AB837: Bill Text

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill creates a grant program administered by the Department of Justice to provide a signing bonus to law enforcement officers who have not previously served as a law enforcement officer in Wisconsin. Under the bill, a new recruit receives $5,000 as a signing bonus, plus an additional $1,000 per year of prior out-of-state law enforcement experience, but the bill caps the total amount of a bonus at $10,000. Under the bill, a law enforcement officer who receives a bonus through this grant program is required to complete three continuous years of employment as a law enforcement officer in this state.

The bill also provides for bonus payments to law enforcement officers. Under the bill, each person in charge of a law enforcement agency must certify to DOJ the number of full-time officers employed by the agency that will have at least one year of employment as an officer with the agency by December 31, 2022. No later than December 31, 2022, DOJ must award a grant to each agency in an amount equal to the number of officers certified by the agency multiplied by $1,000. The law enforcement agencies must then pay bonuses of $2,000 to qualifying officers as soon as practicable after receiving the grant payments from DOJ.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB837,1 Section 1. 40.02 (22) (b) 13. of the statutes is created to read:

AB837,2,3 40.02 (22) (b) 13. Payment of a signing bonus to a law enforcement officer under s. 165.985.

AB837,2 Section 2. 111.70 (4) (mc) 7. of the statutes is created to read:

AB837,2,5 111.70 (4) (mc) 7. A signing bonus provided under s. 165.985.

AB837,3 Section 3. 111.91 (2) (em) of the statutes is created to read:

AB837,2,7 111.91 (2) (em) A signing bonus provided under s. 165.985.

AB837,4 Section 4. 165.985 of the statutes is created to read:

AB837,2,10 165.985 Law enforcement officer recruitment grant program. (1) In this section:

AB837,2,11 (a) “Law enforcement agency” has the meaning given in s. 165.85 (2) (bv).

AB837,2,12 (b) “Law enforcement officer” has the meaning given in s. 165.85 (2) (c).

AB837,2,14 (2) The department of justice shall award grants to law enforcement agencies to provide signing bonuses to law enforcement officers under sub. (3).

AB837,2,17 (3) A law enforcement agency may provide a onetime signing bonus of $5,000 to a law enforcement officer who has not been previously employed as a law enforcement officer in this state.

AB837,2,20 (4) The bonus provided under sub. (3) may be increased by $1,000 per year of prior service as a law enforcement officer in another state. The total bonus may not exceed $10,000.

AB837,3,6 (5) A bonus paid under sub. (3) is contingent upon the law enforcement officer completing 3 years of service as a law enforcement officer in this state. The 3-year period may accrue in employment with subsequent employers as long as any transitional periods of unemployment do not exceed one month. If the law enforcement officer does not complete 3 years of service, he or she shall repay the bonus.

AB837,5 Section 5. Nonstatutory provisions.

AB837,3,8 (1) Law enforcement officer bonuses.

AB837,3,9 (a) In this subsection:

AB837,3,10 1. “Department” means the department of justice.

AB837,3,15 2. “Law enforcement agency” means a governmental unit of one or more persons employed full time by this state or a political subdivision or a combination of political subdivisions for the purpose of preventing and detecting crime and enforcing state laws or local ordinances, employees of which unit are authorized to make arrests for crimes while acting within the scope of their authority.

AB837,3,19 3. “Law enforcement officer” means a person employed by a law enforcement agency for the purpose of detecting and preventing crime and enforcing laws or ordinances and who is authorized to make arrests for violations of the laws or ordinances that the person is employed and sworn to enforce.

AB837,3,20 4. “Political subdivision” means a city, village, town, or county.

AB837,3,25 (b) No later than October 1, 2022, each person in charge of a law enforcement agency shall certify to the department the number of full-time law enforcement officers employed by the law enforcement agency that will have at least one year of employment as a law enforcement officer with the law enforcement agency by December 31, 2022.

AB837,4,4 (c) Upon receiving a certification under par. (b ), the department shall award a grant from the amounts allocated under sub. (2 ) to the certifying law enforcement agency in an amount equal to the number of law enforcement officers certified under par. (b) multiplied by $1,000.

AB837,4,6 (d) The department shall pay the grant amounts under par. (c) no later than December 31, 2022.

AB837,4,12 (e) 1. Each law enforcement agency shall provide a bonus of $2,000 to each full-time law enforcement officer employed by the law enforcement agency at the time of certification under par. (b ) that has at least one year of employment as a law enforcement officer with the law enforcement agency by December 31, 2022. Fifty percent of each bonus under this subd. 1 . shall be from the moneys received under par. (c).

AB837,4,14 2. Law enforcement agencies shall pay the bonus amounts under this paragraph as soon as practicable after receiving the payment under par. (c).

AB837,4,17 3. Any grant moneys received for law enforcement officers who were certified under par. (b) but did not obtain one year of employment with the law enforcement agency by December 31, 2022, shall be returned to the department.

AB837,4,22 (2) Law enforcement officer bonus funding. Of the moneys the governor accepts from the federal government under s. 16.54 pursuant to section 602 of the federal Social Security Act as amended by the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, P.L. 117-2, the governor shall allocate a sum sufficient to the department of justice for law enforcement officer bonus grants under sub. (1).

AB837,5,3 (3) Law enforcement officer recruitment grant funding. Of the moneys the governor accepts from the federal government under s. 16.54 pursuant to section 602 of the federal Social Security Act as amended by the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, P.L. 117-2, the governor shall allocate to the department of justice an amount that is equal to the amount awarded for law enforcement officer recruitment grants under s. 165.985.

AB837,5,4 (End)