January 8, 2020 — AB 214 and AB 358 were introduced with broad bipartisan support last year and both passed the Senate in October. However these bills have still not received a public hearing in their respective committees. Time is running out on the current legislative session, leaving about eight weeks for the bills to have a public hearing and pass on the floor of the Assembly. If these bills do not pass soon,Wisconsin will have to wait until 2021 for sexual assault kit reform.
Please take the following actions today:
1. Call Committee Chair Sanfelippo at (888) 534-0015 and ask him to hold a hearing on AB 214. See below for suggested talking points.
- Today I ask Representative Sanfelippo to hold a hearing on AB 214.
- This bill is vital to ensure Wisconsin does not experience a backlog of unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits (SAKs) in the future.
- Only three years ago, there were over 6,000 untested SAKs sitting on law enforcement evidence rooms and hospital across the state. This legislation will prevent that from happening again.
- AB 214 is a critical part of a trauma-informed response to sexual assault survivors by providing them with clear options and expectations regarding their sexual assault kit.
- The medical forensic exam is an intrusive and lengthy process for sexual assault survivors. The criminal justice system must do its part by testing their SAKs.
- I would like a call back to hear how the representative acts on this bill.
2. Call Committee Chair Spiros at (888) 534-0086 and ask him to hold a hearing on AB 358. See talking points below.
- Today I ask Representative Spiros to hold a hearing on AB 358.
- This bill is a critical component to reforming system responses to ensure Wisconsin does not experience a backlog of unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits (SAKs) in the future.
- AB 358 allows survivors to anonymously obtain information regarding the location and status of their Sexual Assault Kit (SAK)
- Along with other important SAK legislation (AB 214), this bill is a critical part of a trauma-informed response to sexual assault survivors.
- According to national experts, creating a SAK tracking system is one of the six pillars of legislative SAK reform.
- AB 358 ensures Wisconsin remains in-line with national best practice standards.
- I would like a call back to hear how the representative acts on this bill.
3. Call your state representative today and urge them to advocate for a public hearing on AB 214 and AB 358. It is particularly important that you call your representative if they are on the Assembly Health or Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committees (see list below). You can identify who represents you here.
You can use the talking points above in your calls to your representatives. If you would like to provide them with information about how many untested kits were in your county, you can access that information here.
Assembly Education Committee
Representative Sanfelippo (Chair)
Representative Kurtz (Vice-Chair)
Representative Rodriguez
Representative Edming
Representative Skowronski
Representative Wichgers
Representative Murphy
Representative VanderMeer
Representative Felzkowski
Representative Magnafici
Representative Kolste
Representative Riemer
Representative Subeck
Representative Anderson
Representative Vining
Assembly Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee Members
Representative Spiros (Chair)
Representative Sortwell (Vice-Chair)
Representative Ott
Representative Steffen
Representative Horlacher
Representative Duchow
Representative Novak
Representative Schraa
Representative Krug
Representative Crowley
Representative Spreitzer
Representative Emerson
Representative Stubbs
Representative McGuire
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Media Contact: Ian Henderson, 608-257-1516, ianh@wcasa.org