Gov. Doyle: Governor Signs Legislation to Strengthen Clergy Abuse Laws, Provide Stronger Protections for Victims

Contact:
Jessica Erickson, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2156

Signs Eight Other Bills, Including a Measure to Ensure the Safety of
Students
by Improving Background Investigations, Raising Standards for Bus Drivers

MADISON – At a bill signing ceremony at the State Capitol
today, Governor Jim Doyle signed into law nine bills, including legislation
that strengthens clergy abuse laws by requiring clergy to report suspected
child abuse. Senate Bill 207 also provides stronger protections for victims
by extending the time limits for victims to sue clergy and their religious
organizations for abuse.

“As a District Attorney, as Attorney General, and now as
Governor, I have long fought to prevent and prosecute abuse against
children,” Governor Doyle said. “Few crimes exact so great a physical,
emotional, and psychological toll on the victim. Too often it goes
unnoticed and unpunished, as young victims find themselves afraid to
confront the abuser. This is particularly true when it comes to abuse at
the hands of clergy. In my State of the State Address, I said we needed to
take more action to reduce child abuse in Wisconsin, and today, we’re doing
just that.”

SB 207 strengthens clergy abuse laws by requiring clergy to
report suspected child abuse – a requirement that already exists for
therapists, health care workers, teachers, and other professionals. The
bill, however, does exempt clergy from reporting if the information is
gathered in private conversations or in the confessional.

The bill also provides stronger protections for victims by
extending the time limits for victims to sue clergy and their religious
organizations for abuse. Victims will now be allowed to file civil suits
until they turn 35, and to file criminal actions until the age of 45.

“This provision will ensure that religious organizations are
held more accountable for the actions of clergy under their supervision if
they failed to report the behavior or if they did not make an effort to
prevent repeat incidents of abuse,” Governor Doyle said.

The Governor thanked the bill’s lead authors – Senator
Alberta Darling and Representatives Peggy Krusick and Mark Gundrum.

Governor Doyle also signed a bill that ensures the safety of
students who ride buses to school by improving background investigations and
raising standards for bus drivers. Senate Bill 350 requires the state to
obtain Department of Justice criminal records as part of background checks
on drivers, and requires that those checks be performed every four years
rather than the current eight years.

The bill also expands the list of crimes and offenses that
disqualify an individual from becoming a bus driver to include crimes
against children – ranging from sexual assault to child neglect. Under
current law, convictions for these crimes are not considered automatic
disqualification for bus driver applicants. The new law will also require
the state to try to obtain background information on applicants who have
lived outside of Wisconsin during the previous two years.

The Governor thanked the bill’s lead authors – Senators Mary
Lazich and Tim Carpenter and Representatives Peggy Krusick and Sheryl
Albers.

The Governor also signed the following seven bills:

* Assembly Bill 84, authored by Representatives Marlin Schneider and
Michael Lehman and Senator Jon Erpenbach, prohibits private colleges from
assigning students identification numbers that match or incorporate their
Social Security numbers. This safeguard against identity theft already
applies to the UW and Technical College Systems, and this bill extends the
prohibition to private colleges in Wisconsin effective July 1, 2006.

*
* Assembly Bill 254, introduced by the Joint Legislative Council,
makes a variety of changes to laws relating to condominiums.

*
* Assembly Bill 402, introduced by the Joint Legislative Council,
provides a process to determine whether circuit court or tribal court should
exercise jurisdiction over an American Indian juvenile who has committed an
off-reservation, delinquent act.

*
* Assembly Bill 426 transfers the regulation of amateur boxing in
Wisconsin from the Department of Regulation and Licensing to USA Boxing,
which regulates amateur boxing in all other states except Wisconsin. The
bill’s authors are Representatives Pedro Colon and Scott Jensen and Senators
Dave Zien and Dave Hansen.

*
* Assembly Bill 443 provides counties with the same authority as
cities, villages, and towns to request a court to vacate land platted as a
public park or playground. The bill’s authors are Representatives Dan
Vrakas and Mark Miller and Senator Neal Kedzie.

*
* Assembly Bill 624 codifies in state law a previous judicial
interpretation of the statute of limitations for an action to collect
delinquent child support, enabling child support agencies to collect for a
longer period of time than what current law allows. The bill’s authors are
Representatives Peggy Krusick and Suzanne Jeskewitz and Senators Carol
Roessler and Tim Carpenter.

*
* Senate Bill 372, authored by Senator Mary Panzer and Representative
John Gard, brings Wisconsin’s health records confidentiality law in line
with the privacy regulations of the federal Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996.