Elijah Behnke, Wisconsin State Representative for 6th District | Official website
Elijah Behnke, Wisconsin State Representative for 6th District | Official website
According to the Wisconsin State Legislature's official website, the bill was described as follows: "classification of the crime of impersonating law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and certain other emergency personnel and providing a penalty".
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, the bill proposes amending existing statutes to reclassify the crime of impersonating law enforcement officers, firefighters, or certain other emergency personnel from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class I felony. This change reflects a more severe penalty for those who impersonate peace officers, firefighters, emergency services medical practitioners, or emergency medical responders with the intent to deceive others into believing they hold these official positions. The bill outlines this reclassification in the pertinent sections of the statutes, indicating the state's intent to impose stricter consequences for such offenses. No specific effective date is mentioned within the bill's text.
The bill was co-authored by Senator Jesse L. James (Republican-23rd District), Representative Bob G. Donovan (Republican-61st District), Representative Rick Gundrum (Republican-58th District), Representative Rob Kreibich (Republican-28th District), and Representative Dave Maxey (Republican-83rd District). It was co-sponsored by Senator Julian Bradley (Republican-28th District) and Senator Steve L. Nass (Republican-11th District).
Elijah R. Behnke has co-authored or authored another 67 bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with none of them being enacted.
Behnke graduated from Toccoa Falls College in 2005 with an AA.
Behnke, a Republican, was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2025 to represent the state's 6th Assembly district, replacing previous state representative Peter Schmidt.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AB136 | 03/13/2025 | Classification of the crime of impersonating law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and certain other emergency personnel and providing a penalty |
| AB135 | 03/13/2025 | The right to repair motor vehicles and providing a penalty. (FE) |
| AB133 | 03/13/2025 | Investment securities under the Uniform Commercial Code |
| AB128 | 03/11/2025 | Requiring first responders to be trained to administer epinephrine delivery systems. (FE) |
| AB103 | 03/04/2025 | School board policies related to changing a pupil’s legal name and pronouns |
| AB93 | 02/28/2025 | The distribution and labeling of fertilizers and soil or plant additives produced from manure. (FE) |
| AB91 | 02/28/2025 | The requirement that first class cities and first class city school districts place school resource officers in schools. (FE) |
| AB88 | 02/28/2025 | Civil action for injury or damages resulting from riot or vandalism, participation in a riot, prohibiting certain limitations or restrictions on law enforcement responses to riot or vandalism activity, and providing a penalty |
| AB76 | 02/28/2025 | Creating an individual income tax deduction for certain income earned by an individual from the practice of psychiatry or from providing psychiatric or mental health services. (FE) |
| AB74 | 02/28/2025 | Parental notification of alleged sexual misconduct by a school staff member. (FE) |
| AB66 | 02/24/2025 | Dismissing or amending certain criminal charges and deferred prosecution agreements for certain crimes |
| AB64 | 02/24/2025 | An income tax subtraction for certain expenses paid by a school teacher. (FE) |
| AB42 | 02/17/2025 | Local regulation of fowl |
| AB38 | 02/17/2025 | An income tax exemption for cash tips paid to an employee. (FE) |
| AB36 | 02/17/2025 | Law enforcement and firefighter annuitants in the Wisconsin Retirement System who are rehired by a participating employer. (FE) |
| AB30 | 02/17/2025 | Prohibiting a foreign adversary from acquiring agricultural or forestry land in this state |
| AB26 | 02/17/2025 | Battery or threat to jurors and providing a penalty |
| AB18 | 02/06/2025 | Fee waivers for state park vehicle admission receipts to pupils with Every Kid Outdoors passes. (FE) |
| AB4 | 02/03/2025 | Required instruction in civics in the elementary and high school grades, high school graduation requirements, and private school educational program criteria. (FE) |
| AB3 | 02/03/2025 | Incorporating cursive writing into the state model English language arts standards and requiring cursive writing in elementary grades. (FE) |
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