Evers signs law to protect children from abuse during court placements
Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signs the Republican-written state budget that includes a $2 billion income tax cut at Cumberland Elementary School, Thursday, July 8, 2021, in Whitefish Bay, Wis.[AP Photo/Scott Bauer]
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed a new court-related child protection bill into law Thursday.
"Ethan’s Law" is aimed at protecting children who are placed in homes by a court from people with previous records of crimes against a minor. The act expands the existing law to encompass people who have been convicted, had a charge dismissed or amended as part of a plea agreement or pleaded no contest to crimes against a child. It also prevents licensed businesses involved in court placement from contracting with, employing or housing people who have been charged with the same crimes against children.
The law is named for 7-year-old Ethan Hauschultz, who was fatally beaten to death in 2018. Hauschultz was placed in the home of a relative who had pleaded no contest to a felony child abuse charge.
Evers and the Hauschultz family attended a private signing ceremony to enact the bill.