Major takeaways from this legislative session, and what you can expect next

ACLU Supporter –

As Wisconsin's 2023-24 state legislative session ends, we are grateful for your support through hard-fought battles against a barrage of harmful legislation.

The Assembly introduced 1,156 bills, and the Senate introduced 1,088 bills during this session, which began in January 2023 and lasted through the Senate's final floor votes held on March 12. So far, 105 bills have been signed into law, Governor Evers has vetoed seven, and numerous bills have now passed both houses and await the governor's signature or veto.

We closely monitored 617 bills this session, registered a position (support/oppose/other) on 178 bills, and provided testimony or written comments on 37.

Full information about all the bills we engaged in is available on our website. <[link removed]>

Here are our initial takeaways from the session on key civil rights and liberties issues:

LGBTQ+ Rights

Over the past year, we witnessed attacks on LGBTQ+ rights and the existence of trans people across statehouses nationwide. Wisconsin was not immune to these targeted bills. In the fall of 2023, our legislature introduced a package of bills targeting the trans community.

The bills, which proposed excluding trans kids from sports teams at K-12 schools and from UW and technical sports teams, force trans and intersex incarcerated people into placements that do not match their gender and attempts to ban medically necessary gender-affirming care for trans youth.

In early 2023, the Joint Committee on Review of Administrative Rules blocked a ban on conversion therapy, allowing this torturous practice to continue.

Racial Justice

Mirroring legislative and executive actions nationwide, Republican legislators in Wisconsin waged a war on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in state government and the University of Wisconsin system this session. After Assembly Speaker Robin Vos held hostage over $100 million in already-approved pay raises for the UW system unless UW eliminated DEI positions across campuses, the UW Board of Regents ultimately voted to approve a deal with Republican lawmakers to "reimagine" DEI efforts on campuses in exchange for releasing the funds for staff pay raises and infrastructure projects.

As of Tuesday, a joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to ban state and local government entities from using race, sex, ethnicity, and other factors in hiring decisions, public education, and public contracting, AJR-109, has now passed both houses. This measure would eliminate identity-conscious initiatives that address longstanding inequalities in access to public education, employment, contracting, and administration in an attempt to advance the ongoing crusade against diversity, equity, and inclusion. If an identical joint resolution is passed during the 2025-26 legislative session, a referendum would be placed on a statewide ballot to amend the state constitution.

One victory for Wisconsin students was the passage of AB-232, which will ensure the unique history and experiences of Hmong Americans and all Asian Americans are included in K-12 instruction in Wisconsin public schools. After passing the Senate during its final floor session, the bill is headed to the governor's desk for signature.

Police, Prisons, and Criminal Legal Reform

As Wisconsin's prison crisis looms large and worsens by the day, many legislators in both parties ignored evidence-based opportunities for reform, police oversight, and policies that create safer communities, instead opting for an outdated "tough on crime" approach that fuels our mass incarceration problem.

Voting Rights

Extremist conspiracy theories and election denial fueled debates on voting rights issues this session. Attempts to remove the nationally recognized administrator of the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC), steps to subvert the will of Wisconsin voters by threatening to impeach a newly elected Supreme Court Justice before she decided her first case, and legislation proposing to dissolve WEC – the bipartisan entity responsible for election administration in the state – altogether demonstrate our legislature's resolve to undermine democracy and Wisconsinites' faith in elections.

As an end-run around the governor's veto and an affront to voting rights, the Republican-led legislature also passed several joint resolutions that could amend the Wisconsin Constitution.

Censorship

A multitude of bills were introduced this session attempting to censor information and expression, following the nationwide trend of bills censoring the histories of marginalized communities, LGBTQ+ expression, and preventing young people from accessing information in online spaces and libraries. Introduced under the guise of "protecting minors," these censorship efforts would impact teens almost of voting age who need to be well-informed to understand the policies and issues at stake at the ballot box.

For a full list of the legislation positions we took during this session and their status, visit our Legislation & Advocacy Hub. <[link removed]>


ACLU of Wisconsin

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