Make the statute of limitations for the commencement of a prosecution for Trafficking of a Child consistent with the statute of limitations for other serious child sex offenses;
· Expand the “rape shield” protections to victims of certain child sex crimes when they are witnesses in criminal proceedings;
· Allow for the judicial authorization of wiretaps to investigate certain child sex crimes;
· Make Crime Victim Compensation Program funds available to the victims of certain child sex crimes;
· Allow for involuntary termination of parental rights if the parent commits the offense of Trafficking of a Child against any child, not just their own children.
A copy of the legislation is available at the following link: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/related/proposals/sb536