Chapter 301

301.12(11)(a) (a) Except as provided in par. (b), in any action to recover from a person liable under this section, the statute of limitations may be pleaded in defense.

301.12(11)(b) (b) If a person who is liable under this section is deceased, a claim may be filed against the decedent’s estate and the statute of limitations specified in s. 859.02 shall be exclusively applicable.

301.12(14) (14) 

301.12(14)(a) (a) Except as provided in pars. (b) and (c), liability of a person specified in sub. (2) or s. 301.03 (18) for care and maintenance of persons under 17 years of age in residential, nonmedical facilities such as group homes, foster homes, residential care centers for children and youth, and juvenile correctional institutions is determined in accordance with the cost-based fee established under s. 301.03 (18). The department shall bill the liable person up to any amount of liability not paid by an insurer under s. 632.89 (2) or (4m) or by other 3rd-party benefits, subject to rules that include formulas governing ability to pay promulgated by the department under s. 301.03 (18). Any liability of the resident not payable by any other person terminates when the resident reaches age 17, unless the liable person has prevented payment by any act or omission.

301.12(14)(b) (b) Except as provided in par. (c) and subject to par. (cm), liability of a parent specified in sub. (2) or s. 301.03 (18) for the care and maintenance of the parent’s minor child who has been placed by a court order under s. 938.183, 938.32, 938.355, or 938.357 in a residential, nonmedical facility such as a group home, foster home, residential care center for children and youth, or juvenile correctional institution shall be determined by the court by using the percentage standard established by the department of children and families under s. 49.22 (9) and by applying the percentage standard in the manner established by the department under par. (g).

301.12(14)(c) (c) Upon request by a parent, the court may modify the amount of child support payments determined under par. (b), subject to par. (cm), if, after considering the following factors, the court finds by the greater weight of the credible evidence that the use of the percentage standard is unfair to the child or to either of the parents:

301.12(14)(c)1. 1. The needs of the child.

301.12(14)(c)2. 2. The physical, mental and emotional health needs of the child, including any costs for the child’s health insurance provided by a parent.

301.12(14)(c)3. 3. The standard of living and circumstances of the parents, including the needs of each parent to support himself or herself at a level equal to or greater than that established under 42 USC 9902 (2).

301.12(14)(c)4. 4. The financial resources of the parents.

301.12(14)(c)5. 5. The earning capacity of each parent, based on each parent’s education, training and work experience and based on the availability of work in or near the parent’s community.

301.12(14)(c)6. 6. The need and capacity of the child for education, including higher education.

301.12(14)(c)7. 7. The age of the child.

301.12(14)(c)8. 8. The financial resources and the earning ability of the child.

301.12(14)(c)9. 9. The needs of any person, including dependent children other than the child, whom either parent is legally obligated to support.

301.12(14)(c)10. 10. The best interests of the child, including, but not limited to, the importance of a placement that will promote the objectives specified in s. 938.01.

301.12(14)(c)11. 11. Any other factors that the court in each case determines are relevant.

301.12(14)(cm) (cm)

301.12(14)(cm)1. 1. Except as provided in subd. 2., if a parent who is required to pay child support under par. (b) or (c) is receiving adoption assistance under s. 48.975 for the child for whom support is ordered, the amount of the child support payments determined under par. (b) or (c) may not exceed the amount of the adoption assistance payments.

301.12(14)(cm)2. 2. Subdivision 1. does not apply if, after considering the factors under par. (c) 1. to 11., the court finds by the greater weight of the credible evidence that limiting the amount of the child support payments to the amount of the adoption assistance payments is unfair to the child or to either of the parents.

301.12(14)(d) (d) If the court finds under par. (c) that use of the percentage standard is unfair to the minor child or either of the parents, the court shall state in writing or on the record the amount of support that would be required by using the percentage standard, the amount by which the court’s order deviates from that amount, the court’s reasons for finding that use of the percentage standard is unfair to the child or the parent, the court’s reasons for the amount of the modification and the basis for the modification.

301.12(14)(e) (e)

301.12(14)(e)1. 1. An order issued under s. 938.183 (4), 938.355 (2) (b) 4. or (4g) (a), 938.357 (5m) (a), or 938.363 (2) for support determined under this subsection constitutes an assignment of all commissions, earnings, salaries, wages, pension benefits, income continuation insurance benefits under s. 40.62, duty disability benefits under s. 40.65, benefits under ch. 102 or 108, and other money due or to be due in the future to the county department under s. 46.215, 46.22, or 46.23 in the county where the order was entered or to the department, depending upon the placement of the child as specified by rules promulgated under subd. 5. The assignment shall be for an amount sufficient to ensure payment under the order.

301.12(14)(e)2. 2. Except as provided in subd. 3., for each payment made under the assignment, the person from whom the payer under the order receives money shall receive an amount equal to the person’s necessary disbursements, not to exceed $3, which shall be deducted from the money to be paid to the payer.

301.12(14)(e)3. 3. Benefits under ch. 108 may be assigned and withheld only in the manner provided in s. 108.13 (4). Any order to withhold benefits under ch. 108 shall be for an amount certain. When money is to be withheld from these benefits, no fee may be deducted from the amount withheld and no fine may be levied for failure to withhold the money.

301.12(14)(e)4. 4. No employer may use an assignment under this paragraph as a basis for the denial of employment to a person, the discharge of an employee or any disciplinary action against an employee. An employer who denies employment or discharges or disciplines an employee in violation of this subdivision may be fined not more than $500 and may be required to make full restitution to the aggrieved person, including reinstatement and back pay. Except as provided in this subdivision, restitution shall be in accordance with s. 973.20. An aggrieved person may apply to the district attorney or to the department of workforce development for enforcement of this subdivision.

301.12(14)(e)5. 5. The department shall promulgate rules for the operation and implementation of assignments under this paragraph.

301.12(14)(f) (f) If the amount of the child support determined under this subsection is greater than the cost for the care and maintenance of the minor child in the residential, nonmedical facility, the assignee under par. (e) 1. shall expend or otherwise dispose of any funds that are collected in excess of the cost of such care and maintenance in a manner that the assignee determines will serve the best interests of the minor child.

301.12(14)(g) (g) For purposes of determining child support under par. (b), the department shall promulgate rules related to the application of the standard established by the department of children and families under s. 49.22 (9) to a child support obligation for the care and maintenance of a child who is placed by a court order under s. 938.183, 938.32, 938.355, or 938.357 in a residential, nonmedical facility. The rules shall take into account the needs of any person, including dependent children other than the child, whom either parent is legally obligated to support.

301.12(16) (16) The department shall delegate to county departments under ss. 46.215, 46.22 and 46.23 or the local providers of care and services meeting the standards established by the department under s. 301.08, the responsibilities vested in the department under this section for collection of fees for services other than those provided at state facilities if those county departments or providers meet the conditions considered appropriate by the department. The department may delegate to county departments under ss. 46.215, 46.22 and 46.23 the responsibilities vested in the department under this section for collection of fees for services provided at the state facilities if the necessary conditions are met.

301.12 History History: 1995 a. 27 ss. 6361, 9126 (19); 1995 a. 77; 1997 a. 237; 1999 a. 103; 2001 a. 59; 2007 a. 20, 97; 2009 a. 28, 218; 2011 a. 260; 2013 a. 334; 2015 a. 55, 373.

301.12 Annotation Sections 46.03 (18) and 46.10 do not constitute an unlawful delegation of legislative power. Klisurich v. DHSS, 98 Wis. 2d 274, 296 N.W.2d 742 (1980).

301.12 Annotation Sections 46.03 (18) and 46.10 (3) permit the department to promulgate rules that consider non-liable family members’ incomes in determining a liable family member’s ability to pay. J.G.W. v. Outagamie County Department of Social Services, 153 Wis. 2d 412, 451 N.W.2d 416 (1990).

301.12 Annotation Section 46.03 (18) (b) imposes liability upon minors and parents for the costs of services but does not give counties an automatic right of recovery. Section 46.10 governs enforcement procedure and allows courts to exercise discretion. S.E. v. Waukesha County, 159 Wis. 2d 709, 465 N.W.2d 231 (Ct. App. 1990).

301.12 Annotation The uniform fee system under ss. 46.03 (18) and 46.10 allows imputing income and, consequently, looking beyond tax returns to determine ability to pay. Daniel R.C. v. Waukesha County, 181 Wis. 2d 146, 510 N.W.2d 746 (Ct. App. 1993).

301.12 Annotation A circuit court may order parents to pay toward a child’s support when a CHIPS child is placed in residential treatment, but the court may not assess any of the facility’s education-related costs against the parents. Calumet County Department of Human Services v. Randall H., 2002 WI 126, 257 Wis. 2d 57, 653 N.W.2d 503, 01-1272.

301.12 Note NOTE: The above annotations relate to cost of care and maintenance for a person receiving services provided by predecessor agencies to the Department of Corrections under s. 46.10.

301.13 301.13 Minimum security correctional institutions. The department may establish and operate minimum security correctional institutions. The secretary may allocate and reallocate existing and future facilities as part of these institutions. The institutions are subject to s. 301.02 and are state prisons as defined in s. 302.01. Inmates from Wisconsin state prisons may be transferred to these institutions and they shall be subject to all laws pertaining to inmates of other penal institutions of the state. Officers and employees of the institutions shall be subject to the same laws as pertain to other penal institutions. Inmates shall not be received on direct commitment from the courts. In addition to the exemptions under s. 13.48 (13), construction or establishment of facilities at institutions which are community correctional residential centers initially established prior to July 2, 1983, shall not be subject to the ordinances or regulations relating to zoning, including zoning under ch. 91, of the county and municipality in which the construction or establishment takes place. The department shall establish a procedure for soliciting responses from interested communities and persons regarding potential sites for the institutions under this section, except the procedure does not apply to the 125-bed community correctional center in the city of Waupun. The department shall consider locations proposed under this procedure and may consider any other locations on its own initiative. The department need not promulgate rules regarding the site consideration procedures under this section.

301.13 History History: 1977 c. 418; 1983 a. 27; 1985 a. 29; 1987 a. 5; 1989 a. 31 s. 961; Stats. 1989 s. 301.13.

301.132 301.132 Honesty testing of sex offenders.

301.132(1) (1) In this section:

301.132(1)(a) (a) “Lie detector” has the meaning given in s. 111.37 (1) (b).

301.132(1)(b) (b) “Polygraph” has the meaning given in s. 111.37 (1) (c).

301.132(1)(c) (c) “Sex offender” means a person in the custody of the department who meets any of the criteria specified in s. 301.45 (1g).

301.132(2) (2) The department may require a sex offender to submit to a lie detector test when directed to do so by the department. The department may require submission to a lie detector test under this subsection as part of a sex offender’s correctional programming or care and treatment, as a condition of a sex offender’s probation, parole or extended supervision, or both as part of a sex offender’s correctional programming or care and treatment and as a condition of the sex offender’s probation, parole or extended supervision.

301.132(3) (3) The department shall promulgate rules establishing a lie detector test program for sex offenders. The rules shall provide for assessment of fees upon sex offenders to partially offset the costs of the program.

301.132 History History: 1995 a. 440; 1997 a. 283; 1999 a. 89.

301.132 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ss. DOC 332.015, 332.15, 332.16, 332.17, and 332.18, Wis. adm. code.

301.135 301.135 Electronic monitoring.

301.135(1) (1) The department may contract with counties to provide electronic monitoring services relating to criminal offenders. The department shall charge a fee to counties for providing these services.

301.135(2) (2) The department may charge a fee to offenders under its supervision to cover the costs associated with electronic monitoring. The department may charge a fee under this subsection or the department or the attorney general may collect under s. 301.325, but the state may not collect for the same expenses twice.

301.135(3) (3) The department may charge a fee to offenders who are confined under s. 301.046 or who are in the intensive sanctions program under s. 301.048.

301.135(4) (4) The department shall set the fees charged to offenders under subs. (2) and (3) by rule.

301.135 History History: 1989 a. 31 ss. 958, 959; Stats. 1989 s. 301.135; 1991 a. 39; 1993 a. 98; 1995 a. 27.

301.14 301.14 State-local shared correctional facilities. In cooperation with any county or group of counties, the department may contract for the establishment and operation of state-local shared correctional facilities under s. 302.45. Except as provided in s. 302.45 (4), the secretary may allocate and reallocate existing and future facilities as state-local shared correctional facilities. The shared facilities shall be institutions under s. 301.02 and shall be prisons under s. 302.01. Inmates from Wisconsin state prisons may be transferred to these facilities and, except as to any separate rules established in the contract governing a shared facility, shall be subject to all laws pertaining to inmates of other penal institutions of this state. Officers and employees of the facilities shall be subject to the same laws as pertain to other penal institutions. Inmates may not be received on direct commitment from the courts.

301.14 History History: 1983 a. 332; 1989 a. 31 s. 967; Stats. 1989 s. 301.14.

301.14 Note NOTE: 1983 Wis. Act 332, which created s. 46.053, the predecessor statute to this section, contains a prefatory note explaining the bill. See 1983 Session Laws.

301.15 301.15 Medium security prison. The department may construct a medium security prison to be known as the Fox Lake Correctional Institution on state-owned land known as prison farm 10 in Dodge County. Inmates from the Wisconsin state prisons may be transferred to this institution, and they shall be subject to all laws pertaining to inmates of other penal institutions of this state. Officers and employees of the institutions shall be subject to the same laws as pertain to other penal institutions. Inmates shall not be received on direct commitment from the courts.

301.15 History History: 1977 c. 418 s. 924 (18) (b); 1989 a. 31 s. 962; Stats. 1989 s. 301.15; 2001 a. 103.

301.16 301.16 Construction or establishment of certain institutions.

301.16(1) (1) The department shall construct or establish an adult medium/maximum security institution or an adult medium security institution or both.

301.16(1f) (1f) In addition to the institutions under sub. (1), the department may establish and operate an adult correctional institution in the town of Birch, Lincoln County, at the location that was the Lincoln Hills School and Copper Lake School.

301.16(1m) (1m) The medium security institution under sub. (1) shall be the Oshkosh Correctional Institution and shall be located north of Oshkosh, north of Snell Road and south of Sunnyview Road at the site that, on July 31, 1981, was the site of the Winnebago Correctional Farm.

301.16(1n) (1n) In addition to the institutions under sub. (1), the department shall establish a maximum security correctional institution that constitutes the prison expansion project enumerated in 1995 Wisconsin Act 27, section 9108 (1) (b), and that is located at a site selected by the building commission.

301.16(1o) (1o) 

301.16(1o)(a) (a) In addition to the institutions under sub. (1), the department shall establish a correctional institution located at the St. Bonaventure site which is located between CTH “H” on the west and 90th Street on the east in the village of Sturtevant in Racine County.

301.16(1o)(b) (b) In the selection of classified service employees of the institution specified in par. (a), the appointing authority shall, whenever possible, use the expanded certification program under rules of the director of the bureau of merit recruitment and selection in the department of administration to ensure that employees of the institution reflect the general population of either the county in which the institution is located or the most populous county contiguous to the county in which the institution is located, whichever population is greater. The director of the bureau of merit recruitment and selection in the department of administration shall provide guidelines for the administration of this selection procedure.

301.16(1q) (1q) The department shall establish probation and parole holding facilities, one of which shall be the probation and parole holding and alcohol and other drug abuse treatment facility in the city of Milwaukee, as enumerated in 1997 Wisconsin Act 27, section 9107 (1) (b) 1.

301.16(1r) (1r) In addition to the institutions under sub. (1), the department shall establish a medium security correctional institution for persons 15 years of age or over, but not more than 24 years of age, who have been placed in a state prison under s. 302.01. The medium security correctional institution under this subsection shall be known as the Racine Youthful Offender Correctional Facility and shall be located at the intersection of Albert Street and North Memorial Drive in the city of Racine. The department shall limit the number of prisoners who may be placed at the Racine Youthful Offender Correctional Facility to no more than 500 at any one time.

301.16(1s) (1s) In addition to the institutions under sub. (1), the department shall establish a medium security correctional institution that is a part of the correctional facilities enumerated in 1997 Wisconsin Act 27, section 9107 (1) (b), and that is located in Redgranite.

301.16(1t) (1t) In addition to the institutions under sub. (1), the department shall establish a medium security correctional institution that is a part of the correctional facilities enumerated in 1997 Wisconsin Act 27, section 9107 (1) (b), and that is located in New Lisbon.

301.16(1u) (1u) Notwithstanding 1995 Wisconsin Act 27, section 9126 (23) and (26v), the department shall operate the facility authorized under 1995 Wisconsin Act 27, section 9126 (26v), as a state prison.

301.16(1v) (1v) In addition to the institutions under sub. (1), the department shall establish a minimum security correctional institution in Chippewa Falls.

301.16(1w) (1w) The department shall establish one or more Type 1 juvenile correctional facilities, as enumerated in 2017 Wisconsin Act 185, section 110 (10) (a).

301.16(1ww) (1ww) In addition to the institutions under sub. (1), the department shall establish a geriatric correctional institution, as enumerated in 2017 Wisconsin Act 59, section 9104 (1) (c) 1. d.

301.16(1x) (1x) Inmates from the Wisconsin state prisons may be transferred to the institutions under this section, except that inmates may not be transferred to a Type 1 juvenile correctional facility established under sub. (1w) unless required under s. 973.013 (3m). Inmates transferred under this subsection shall be subject to all laws pertaining to inmates of other penal institutions of this state. Officers and employees of the institutions shall be subject to the same laws as pertain to other penal institutions. Inmates shall not be received on direct commitment from the courts.

301.16(2) (2) Construction or establishment of the institutions shall be in compliance with all state laws except s. 32.035 and ch. 91.

301.16(3) (3) In addition to the exemptions under s. 13.48 (13), construction or establishment of the institutions shall not be subject to the ordinances or regulations relating to zoning, including zoning under ch. 91, of the county and municipality in which the construction or establishment takes place.

301.16 History History: 1979 c. 221; 1981 c. 20, 317, 387; 1983 a. 16; 1983 a. 27 ss. 953p, 953r, 2200 (15); 1985 a. 29; 1987 a. 5; 1989 a. 31 ss. 964, 964m; Stats. 1989 s. 301.16; 1991 a. 39; 1995 a. 27; 1997 a. 27; 1999 a. 9; 2001 a. 16, 103; 2003 a. 33 ss. 2489 to 2490d, 2807, 9160; 2015 a. 55; 2017 a. 59, 185.

301.17 301.17 Minimum security corrections institutions. The department may, with the approval of the joint committee on finance, increase staffing levels at minimum security institutions sufficiently to allow temporary placement of medium security inmates at existing minimum security institutions as may be necessary to relieve medium security overcrowding. The temporary placement under this section may constitute a partial use of the institution.

301.17 History History: 1981 c. 20; 1989 a. 31 s. 973; Stats. 1989 s. 301.17.

301.18 301.18 Correctional and other institutions; expansion and establishment of facilities.

301.18(1) (1) The department of corrections shall:

301.18(1)(a) (a) Provide the facilities necessary for at least 25 additional beds at Camp Flambeau.

301.18(1)(b) (b) Provide the facilities necessary for at least 45 additional beds for a corrections drug abuse treatment program on the grounds of the Winnebago Mental Health Institute.

301.18(1)(bp) (bp) Provide the facilities necessary for not more than 400 beds at the correctional institution under s. 301.16 (1m).

301.18(1)(bw) (bw) Provide the facilities necessary for the correctional institution under s. 301.16 (1n).

301.18(1)(bx) (bx) Provide the facilities necessary for the Racine Correctional Institution.

301.18(1)(by) (by) Provide the facilities necessary for the Racine Youthful Offender Correctional Facility under s. 301.16 (1r).