I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to codifying criminal procedural concepts into the Juvenile Justice Code. The Juvenile Justice Code reflects its origin in the Children's Code and recognizes that children are not adults. Currently, under both the Children's Code and the Juvenile Justice Code, if a youth is in custody and the court finds that they should continue to be in custody, it may place them with a parent or other responsible person and may impose reasonable restrictions on the youth's travel, association with others or places of abode during the period of placement. For pretrial releases under the Criminal Procedure Code, courts may impose conditions reasonably necessary to secure appearance in court, protect members of the community from serious harm or prevent witness intimidation. However, unlike these current predisposition and pretrial situations, the bill would give judges the discretion to impose any reasonable restriction after a plea and through the conclusion of any fact-finding or disposition hearing. I am concerned this bill provides no criteria for a court to consider when imposing restrictions, does not require that the restriction be related to the alleged offense, lacks clarity regarding how any restrictions would be enforced, and is broad and unmoored from any justice or public safety purpose.

Our youth and criminal justice systems must be reformed using data-driven and evidence-based approaches that help keep our communities safe while improving outcomes with better cost efficiency. I share the research-based concerns expressed by the Department of Children and Families that the broad, untargeted court conditions this bill would allow at the predisposition stage may increase involvement in the youth justice system and increase the risk of reoffending.

I continue to welcome meaningful conversations with the Wisconsin State Legislature about reforming our youth and adult justice systems through evidence-based, data-driven solutions that reduce recidivism and improve public safety, bolster our justice system workforce, and ensure our communities have the resources they need to invest in public safety across our state.

Respectfully submitted,

Office of the Governor

The Honorable, the Senate:

hist195051I am vetoing Senate Bill 916 in its entirety.

This bill would establish a process that must be followed when the federal government or certain private nonprofit voluntary agencies contact or are contacted by a local government employee or officer regarding potential refugee resettlements in a local governmental unit.

Following prescribed timelines, the bill would require the chief elected official in a local governmental unit to be notified of any such contact, and this chief elected official would then be required to notify every chief elected official and clerk in any local governmental unit within 100 miles of the office of the clerk for the local governmental unit providing such notice. The governing body of each of those local governmental units must then designate a representative to participate in consultations with the federal government or private nonprofit voluntary agencies and to participate in county refugee resettlement committees. The bill further establishes a timeline and notification requirements for public hearings and committee meetings that must be held on a local and county level toward the goal of making a recommendation as to whether the local unit of government should pass a resolution regarding its position on the proposed refugee placement. The county refugee resettlement committee shall then provide each designee with guidance on the potential impacts on the local agencies and on the potential timelines for the resettlement, and each designee shall submit a written report to its local governmental unit.

I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to creating a consultation process that duplicates and unnecessarily complicates the existing federally mandated consultation process that is already in place.

Respectfully submitted,

Office of the Governor

The Honorable, the Senate:

hist195052I am vetoing Senate Bill 917 in its entirety.

This bill permits teacher preparatory programs to require between one and four semesters of student teaching (instead of only one under current law), provided the institution of higher education that offers the program awards general education credit for the second, third, and fourth full semesters. Additionally, the bill requires the Department of Public Instruction to separately report teacher preparatory program results for: (1) all students and graduates of the program; (2) students and graduates of the program who completed one semester of student teaching; and (3) students and graduates of the program who completed more than one semester of student teaching. The bill also requires the department to create a teacher apprenticeship program for students participating in a teacher preparatory program that must include between two and four semesters of in-classroom student teaching.