Wisconsin Senate Bill SB232

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 4/29/25
• Refer: 4/29/25
• Report Pass: 6/13/25
• Engrossed: 6/18/25
• Refer: 6/20/25
• Enrolled: 6/25/25
• Chaptered: 7/3/25
• Passed: 7/3/25

Caption

An Act to amend 165.96 (intro.), (2), (4), (5), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12) and (13); to create 165.96 (16) and (17) of the statutes; Relating to: grants to child advocacy centers. (FE)

Summary

SB232 updates Wisconsin’s child advocacy grant statute to continue and expand state grants for child advocacy centers. The bill directs the Department of Justice to provide annual grants from the existing appropriation for education, training, medical advice, and quality assurance activities that support a multidisciplinary response to suspected child maltreatment. It revises the list of eligible centers, updates county references for some existing centers, and adds two new grant recipients: Lakeshore Regional Child Advocacy Center in Sheboygan County and Child Advocacy Centers of Wisconsin. The bill is primarily administrative and funding-related rather than regulatory. It amends s. 165.96 to reflect current center names and locations, and it preserves the per-center grant amount of $17,000 each fiscal year. By codifying these grants, the act supports local child advocacy centers that coordinate services for child abuse and neglect investigations and related support services.

Impact

SB232 amends Wisconsin statutes governing child advocacy grants under s. 165.96, affecting the Department of Justice’s annual distribution of state funds to designated child advocacy centers. It expands the list of eligible recipients, updates outdated organizational and county references, and creates new statutory entries for additional centers. The practical impact is to maintain and broaden state support for child maltreatment response infrastructure, including multidisciplinary case coordination, training, medical consultation, and quality assurance for participating centers and the children and families they serve.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition. It passed the Senate 32-0, indicating unanimous approval among senators voting on the measure. The lack of committee transcript discussion suggests the bill was treated as a routine, noncontroversial funding and technical update for child advocacy services.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive contention in the available record. The main issues are technical and administrative: updating the names and county designations of existing child advocacy centers, adding new recipients, and ensuring the statutory grant list matches current organizational structures. Any potential concern would likely center on the allocation of limited grant funds among centers, but no opposition or debate is reflected in the vote history or transcripts provided.