An Act to amend 48.981 (2) (a) 10. and 48.981 (3) (a) 3.; to create 48.981 (2) (a) 31. of the statutes;
This bill mandates that child welfare departments refer all reports of suspected or threatened child abuse to law enforcement. It also expands the list of mandatory reporters to include certain employees of child welfare departments.
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SB 432 — An Act to amend 48.981 (2) (a) 10. and 48.981 (3) (a) 3.; to create 48.981 (2) (a) 31. of the statutes;
Last action — Failed to pass notwithstanding the objections of the Governor pursuant to Joint Rule 82
No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.
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✓Introduced
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✓In Committee
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✓Passed Senate
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✓Passed Assembly
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5To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced September 29, 2025. It awaits signature.
Vetoed by Governor Tony Evers (Democratic) on March 27, 2026.
Next likely step: the executive signs it into law or issues a veto.
Prognosis
Where this bill stands today.
Odds of enactment
LowHow often bills like it became law.
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To Executive
Current position in the legislative process.
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24 sponsors
1 primary, 23 co-sponsors signed on.
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Single-party support
Sponsorship is currently within one party (3 R).
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Cleared a recorded vote
Passed 3 recorded votes so far.
Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.
In plain language
The bill requires child welfare departments to refer all suspected child abuse reports to police.
This bill mandates that child welfare departments refer all reports of suspected or threatened child abuse to law enforcement. It also expands the list of mandatory reporters to include certain employees of child welfare departments.
Summary
An Act to amend 48.981 (2) (a) 10. and 48.981 (3) (a) 3.; to create 48.981 (2) (a) 31. of the statutes;
Bill Text
What changed in the latest version
21 added · 59 removedPlain-language change summary
The recent amendments to Bill SB 432 change the requirements regarding the reporting of suspected child abuse. Previously, it was often left to child welfare departments to decide whether to refer cases of suspected abuse to law enforcement. The new legislation mandates that these departments must refer all such cases to police within a specific timeframe, ensuring a more consistent and timely response to reports of child abuse. This change is significant because it strengthens protections for children by enhancing cooperation between child welfare and law enforcement agencies.
-Date 2026of LEGISLATUREenactment: LRB-4262/1 MDE:cjs SENATE BILL 432 September 29, 2025 - Introduced by Senators Q UINN, JAMES and M ARKLEIN, cosponsored by Representatives GREEN , B.
ACOBSONSenate ,Bill PIWOWARCZYK432 ,Date RILL,of Dpublication*: ITTRICH, UCHOW , OEBEN , GUNDRUM , HURD , ITCHENS , KNODL , REIBICH, M AXEY, M ELOTIK, M URPHY, N OVAK , P ENTERMAN , P ETERSEN , S NYDER, SUMMERFIELD and T ITTL.
ReferredWISCONSIN toACT CommitteeA onN JudiciaryA andCT Publicto Safety.amend 48.981 (2) (a) 10.
A N A CT to amend 48.981 (2) (a) 10.
AnalysisThe bypeople theof Legislative Reference Bureau Under current law, certain individuals are required to report suspected child abuse or neglect to the countystate childof welfareWisconsin, departmentrepresented or to the police if the individual has reasonable cause to suspect that a child seen by the individual in thesen- course48.981 of(3) professional(a) duties3. has been abused or neglected or has been threatened with abuse or neglect (mandatory reporter).
Generally,Except ifas aprovided reportin issub. for threatened or suspected child sexual abuse or trafficking, the child welfare department must within 12 hours refer the case to the police.
A(3m), child welfare department is required to adopt a writtenate policyand regardingassembly, howdo itenact refersas tofollows: police reports of other forms of threatened or suspected child abuse or neglect, but it is not required by law to refer such cases to police.
Thiscounty billdepartment, requiresthe adepartment, childor welfarea departmentlicensed generallychild toSECTION refer1. to police all reports of threatened or suspected abuse.
“Abuse” is defined in current law to include non-accidental physical injuries inflicted on a child, sexual abuse, trafficking, manufacturing methamphetamine in the presence of a child, and emotional damage for which a child’s parent, guardian, or legal custodian has neglected, refused, or been unable for reasons other than poverty to obtain the necessary treatment or take steps to ameliorate the symptoms.
- 2026 Legislature - 2 - LRB-4262/1 MDE:cjs SENATE BILL 432 SECTION 1 Additionally, the bill adds to the list of mandatory reporters an employee of a child welfare department whose duties include direct interaction with children or the handling of child welfare cases and specifies that “social worker,” which is currently on the list of mandatory reporters, means an individual who holds a social worker certificate granted by the Marriage and Family Therapy Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board.
For further information see the local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
S ECTION 1.
of the statutes is welfare agency under contract with the department shall amended to read:
within 12 hours, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, or le- 48.981 (2) (a) 10.
gal holidays, refer to the sheriff or police department all cases of suspected or threatened abuse, as defined in s.
SSECTION ECTION 2.
of the statutes is createdcre- 48.02 (1) (b) to read:(f), reported to it.
48.981For (2)cases (a)of 31.suspected ated to read:
An employee of an agency whose duties include direct interaction with children or thethreatened handlingabuse, ofas childdefined welfarein cases.s.
S48.02 ECTION(1) 3.(a), (am), 48.981 (2) (a) 31.
An employee of an agency whose (g), or (gm), or neglect, each county department, the de- duties include direct interaction with children or the partment, and a licensed child welfare agency under handling of child welfare cases.
contract with the department shall adopt a written pol- SECTION 3.
of the statutes is icy specifying the kinds of reports it will routinely re- amended to read:
48.981port (3)to (a)local 3.law enforcement authorities.
Except* asSection provided991.11, inISCONSINSTATUTES: sub.
(3m),Effective adate county department, the department, or a licensed child welfare agency under contract with the department shall within 12 hours, exclusive of Saturdays,acts. Sundays, or legal holidays, refer to the sheriff or police department all cases of suspected or threatened abuse, as defined in s.
48.02“Every (1)act (b)and toevery (f),portion reportedof toan it.act enacted by the legislature over the gov- ernor's partial veto which does not expressly prescribe the time when it takes effect shall take effect on the day after its date of publication.”
For cases of suspected or threatened abuse, as defined in s.
48.02 (1) (a), (am), (g), or (gm), or neglect, each county department, the department, and a licensed child welfare agency under contract with the department shall adopt a written policy specifying the kinds of reports it will routinely report to local law enforcement authorities.
(END )
View plain text versions (2)
- Enrolled Text as Enrolled pdf
- Bill Text View text Current pdf
Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.
The bill strengthens mandatory reporting requirements for child abuse by requiring child welfare departments to refer all reports of suspected or threatened abuse to law enforcement and expanding the list of mandatory reporters.
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Wis. Stat. § 48.981(2)(a)10.
A social worker.→ A social worker, as defined in s. 457.01 (10).Clarifies the definition of a social worker in the list of mandatory reporters.
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Wis. Stat. § 48.981(2)(a)
An employee of an agency whose duties include direct interaction with children or the handling of child welfare cases.
Adds employees of child welfare agencies with direct interaction with children to the list of mandatory reporters.
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Wis. Stat. § 48.981(3)(a)3.
referring to the sheriff or police department all cases of suspected or threatened abuse, as defined in s. 48.02 (1) (b) to (f), reported to it.→ referring to the sheriff or police department all cases of suspected or threatened abuse, as defined in s. 48.02 (1) (b) to (f), reported to it. For cases of suspected or threatened abuse, as defined in s. 48.02 (1) (a), (am), (g), or (gm), or neglect, each county department, the department, and a licensed child welfare agency under contract with the department shall adopt a written policy specifying the kinds of reports it will routinely report to local law enforcement authorities.Requires child welfare departments to refer all reports of suspected or threatened abuse to law enforcement and to adopt written policies for other types of cases.
Action History
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Failed to pass notwithstanding the objections of the Governor pursuant to Joint Rule 82
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Placed on calendar 5-12-2026 pursuant to Joint Rule 82 (2)(a)
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Report vetoed by the Governor on 3-27-2026
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Presented to the Governor on 3-26-2026
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Report correctly enrolled
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Received from Assembly concurred in
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Ordered immediately messaged
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Read a third time and concurred in, Ayes 61, Noes 37
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Rules suspended
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Ordered to a third reading
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Read a second time
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Rules suspended to withdraw from calendar and take up
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Placed on calendar 2-12-2026 by Committee on Rules
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Read first time and referred to committee on Rules
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Received from Senate
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Ordered immediately messaged
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Read a third time and passed, Ayes 18, Noes 15
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Rules suspended to give bill its third reading
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Ordered to a third reading
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Read a second time
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Placed on calendar 11-18-2025 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)
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Available for scheduling
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Report passage recommended by Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, Ayes 5, Noes 3
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Executive action taken
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Public hearing held
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Fiscal estimate received
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Read first time and referred to Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety
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Introduced by Senators Quinn, James and Marklein; cosponsored by Representatives Green, B. Jacobson, Piwowarczyk, Brill, Dittrich, Duchow, Goeben, Gundrum, Hurd, Kitchens, Knodl, Kreibich, Maxey, Melotik, Murphy, Novak, Penterman, Petersen, Snyder, Summerfield and Tittl
Sponsors
- Green · Cosponsor
- B. Jacobson · Cosponsor
- Piwowarczyk · Cosponsor
- Brill · Cosponsor
- Romaine Quinn · Primary
- Dittrich · Cosponsor
- Duchow · Cosponsor
- Goeben · Cosponsor
- Gundrum · Cosponsor
- Hurd · Cosponsor
- Kitchens · Cosponsor
- Knodl · Cosponsor
- Kreibich · Cosponsor
- Maxey · Cosponsor
- Melotik · Cosponsor
- Murphy · Cosponsor
- Novak · Cosponsor
- Penterman · Cosponsor
- Petersen · Cosponsor
- Snyder · Cosponsor
- Summerfield · Cosponsor
- Tittl · Cosponsor
- Jesse James · Cosponsor
- Howard Marklein · Cosponsor
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 23 co-sponsors · 108 not signed on · 47 voted No
Sponsors (1)
- Quinn, Romaine Republican
Co-sponsors (23)
- Green
- B. Jacobson
- Piwowarczyk
- Brill
- Dittrich
- Duchow
- Goeben
- Gundrum
- Hurd
- Kitchens
- Knodl
- Kreibich
- Maxey
- Melotik
- Murphy
- Novak
- Penterman
- Petersen
- Snyder
- Summerfield
- Tittl
- James, Jesse Republican
- Marklein, Howard Republican
Not signed on (108)
108 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 108 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 52 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Democrat | 8 | 35 | 0 | 0 |
| Unaffiliated | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 61 | 37 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 62% | 37% | 0% | 1% |
How each member voted (99)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| JOHNSON | — | Nay |
| MOORE OMOKUNDE | — | Nay |
| SPEAKER | — | Yea |
| Anderson, Clinton | Democrat | Nay |
| Andraca, Deb | Democrat | Nay |
| Arney, Margaret | Democrat | Nay |
| Bare, Mike | Democrat | Nay |
| Billings, Jill | Democrat | Nay |
| Brown, Brienne | Democrat | Yea |
| Clancy, Ryan | Democrat | Nay |
| Cruz, Angelina | Democrat | Nay |
| DeSanto, Karen | Democrat | Nay |
| DeSmidt, Ben | Democrat | Nay |
| Doyle, Steve | Democrat | Yea |
| Emerson, Jodi | Democrat | Nay |
| Fitzgerald, Joan | Democrat | Nay |
| Goodwin, Russell | Democrat | Nay |
| Haywood, Kalan | Democrat | Nay |
| Hong, Francesca | Democrat | Nay |
| Hysell, Andrew | Democrat | Nay |
| Jacobson, Jenna | Democrat | Yea |
| Joers, Alex | Democrat | Nay |
| Kirsch, Karen | Democrat | Nay |
| Madison, Darrin | Democrat | Nay |
| Mayadev, Renuka | Democrat | Nay |
| McCarville, Maureen | Democrat | Yea |
| McGuire, Tip | Democrat | Nay |
| Miresse, Vincent | Democrat | Yea |
| Neubauer, Greta | Democrat | Nay |
| Ortiz-Velez, Sylvia | Democrat | Nay |
| Palmeri, Lori | Democrat | Nay |
| Phelps, Christian | Democrat | Nay |
| Prado, Priscilla | Democrat | Nay |
| Rivera-Wagner, Amaad | Democrat | Nay |
| Roe, Ann | Democrat | Nay |
| Sheehan, Joe | Democrat | Yea |
| Sinicki, Christine | Democrat | Nay |
| Snodgrass, Lee | Democrat | Nay |
| Spaude, Ryan | Democrat | Yea |
| Stroud, Angela | Democrat | Nay |
| Stubbs, Shelia | Democrat | Nay |
| Subeck, Lisa | Democrat | Nay |
| Taylor, Sequanna | Democrat | Nay |
| Tenorio, Angelito | Democrat | Nay |
| Udell, Randy | Democrat | Nay |
| Vining, Robyn | Democrat | Yea |
| Allen, Scott | Republican | Yea |
| Armstrong, David | Republican | Yea |
| August, Tyler | Republican | Yea |
| Behnke, Elijah | Republican | Yea |
| Born, Mark | Republican | Yea |
| Brill, Lindee | Republican | Yea |
| Brooks, Robert | Republican | Yea |
| Callahan, Calvin | Republican | Yea |
| Dallman, Alex | Republican | Yea |
| Dittrich, Barbara | Republican | Yea |
| Donovan, Bob | Republican | Yea |
| Duchow, Cindi | Republican | Yea |
| Franklin, Benjamin | Republican | Yea |
| Goeben, Joy | Republican | Yea |
| Green, Chanz | Republican | Yea |
| Gundrum, Rick | Republican | Yea |
| Gustafson, Nate | Republican | Yea |
| Hurd, Karen | Republican | Yea |
| Jacobson, Brent | Republican | Yea |
| Kaufert, Dean | Republican | Yea |
| Kitchens, Joel | Republican | Yea |
| Knodl, Daniel | Republican | Yea |
| Kreibich, Rob | Republican | Yea |
| Krug, Scott | Republican | Yea |
| Kurtz, Tony | Republican | Yea |
| Maxey, Dave | Republican | Yea |
| Melotik, Paul | Republican | Yea |
| Moses, Clint | Republican | Yea |
| Murphy, David | Republican | Yea |
| Mursau, Jeffrey | Republican | Yea |
| Nedweski, Amanda | Republican | Yea |
| Neylon, Adam | Republican | Yea |
| Novak, Todd | Republican | Yea |
| O'Connor, Jerry | Republican | Yea |
| Penterman, William | Republican | Yea |
| Petersen, Kevin | Republican | Yea |
| Piwowarczyk, Jim | Republican | Yea |
| Pronschinske, Treig | Republican | Yea |
| Rodriguez, Jessie | Republican | Yea |
| Snyder, Patrick | Republican | Yea |
| Sortwell, Shae | Republican | Yea |
| Spiros, John | Republican | Yea |
| Steffen, David | Republican | Yea |
| Summerfield, Rob | Republican | Yea |
| Swearingen, Rob | Republican | Yea |
| Tittl, Paul | Republican | Yea |
| Tranel, Travis | Republican | Yea |
| Tucker, Duke | Republican | Yea |
| Tusler, Ron | Republican | Yea |
| VanderMeer, Nancy | Republican | Yea |
| Wichgers, Chuck | Republican | Yea |
| Wittke, Robert | Republican | Yea |
| Zimmerman, Shannon | Republican | Not Voting |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Democrat | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Unaffiliated | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 18 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 55% | 45% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (33)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| JOHNSON | — | Nay |
| DASSLER-ALFHEI | — | Nay |
| HABUSH SINYKIN | — | Nay |
| Carpenter, Tim | Democrat | Nay |
| Drake, Dora | Democrat | Nay |
| Hesselbein, Dianne | Democrat | Nay |
| Keyeski, Sarah | Democrat | Nay |
| Larson, Chris | Democrat | Nay |
| Pfaff, Brad | Democrat | Nay |
| Ratcliff, Melissa | Democrat | Nay |
| Roys, Kelda | Democrat | Nay |
| Smith, Jeff | Democrat | Nay |
| Spreitzer, Mark | Democrat | Nay |
| Wall, Jamie | Democrat | Nay |
| Wirch, Robert | Democrat | Nay |
| Bradley, Julian | Republican | Yea |
| Cabral-Guevara, Rachael | Republican | Yea |
| Felzkowski, Mary | Republican | Yea |
| Feyen, Dan | Republican | Yea |
| Hutton, Rob | Republican | Yea |
| Jacque, André | Republican | Yea |
| Jagler, John | Republican | Yea |
| James, Jesse | Republican | Yea |
| Kapenga, Chris | Republican | Yea |
| LeMahieu, Devin | Republican | Yea |
| Marklein, Howard | Republican | Yea |
| Nass, Steve | Republican | Yea |
| Quinn, Romaine | Republican | Yea |
| Stafsholt, Rob | Republican | Yea |
| Testin, Patrick | Republican | Yea |
| Tomczyk, Cory | Republican | Yea |
| Wanggaard, Van | Republican | Yea |
| Wimberger, Eric | Republican | Yea |
Roll call published as PDF — view source.
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does SB 432 do?
- An Act to amend 48.981 (2) (a) 10. and 48.981 (3) (a) 3.; to create 48.981 (2) (a) 31. of the statutes;
- Who sponsors SB 432?
- SB 432 is sponsored by Green, B. Jacobson, Piwowarczyk, Brill, Quinn, Romaine (Republican), Dittrich, Duchow, Goeben, Gundrum, Hurd, Kitchens, Knodl, Kreibich, Maxey, Melotik, Murphy, Novak, Penterman, Petersen, Snyder, Summerfield, Tittl, James, Jesse (Republican), and Marklein, Howard (Republican).
- What is the current status of SB 432?
- This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced September 29, 2025. It awaits signature.
- Where can I track SB 432?
- Track SB 432 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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