CAPITOL UPDATE

Governor Evers State of the State Address Tonight

Governor Tony Evers plans to deliver the State of the State address on tonight, January 23, 2024, at 7pm in the Assembly chambers.  You can watch the address live on Wisconsin Eye.

Governor Evers Proclaims January 28 to February 3 Catholic Schools Week

Governor Evers has issued a proclamation declaring January 28 to February 3, 2024, as Catholic Schools Week in the state of Wisconsin. Throughout the state, over 250 Catholic schools serve over 51,000 students. Check out the website of your local school, diocese, or Catholic publication to see how schools are celebrating.

WCC Opposes 14 Week Abortion Referendum

On January 22, the WCC testified in opposition to AB-975 (Nedweski, Amanda), allowing abortion during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. The Heal Without Harm Coalition, composed of Wisconsin Family Action, Wisconsin Right to Life, Pro-Life Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, offered joint testimony and issued a press release opposing the bill.

Today, the Assembly committee passed an amendment to the bill that would allow abortion in cases of rape and incest throughout the pregnancy. The bill and amendment passed out of the Assembly committee and may receive a floor vote this week. We encourage you to contact your legislators to voice your opposition.

WCC Supports Creation of Task Force on Missing and Murdered African American Women 

On January 22, the WCC registered in support of AB-615 (Stubbs, Shelia) / SB-568 (James, Jesse), creating a task force on missing and murdered African American women and girls. Since the Assembly hearing, the committee has taken no further action.

WCC Supports Expungement of Records of Certain Crimes 

On January 11, the WCC testified in support of AB-37 (Steffen, David), expunging records of certain crimes. The bill passed out of the Assembly committee and awaits further action.

WCC Opposes Palliative Care Council 

On January 10, the WCC testified in opposition to AB-736 (Snyder, Patrick), establishing a Palliative Care Council. The bill passed out of the Assembly committee and awaits further action.

WCC Supports Family Foundations Home Visitation Program 

On January 10, the WCC registered in support of AB-864 (Rozar, Donna) / SB-803 (James),  funding the Family Foundations home visitation program. Since the Assembly hearing, the committee has taken no further action. 

WCC Opposes Criminalizing Homelessness 

On January 10, the WCC registered in opposition to SB-669 (Tomczyk, Cory) / AB-689 (Dallman, Alex), establishing pay for performance grant requirements, use of public lands to provide temporary residence for the homeless, and providing a penalty. Since the Assembly hearing, the committee has taken no further action.

WCC Public Policy Positions: Practice Restorative Justice

Here we elaborate on each of the WCC's 2023 Public Policy Positions. The complete document can be found below. You can learn more about Catholic Social Teaching on the USCCB website.

Practice Restorative Justice. Criminal justice not only defends and restores the public order, but it also serves to rehabilitate the offender. Wisconsin’s criminal justice system must ensure that victims of crime, including the community at large, have opportunities to be healed and restored. Policies, even those that enforce strict punishment, must serve the end of rehabilitation. Corrections policies must also make special efforts to reintegrate those previously incarcerated into society. 

Our Catholic teaching holds that punishment for crimes should not be viewed as retribution but rather as a means of protecting public safety while also serving as “an instrument for the correction of the offender” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church 403). This serves a twofold purpose of “encouraging the re-insertion of the condemned person into society” while also “fostering a justice that reconciles, a justice capable of restoring harmony in social relationships disrupted by the criminal act committed” (Compendium 403). 

As Pope Francis has noted, “It is right that those who have done wrong should pay for their mistake, but it is equally right that those who have done wrong should be able to redeem themselves for their mistake…Any sentence must always have a window of hope” (General Audience, January 19, 2022).

The Wisconsin Bishops have echoed these teachings stating “policies should serve to reunite the offender with the community and supportive institutions of family, church, and neighborhood. Policies should also foster healing of crime victims so that they too can be restored” (Public Safety, the Common Good, and the Church: A Statement on Crime and Punishment in Wisconsin, September 1999). 

In short, any criminal justice policies must be both just and merciful, serving the ends of responsibility, rehabilitation, and restoration. 

Updates from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

• Archbishop Gudziak Commends Congress for Bipartisan Child Tax Credit Agreement (January 23)
• Bishop Burbidge's Homily for the National Prayer Vigil Opening Mass for Life (January 17) 
• Catholics Play a Vital Role in Defending Religious Freedom, Says Bishop Rhoades in Newly Released Religious Liberty Report (January 16) 
• Bishop Bambera Urges Christians to Unite and Pray for Peace During Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 12) 
• USCCB President’s Statement in Observance of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2024 (January 10)

WCC 2023 Public Policy Positions

The WCC's 2023 Public Policy Positions are designed to inform state legislators, policy makers, and other interested parties about the Church's public policy positions and the principles that undergird them.

2023-24 Legislature and Citizen Resources

To find out who your legislators are, go to the Wisconsin State Legislature's home page and enter your address under Who Are My Legislators. Other legislative resources include:

• 2023-24 Session Schedule
• Senate Directory
• Assembly Directory
• Committees
• Monthly Schedule of Committee Activities
• How a Bill Becomes a Law

You can also follow state government by tuning in to WisconsinEye, the independent, nonpartisan news service that provides uncut video coverage of state government proceedings.