State Senate Passes Bill That It Says Targets ‘Violent Riots’ With New Felony Penalties
But Sen. Larson says it could be used on protesters.
The Wisconsin State Senate chambers on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
The Wisconsin Senate approved legislation Wednesday to create new felony charges for people who organize or cause injuries during a riot, while also making it easier to sue those who cause property damage during those events.
GOP supporters say stronger penalties are needed amid an increase in “violent riots” since 2020. Democratic opponents say it will chill free speech.
The bill was introduced by Sen. Dan Feyen, R-Fond du Lac, who told his colleagues during a floor debate that it “draws a line between a protest and a riot.” Feyen said the right to peacefully protest will remain protected in Wisconsin, but when events turn into riots, “they leave behind lasting damage and a long, costly road to recovery” that residents and business owners have to navigate.
“That’s why this bill also seeks to ensure victims of these violent crimes are paid back for their damages done,” Feyen said. “If you break it, you buy it.”
Under the bill, neither lawmakers nor the governor would have the power to stop police from making arrests during activities that law enforcement deem a riot.
Democrats saw the bill through a different lens. Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, said it “would drive a stake through the heart of the First Amendment.”
Larson said there are already criminal penalties for assault and vandalism and, under the bill’s definition of a riot, any person in a group of 100 or 1,000 could face felony charges even if they, themselves, didn’t damage any property or cause any injuries. Larson also said police “cannot be held liable” for potential demotion if they decide “to go after protesters” and start “cracking skulls with their clubs.”
“I’m wondering what they [police] think the repercussions will be if they escalate this situation to something where they are the ones who caused the riot,” Larson said.
The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 18-14, with all Democrats in opposition.
After more than a decade, Republicans say advanced practice registered nursing bill nears finish line
Wisconsin lawmakers also passed bipartisan legislation Wednesday that would create a new license allowing nurses with advanced credentials to open independent clinics. It’s the result of a compromise reached this year, which a spokesperson for Gov. Tony Evers has said he will sign.
Getting the licenses for what are known as advanced practice registered nurses, or APRNs, has been a priority for the Wisconsin Nurses Association. Twenty-seven other states have similar legislation in place, according to the group.Gov. Tony Evers has vetoed previous versions of the APRN bill, stating licensure standards weren’t high enough. The latest bill increases the number of hours APRNs must practice under a doctor’s supervision and increases oversight requirements for nurse anesthetists working in pain management, according to bill sponsors.
Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, said the bill, which passed the state Assembly and Senate on Wednesday, will increase access to health care for people around the state, “but especially people in underserved communities.”
“I’m so pleased that finally we have a bill that is going to be signed into law,” Roys said. “Thank you.”
Sen. Patrick Testin, R-Stevens Point, joked that his colleagues were most likely “really tired of me talking about this bill, as I’ve been author for this going on three sessions now.”
“I’m proud to say and stand before you that we have an agreement and a deal, when this reaches the governor’s desk, that it’s going to become law and Wisconsin will become the 29th state that has enacted the APRN Modernization Act,” Testin said.
The Senate approved the legislation on a voice vote.
Senate approves creation of board to promote new nuclear power plants in Wisconsin
A new “State of Wisconsin Nuclear Power Summit Board” would be established under another bill that passed the Senate on Wednesday on a voice vote.
Under the legislation, the board would organize and host a nuclear power summit in Madison “to advance nuclear power and fusion energy technology and development and to showcase Wisconsin’s leadership and innovation in the nuclear industry,” according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau.
The only lawmaker to speak on the plan at Wednesday’s session was Sen. Robert Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie. He said he opposed the bill, in part, because the former Zion nuclear power plant near Kenosha County “was in constant trouble with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, so bad they had to shut it down.” Wirch said the nuclear waste generated by the facility had to be guarded for “27 years after they shut it down.”“We know about the devastation of Three Mile Island, Fukushima, Chernobyl,” Wirch said. “This is a very expensive form of energy, and when things go wrong, they turn into a disaster.”
The bill is one of several promoting nuclear power that Republicans have unveiled this year. At a public hearing on some of the plans in April, Rep. Shae Sortwell, R-Two Rivers, said “the nuclear renaissance is upon us.”
Trust between senators, Evers in short supply during senate floor session
Throughout the Senate’s floor session Wednesday, Republican and Democratic legislators argued about trust, or the lack thereof. That’s because the bulk of the bills passed by Republican senators didn’t include any funding.
Throughout the session, Democratic Sen. Jeff Smith, D-Brunswick, introduced several amendments to include specific dollar figures in bills. Repeatedly, those amendments were rejected by Republicans.
Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, warned observers that “we’re going to be doing this a lot today.” He said Republicans are stripping funding out of their bills to guard against Evers’ partial veto pen.
In particular, LeMahieu pointed to Evers’ partial veto of the state budget passed in 2023, which struck digits and a hyphen to extend temporary school funding increase by 400 years. That veto was upheld by the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s liberal majority in April.
“It’s our job, as a Legislature, to create new policy,” LeMahieu said. “And when we have a governor who’s just going to arbitrarily try to change the intent of the Legislature, we’re not going to fund that policy.
LeMahieu said it’s Republicans’ “commitment to you” that if a bill gets bipartisan support and is signed by the governor, they will pursue funding as part of the state budget process.
Sen. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, said the lack of trust stems from Republicans’ actions because Evers has signed unfunded bills on similar promises, only to see the Legislature’s budget committee sit on the money.
“We have absolutely no idea what you’re doing with the budget,” Spreitzer said. “We have no idea whether you even have 17 votes [in the Senate] for a budget. So, how in the world do you think we can vote on these bills today?”
State Senate passes bill creating new felony charges for rioters, making it easier to sue for property damage was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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