Wisconsin Legislative Council
ACT MEMO
One Ea st Ma in Stre e t, Suite 401 • Ma dison, W I 53703 • (608) 266-1304 • le g.council@le gis.wisconsin.gov • http://www.le gis.wisconsin.gov/lc
Prepared by: Tom Koss, Staff Attorney April 1, 2024
2023 Wisconsin Act 239
[2023 Assembly Bill 978]
Creation of a Human Trafficking
Council
2023 WISCONSIN ACT 239
2023 Wisconsin Act 239 creates a Human Trafficking Council that is attached to the Department of
Justice (DOJ). The act also establishes the membership and duties of the council. The council’s
membership includes the representatives of certain state agencies, members of the Legislature, law
enforcement officers, and representatives of organizations that provide human trafficking victim
support services.
The act requires the council to do the following:
Compile and maintain an inventory of human trafficking prevention programs and services in
Wisconsin and develop, maintain, and keep current an online database to share information among
certain governmental bodies and organizations.
Beginning on July 1, 2028, and once every three years thereafter, define, review, and assess the
efficacy of the expenditure of state funds allocated to human trafficking prevention.
Compile data on human trafficking offenses committed in Wisconsin using metrics the council
determines to be of use.
Assess sex trafficking activities in each county, establish criteria to be used as the basis for
recommendations to counties, and make recommendations as to whether a county should establish
a human trafficking task force and whether a law enforcement agency in a county should designate a
law enforcement officer to coordinate the law enforcement agency’s human trafficking and
prevention efforts.
Assess the regulation and oversight of facilities that provide residential care in a congregate living
environment.
Assess the frequency and extent to which social media platforms are used to assist, facilitate, or
support human trafficking in Wisconsin; establish a process to detect such use on a consistent basis;
and develop recommendations on how to stop, reduce, or prevent social media platforms from
being used for human trafficking purposes.
Develop a state strategic plan for preventing human trafficking, providing resources for law
enforcement initiatives, providing resources to organizations that provide human trafficking
prevention programs and services or victim support services and programs, and creating or
providing access to relevant training programs for law enforcement or such organizations.
In consultation with DOJ, develop a model protocol for interviewing and interacting with victims of
human trafficking offenses.
Develop a model training program for counties relating to reducing interest in solicitation by
individuals who solicit or facilitate commercial sex acts. - 2 -
By July 1 of each year, submit to the Legislature and post online a report that summarizes the data
collected by the council, the council’s activities, and any obstacles that prevented the council from
successfully carrying out its duties during the previous year. The council’s third report must include
a recommendation as to whether the council should continue to operate after June 30, 2029, and
recommendations relating to moving the council’s ongoing initiatives to other governmental bodies.
The act allows the council to request, and requires DOJ and the Department of Administration to
collaborate to provide, any data necessary to carry out the council’s duties.
The act further provides that, in any county that has received a recommendation to create a human
trafficking task force, the county board must review the recommendation and is encouraged to establish
a sex trafficking task force that includes representatives from law enforcement agencies, county
departments, and local nonprofit groups to coordinate efforts to combat sex trafficking in that county.
Similarly, under the act, each person in charge of a law enforcement agency in a county that has
received a recommendation from the council is encouraged to designate a law enforcement officer to
coordinate the law enforcement agency’s human trafficking prevention and enforcement efforts.
The act also requires the Law Enforcement Standards Board to develop a list of recommended training
courses for law enforcement officers related to: preventing, recognizing, and investigating human
trafficking; apprehending and prosecuting human traffickers; and coordinating human trafficking
response efforts with other law enforcement agencies and organizations.
Effective date: The act’s provisions are created effective July 1, 2025, and repealed effective June 30,
2029.
For a full history of the bill, visit the Legislature’s bill history page.
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