Legislative Notes

Human Trafficking Prevention Act Advances 

Legislation aimed at preventing human trafficking and other illegal activity in strip clubs cleared a Wisconsin Assembly committee unanimously, Dec. 13, with an aim to protect women from becoming victims of sex slavery.

Sen. André Jacque (R-Sturgeon Bay), co-author of the Human Trafficking Prevention Act (AB-60) along with Rep. Ty Bodden (R-Hilbert), said Wisconsin has been considered the “sex trafficking capital of the Midwest” by law enforcement for several years, with reports in all 72 counties and corridors crisscrossing the state.

“Victims of human trafficking, especially women, are often forced into sexual servitude, which may involve prostitution under the guise of an escort service or working in a strip club,” Jacque said. “Pimps then traffic these victims around the state or across state lines from one establishment to another, capitalizing on the high demand for these services, the cash nature of the business, and the anonymity of the participants.”

The bill would prohibit a variety of things, including adult-entertainment establishments being owned or operated by convicted human trafficking or sex offenders, or from having employees under the age of 18, or who have been victims of those crimes.   

AB60 passed the Assembly Committee on Regulatory Licensing Reform on a unanimous, bi-partisan vote of 9-0. It must next clear the full Senate and Assembly, and be signed by the Governor, to become law.

Legislation Targets Algal Blooms

U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Rep. Marchy Kaptur (D-Ohio) introduced the Healthy Farms Healthy Watersheds Act of 2023, a bill designed to reduce the frequency and extent of harmful algal blooms throughout the U.S. with voluntary nutrient runoff management programs. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) adversely affect water quality in all 50 states – harming human health, hindering tourism and regional economies, and sinking property values and waterfront business, the legislators said. The legislation would focus efforts and resources on priority watersheds and the most critical driver of HABs: the loading of excessive levels of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) into lakes, rivers, and bays from farms and animal feeding operations, Gallager and Kaptur said.

The federal government has spent billions on the issue, but has not been able to protect waterways across America from algal blooms, Gallagher said in a statement.

The new legislation would require the Natural Resources Conservation Service to focus on the exact substances and localities that are contributing most to harmful algal blooms.

The Nature Conservancy in both Wisconsin and Ohio support the legislation, as does the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Environmental Law and Policy Center and the Great Lakes Alliance.  

The legislation is supported by The Environmental Law & Policy Center, The Alliance for the Great Lakes, The Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin, The Nature Conservancy in Ohio. 

Exemption Sought For Wisconsin If Sturgeon Are Listed As An Endangered Species

Six of Wisconsin’s Congressional representatives and both of the state’s U.S. senators are asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to exempt lake sturgeon in Wisconsin from any potential listing under the federal Endangered Species List.

USFWS is conducting a species status assessment of lake sturgeon and considering listing sturgeon under the Endangered Species Act. The potential listing would not only threaten the careful population management in place, but would ignore the cultural importance and economic impact of lake sturgeon and sturgeon spearing to Northeast Wisconsin, according to the group of Congressional delegates.

The letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), as well as U.S. Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Glenn Grothman, Bryan Steil, Tom Tiffany, Scott Fitzgerald, and Derrick Van Orden – all Republicans. Only Wisconsin’s Democrat representatives – Gwen Moore and Mark Pocan – didn’t sign the letter.

“Instead of imposing a nationwide, one-size-fits-all listing that could curtail the state’s management plan and threaten a long-cherished tradition, we ask that Wisconsin lake sturgeon be exempt from any potential ESA listing,” the members wrote in the letter. “Furthermore, we encourage the Service to engage with the Wisconsin DNR, local communities, and other relevant stakeholders to help expand this model to other states and ensure the continued existence of lake sturgeon for generations to come.”

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (MJS) reported on Dec. 14 that a federal listing on the ESA could prohibit angling for or spearing sturgeon in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources hosts annual hook-and-line and spearing seasons for lake sturgeon.

USFWS has been actively engaged in the review since 2019, and will hold a public comment period after the USFWS issues its findings in June 2024, according to the MJS report.

Federal Dollars For Wisconsin Rail Expansion

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) announced before the end of 2023 that five new routes in Wisconsin had been selected as priorities for passenger rail expansion and will be receiving $500,000 each in planning and development grants for a total of $2.5 million statewide. The project funding came from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that Baldwin supported.

The Corridor ID Program is a comprehensive intercity passenger rail planning and development program that will help guide intercity passenger rail development throughout the country and create a pipeline of intercity passenger rail projects ready for implementation. 

The following projects will receive funding: Milwaukee to Green Bay; Milwaukee to Chicago; Milwaukee to Madison to Eau Claire; Eau Claire to the Twin Cities; Chicago via La Crosse to St. Paul; and a new daily round-trip between Chicago and St. Paul, with an extension to Minneapolis.