Senate Bill 243 proposes an amendment to Wisconsin's safe haven law, changing the maximum age of a newborn infant eligible for custody relinquishment from 72 hours to 30 days. This law allows parents to safely surrender their newborns to designated individuals, such as law enforcement officers, emergency medical technicians, or hospital staff, without facing civil or criminal liability, provided they do not express an intent to reclaim the child. The bill aims to expand the timeframe in which parents can relinquish custody, thereby potentially reducing the number of unsafe abandonments.

The bill includes specific amendments to various sections of the statutes, notably changing references from "72 hours" to "30 days" in sections 48.195, 48.355, and 48.415. These changes ensure that the legal framework reflects the new age limit for infants covered under the safe haven law, thereby aligning the legal definitions with the proposed policy shift.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 48.195(1m)(a)(intro.), 48.195, 48.355(2d)(b)5, 48.355, 48.415(1m), 48.415