2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
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2023 SENATE BILL 209
April 3, 2023 - Introduced by Senators JACQUE and TOMCZYK, cosponsored by
Representatives KRUG, CALLAHAN, ARMSTRONG, BEHNKE, BRANDTJEN, GREEN,
MOSES and MURSAU. Referred to Committee on Transportation and Local
Government.
1 AN ACT to amend 20.455 (2) (as) and 165.85 (5) (b); and to create 66.0512, 165.28
2 (4) and 165.85 (5) (bm) of the statutes; relating to: increasing the law
3 enforcement training reimbursement, school resource officers, and making an
4 appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, the Law Enforcement Standards Board reimburses each
political subdivision for the costs associated with preparatory training and annual
recertification training for law enforcement officers, jail officers, and juvenile
detention officers. A “political subdivision" means a county, city, village, town, town
sanitary district, public inland lake protection and rehabilitation district, and
technical college district.
Under current law, reimbursement to a political subdivision for annual
recertification training must be at least $160 per officer. This bill increases the
reimbursement to at least $320 per officer.
The bill also requires LESB to reimburse the costs of preparatory training that
were paid by an individual who completed the training and subsequently became a
certified law enforcement officer, jail officer, or juvenile detention officer in addition
to those costs that were paid by a political subdivision on behalf of a recruit.
Current law provides standards and training requirements for law
enforcement officers, but current law does not provide specific standards or training
requirements for school resource officers, who are law enforcement officers assigned
by a law enforcement agency to work in collaboration with a school district, private
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SENATE BILL 209
school, or independent charter school. The bill requires the Office of School Safety
in the Department of Justice to develop standards and approve a certified training
program for school resource officers. The bill prohibits law enforcement agencies
from assigning officers after September 1, 2024, as school resource officers unless
they have completed a training program that OSS has approved.
The bill also requires OSS to maintain a database of all school resource officers.
Under the bill, OSS must include in the database the school district, private school,
or independent charter school to which each school resource officer is assigned and
when the officer completed the training required under the bill.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
1 SECTION 1. 20.455 (2) (as) of the statutes is amended to read:
2 20.455 (2) (as) Officer training reimbursements; supplemental funds. The
3 amounts in the schedule to make payments under s. 165.85 (5) (b) and (bm) and (5x).
4 SECTION 2. 66.0512 of the statutes is created to read:
5 66.0512 School resource officers. (1) In this section:
6 (a) “Law enforcement agency” has the meaning given in s. 165.83 (1) (b).
7 (b) “Law enforcement officer" means a person who is employed by the state or
8 a political subdivision of the state for the purpose of detecting and preventing crime
9 and enforcing laws or ordinances and who is authorized to make arrests for violations
10 of the laws or ordinances that the person is employed to enforce.
11 (c) “School resource officer” means a law enforcement officer who is deployed
12 in community-oriented policing and assigned by the law enforcement agency that
13 employs him or her to work in a full-time capacity in collaboration with a school
14 district, a governing body of a private school, or an operator of a charter school
15 authorized under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x).
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SENATE BILL 209 SECTION 2
1 (2) No law enforcement agency may assign a law enforcement officer to be a
2 school resource officer unless the law enforcement officer completes a training
3 program that is approved under s. 165.28 (4) (a).
4 (3) If a law enforcement agency assigns a law enforcement officer to be a school
5 resource officer, the law enforcement agency shall provide the department of justice
6 with the information the department requests for the database under s. 165.28 (4)
7 (b).
8 SECTION 3. 165.28 (4) of the statutes is created to read:
9 165.28 (4) (a) No later than 90 days after the effective date of this paragraph
10 .... [LRB inserts date], develop standards and approve a certified training program
11 regarding the role and function of school resource officers, deescalation techniques,
12 and the employment of law enforcement officers in an educational environment. In
13 this subsection, “school resource officer” has the meaning given in s. 66.0512 (1) (c).
14 (b) Maintain a database of individuals employed as school resource officers.
15 The database shall include, for each school resource officer, the school district, the
16 private school, or the charter school authorized under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x) to which
17 the school resource officer is assigned and when the school resource officer completed
18 the training program required under s. 66.0512 (2).
19 SECTION 4. 165.85 (5) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
20 165.85 (5) (b) The board shall authorize the reimbursement to each political
21 subdivision of approved expenses incurred by recruits who satisfactorily complete
22 training at schools certified by the board. Reimbursement of these expenses for law
23 enforcement officer, jail officer and juvenile detention officer preparatory training
24 shall be for board approved tuition, living, and travel expenses. Reimbursement of
25 approved expenses for completion of annual recertification training under sub. (4)
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SENATE BILL 209 SECTION 4
1 shall include at least $160 $320 per officer thereafter. Funds may also be distributed
2 for attendance at other training programs and courses or for training services on a
3 priority basis to be decided by the department of justice.
4 SECTION 5. 165.85 (5) (bm) of the statutes is created to read:
5 165.85 (5) (bm) The board shall reimburse approved expenses for an individual
6 who satisfactorily completes preparatory training at a board-certified school and
7 who subsequently becomes certified as a law enforcement officer, jail officer, or
8 juvenile detention officer. Expenses eligible for reimbursement under this
9 paragraph include tuition and living and travel expenses.
10 SECTION 6.0Fiscal changes.
11 (1) In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the appropriation to the department
12 of justice under s. 20.455 (2) (as), the dollar amount for fiscal year 2023-24 is
13 increased by $4,480,000. In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the appropriation
14 to the department of justice under s. 20.455 (2) (as), the dollar amount for fiscal year
15 2024-25 is increased by $4,480,000.
16 SECTION 7.0Initial applicability.
17 (1) The treatment of s. 66.0512 (2) first applies to assignments made, renewed,
18 or extended on the effective date of this subsection.
19 (END)


Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 20.455(2)(as), 20.455, 165.85(5)(b), 165.85