Green Bay Reporter

The new bill authored by State Rep. Franklin seeks to ensure timely parental notification of credible sexual misconduct reports involving school staff in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin State Assembly.

According to the Wisconsin State Legislature's official website, the bill was described as follows: "parental notification of alleged sexual misconduct by a school staff member. (FE)".

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill mandates that each school board, private school governing body, and charter school operator in Wisconsin notify the parents or guardians of a student if a credible report of alleged sexual misconduct by a school staff member is received, with the student identified as an alleged victim, target, or recipient. The notification must occur no later than the end of the day the report is received. The bill also specifies that such reports are considered received when they reach certain administrative figures, including assistant principals and superintendents. Furthermore, school boards are required to annually inform parents and guardians about accessing records related to school employee discipline under public records law. The act first applies to reports received on its effective date.

The bill was co-authored by Senator Cory Tomczyk (Republican-29th District), Representative Lindee Rae Brill (Republican-27th District), Representative Robert Brooks (Republican-59th District), Representative Barbara Dittrich (Republican-99th District), Representative Brent Jacobson (Republican-87th District). It was co-sponsored by Senator Steve L. Nass (Republican-11th District), along 11 other co-sponsors.

Benjamin Franklin has authored or co-authored another nine bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with none of them being enacted.

Franklin graduated from Trident University International in 2020 with a BA.

Franklin, a Republican, was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2025 to represent the state's 88th Assembly district, replacing previous state representative John Macco.

In Wisconsin, the legislative process starts when a senator, constituent, group, or agency proposes an idea for a bill. After drafting, the bill is introduced, numbered, and referred to a committee for review and public input. If approved, it moves through three readings and votes in both the Senate and Assembly. Once both chambers pass the same version, the bill goes to the governor, who can sign it, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. Only a small share of bills introduced each session ultimately become law. You can learn more about the Wisconsin legislative process here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
AB74	02/28/2025	Parental notification of alleged sexual misconduct by a school staff member. (FE)
AB17	02/06/2025	Creating an employee ownership conversion costs tax credit, a deduction for capital gains from the transfer of a business to employee ownership, and an employee ownership education and outreach program. (FE)
AB6	02/04/2025	Requiring a school board to spend at least 70 percent of its operating expenditures on direct classroom expenditures and annual pay increases for school administrators. (FE)