November 4, 2019 — AB 358 was introduced with broad bipartisan support in August. On October 8, the Senate passed this legislation unanimously. The next step is advocating for the Assembly Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee to hold a hearing on AB 358. This legislation allows survivors to anonymously obtain information regarding the location and status of their Sexual Assault Kit (SAK), and will play a vital role in reforming system processes to ensure Wisconsin does not experience another backlog of unsubmitted SAKs in the future. Legislators in this committee need to hear from their constituents that AB 358 is a critical component of a trauma-informed response to sexual assault survivors.
Please take the following actions today:
- Call your state representative today. It is particularly important that you call your representative if they are on the Assembly Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee (see list below). You can identify who represents you here. See below for suggested talking points.
Assembly Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee Members:
Representative Spiros (Chair)
Representative Sortwell (Vice-Chair)
Representative Ott
Representative Steffen
Representative Horlacher
Representative Duchow
Representative Novak
Representative Schraa
Representative Krug
Representative Crowley
Representative Spreitzer
Representative Emerson
Representative Stubbs
Representative McGuire
- Call Committee Chair Spiros at (888) 534-0086 and ask him to hold a hearing on AB 358. See talking points below.
Suggested Talking Points
- Today I ask Representative_ to hold a hearing on AB 358.
- This bill is a critical component to reforming system responses to ensure Wisconsin does not experience a backlog of unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits (SAKs) in the future.
- AB 358 allows survivors to anonymously obtain information regarding the location and status of their Sexual Assault Kit (SAK)
- Along with other important SAK legislation (AB 214), this bill is a critical part of a trauma-informed response to sexual assault survivors.
- According to national experts, creating a SAK tracking system is one of the six pillars of legislative SAK reform.
- AB 358 ensures Wisconsin remains in-line with national best practice standards.
- These standards reflect the input of a multitude of experts, including: Criminal justice personnel, Health care professionals, Advocates, Survivors
- I would like a call back to hear how the representative acts on this bill.