January 19, 2024 - Introduced by Representatives O’Connor, Plumer, S. Johnson, Maxey, Gundrum, Mursau, Kitchens, Callahan, Dittrich, Behnke, Edming, Schraa and Hurd, cosponsored by Senators Wimberger, Knodl and Tomczyk. Referred to Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.
AB978,,22An Act to repeal 15.257 (3) and 165.29; to amend 59.54 (29), 66.0511 (title) and 165.85 (4) (ef); and to create 15.257 (3), 59.54 (29), 66.0511 (4), 165.25 (21), 165.29, 165.85 (3m) (d), 165.85 (4) (a) 7. d. and 165.85 (4) (ef) of the statutes; relating to: creation of a Human Trafficking Council and requiring the establishment of county sex trafficking task forces. AB978,,33Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau This bill creates a Human Trafficking Council attached to the Department of Justice. Under the bill, the council consists of the following members: the secretary or a designee of the Departments of Children and Families, Public Instruction, and Transportation; the state public defender, or his or her designee; one district attorney; one chief of police; two sheriffs; four representatives of organizations that provide human trafficking victim support services; one representative of the Office of Crime Victim Services; and one representative of the Internet Crimes Against Children task forces.
The duties of the Human Trafficking Council are to compile an inventory of human trafficking prevention programs and services and maintain an online database to share information about human trafficking; review and assess the efficacy of the expenditure of state funds for human trafficking prevention; compile and analyze data about human trafficking arrests and prosecutions; assess sex trafficking activities in each county, track averages across counties, and determine whether a county is experiencing above-average sex trafficking activities; assess the regulation and oversight of facilities that provide residential care in a congregate living environment; assess the use of social media platforms for human trafficking purposes in the state and develop recommendations on how to stop, reduce, or prevent such use; develop a state strategic plan for reducing human trafficking generally; and develop various protocols and training programs relating to human trafficking.
This bill requires any county that is determined by the Human Trafficking Council to be experiencing above-average sex trafficking activities to establish a sex trafficking task force to combat sex trafficking in that county. The bill also requires each law enforcement agency in a political subdivision with a population of 10,000 or more to designate an officer to coordinate the agency’s human trafficking prevention and enforcement efforts and requires that designated officer to complete training that must be established by the Law Enforcement Standards Board relating to human trafficking prevention and enforcement.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
AB978,,44The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows: