Wisconsin
Penalties for juror battery, help for Alzheimer’s caregivers. Here are bills that passed the Assembly
Alzheimer’s numbers expected to hit 13 million by 2050
Dr. Joanne Pike, CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association, talks about the challenges and hopes when it comes to this debilitating disease.
MADISON – The Wisconsin State Assembly passed a line up of bills on June 24 as lawmakers continue to argue about whether funding should be attached to proposed bills.
Here are some of the bills the Assembly took up.
Penalty for battery or threat to jurors
Passed by voice vote, this bipartisan bill would increase the penalty for battery or threat to jurors and their family members.
Under the bill, such actions would be made a Class H felony, allowing judges to prohibit convicted individuals from contacting jurors involved in their cases during their sentence or probation.
Bill co-author Rep. Shae Sortwell, R-Two Rivers, said on the Assembly floor that this bill ensures jurors will not be tampered with so that they can “decide the cases on its merits and not because of threats.”
Rep. Ryan Clancy, D-Milwaukee, argued that it’s already a crime to threaten battery and a penalty enhancer to an existing crime is “empty messaging.”
“Incarceration has become this Legislature’s default response… Locking more people up, for more crimes and more years does not keep us safe,” Clancy said during the June 24 floor session.
The bill passed in a 28-4 Senate vote on June 18, and is now on its way to the governor’s desk.
Criminal trespass at campgrounds
Passed by voice vote, this bill clarifies private campgrounds are not residences, and therefore guests can be evicted from the property and are not subject to landlord-tenant laws.
Under the bill, campground owners would be allowed to issue written requests to campers to vacate the property, with a list of reasons they are being asked to leave included. The owner of the campground must provide a refund for any payment covering the duration of the stay past the time campers leave.
If guests do not leave promptly after a written request is issued, they may be fined up to $100 or put into county jail for up to 30 days.
Clancy said that this bill “kicks people when they are down.”
“This legislation fails to differentiate between somebody who is trespassing at a party in a campground and someone who’s lived there for weeks, months or years because they have no other housing,” Clancy said on the Assembly floor.
The bill passed in the Senate by voice vote on June 18, and is now on its way to the governor’s desk.
Alzheimer’s family and caregiver support program
In a voice vote, the Assembly passed a bipartisan bill that would repeal the current financial eligibility requirement for services for families caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease.
The bill would remove the current income cap set at $48,000 so more individuals with Alzheimer’s disease would be eligible for assistance from local agencies.
“These families need a lot of support… This bill will help those and many of us who have seen the effects of Alzheimer’s has had on a lot of our family and friends,” bill co-author Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, said on the Assembly floor, adding that there have been leftover funds in the last few years and that it is important to get that money out to families who need it.
The Legislature created the Wisconsin’s Alzheimer’s Family and Caregiver Support Program was created in 1985 in response to a growing number of family members caring for loved ones with irreversible dementia at home.
AFCSP covers a wide range of services and goods including adult day care, in-home help, nutrition supplements, hobby supplies and meal delivery services.
An estimated 205,000 unpaid caregivers support a family member living with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute. Caregivers often face significant emotional, physical and financial burdens.
Unpaid caregivers contribute approximately 297 million hours of care annually, valued at over $5.5 billion.
The estimated fiscal budget for this bill is $3.05 million, according to a Department of Health Services statement on April 23.
The bill passed in the Senate by voice vote on June 18, and is now on it’s way to the governor’s desk.
Anna Kleiber can be reached at akleiber@gannett.com.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin authorities put total arrests from clashes at beagle breeding facility at about 25
MADISON (AP) — Around 25 protesters were arrested as around 1,000 animal welfare activists tried to gain entry to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin and were met by officers firing pepper spray and rubber bullets, authorities said Sunday.
Saturday’s protest was the second attempt in as many months by demonstrators to take beagles from Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds, about 25 miles (about 40 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Madison. They were turned back by officers who arrested the group’s leader.
Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office said the situation was “significantly calmer and more peaceful” on Sunday, when around 200 people assembled outside the farm. They dispersed after around two hours, it said.
“We’re pleased with the group’s cooperation today, and their willingness to remain peaceful, while still sending their message of concern for the dogs at Ridglan Farms,” Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a statement. “We are happy to support anyone who wants to exercise the right to protest, as long as they do so lawfully.”
Owen Ziliak/The Wisconsin State Journal via AP
The sheriff had said in a video statement Saturday that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property.” They tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence.
Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Some got through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Amber Arnold/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Those arrested included the leader of the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs, Wayne Hsiung, 44, of New York, who was being held on a tentative felony charge of conspiracy to commit burglary. But most arrestees were just booked and released, the sheriff’s office said Sunday.
“No one should be assaulted for giving aid to a dog, even if damage to property is part of that rescue effort,” Hsuing said in a statement from jail Sunday that also accused authorities of using excessive force. “The animals of this Earth are not “things.” They’re sentient beings. And we have the right to rescue them from abuse,” he concluded.
Protesters took 30 dogs when they broke into the facility in March, when authorities arrested 27 people.
Ridglan denies mistreating animals but agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 in a deal to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges.
On its website, the company says “no credible evidence of animal abuse, cruelty, mistreatment or neglect at Ridglan Farms has ever been presented or substantiated.”
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About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
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