Committee chair says Sortwell riot penalties bill has issues that must be addressed

MADISON, Wis. (WRN) — At the Capitol, a Republican bill to increase penalties for rioting in Wisconsin is paused for now.

The legislation received significant opposition earlier this month in the state Assembly’s Judiciary Committee and was not given a committee vote on Wednesday.

Democrats Ryan Clancy of Milwaukee and Andrew Hysell of Sun Prairie were pleased, calling the bill legal overreach that could be used against legitimate protests. The bill’s author, Two Rivers Republican Shae Sortwell, accused them of falsely claiming the bill was “pulled” from Wednesday’s agenda when a vote hadn’t officially been scheduled.

Committee chair Representative Ron Tusler told WisPolitics in a statement that the bill in its current form has “constitutional, common-sense, and enforcement issues” and will not receive a vote until those are addressed.