Senate Approves Six Hutton Bills

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin State Senate today passed six pieces of legislation authored by Senator Rob Hutton (R–Brookfield). The slate of bills protects children, strengthens public safety and reinforces transparency and accountability over burdensome regulations.

“These bills reflect the widely shared priorities of Wisconsinites, who value protecting families and children and want accountability from their government agencies,” Hutton said. “I’m grateful that many of these bills earned strong bipartisan support and I look forward to sending them to the Governor.”

Senate Bill 243 updates Wisconsin’s Safe Haven law by extending the age at which an infant can be legally surrendered. The Safe Haven law allows a new parent to safely and anonymously surrender a newborn without penalty, but it is currently limited to babies no older than 72 hours. SB 243 extends that to 30 days, joining Wisconsin with most other states. SB 243 passed the Senate unanimously

“Safe Haven laws are proven to save lives. Extending the age to 30 days ensures parents in crisis have more time to make the right decision for their newborn baby and will save more lives,” Hutton said.

Senate Bill 275 places new requirements on statements of scope, which are reports that agencies use to justify new administrative rules. The bill requires a unique scope statement for each new rule and greater clarity on what the intent of the new rule is.

“Wisconsin is already the 13th most over-regulated state in the country. This bill simply places guardrails so the public that will ultimately foot the bill has a better idea of the true cost of what state agencies are proposing,” Hutton said.

Senate Bill 405 creates a civil cause of action for someone who was harmed by a gender-altering procedure performed on them while they were under the age of 18, allowing individuals who find themselves in this situation up to the age of 33 to bring a lawsuit against the responsible provider. SB 405 passed the Senate on a voice vote.

“This bill helps ensure that medical treatments for children are held to higher standards. SB 405 create an opportunity for justice for those who were administered a gender-altering treatment when little was known about the life-altering effects,” Hutton said.

Senate Bill 814 closes a gap in state law regarding the placement of sexually violent offenders who are being released into the community. The bill requires a county to conduct a final analysis of a residence where an offender is to be placed to ensure it is still suitable—for example, to ensure a young child has not recently moved in nearby. SB 814 passed the Senate unanimously.

“This legislation helps ensure that families have an extra degree of protection when a potentially dangerous person is being located in or near their neighborhood. I’m grateful to see this bill earn broad bipartisan support,” Hutton said.

Assembly Bill 100 designates athletic sports, teams and locker rooms in K-12 schools based on the sex of the participants and prevents biological males from using locker rooms designated for females. Assembly Bill 102 applies the same policy to sports, teams and locker rooms at public universities.

“Female athletes work hard for championships, scholarships and lifelong memories. This legislation protects fairness in competition and ensures that their private shared spaces like locker rooms remain safe spaces for them,” Hutton said.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.