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Wisconsin Legislature: SB650: Bill Text
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SB650: Bill Text
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2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-5064/1
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2025 SENATE BILL 650
November 14, 2025 - Introduced by Senators
Testin
,
Feyen
,
Jacque
,
Nass
and
Tomczyk
, cosponsored by Representatives
Moses
,
Dallman
,
Knodl
,
O'Connor
,
Penterman
,
Murphy
,
Kurtz
,
Melotik
,
Green
,
Behnke
,
Brill
,
Piwowarczyk
and
Callahan
. Referred to Committee on Licensing, Regulatory Reform, State and Federal Affairs.
SB650,1,6
1
An Act
to amend
973.01 (2) (c) 2. a.;
to create
165.27, 939.64 and 946.685 of
2
the statutes;
relating to:
penalty enhancer for crimes committed by a person
3
acting as an agent of a foreign government or terrorist organization with the
4
intent to silence or punish persons for their political view, criminalizing the
5
enforcement of foreign laws without federal or state approval, and providing a
6
penalty.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Current law classifies crimes as Class A to I felonies or Class A to C misdemeanors. Current law also provides penalty enhancers if a crime is committed under certain circumstances. Under this bill, a person who commits a crime is guilty of a crime that is one classification level higher than current law provides if the underlying crime is committed by a person acting as an agent of a foreign government or foreign terrorist organization with the intent to harass, intimidate, silence, punish, or otherwise impose the foreign government’s or foreign terrorist organization’s control, preferences, viewpoints, or laws upon a dissident; exile; activist; journalist; political opponent; member of a religious, ethnic, or political minority group; or citizen of another country due to their political view. This is commonly known as transnational repression.
The bill also requires the Department of Justice to do all of the following: 1) develop a training program for law enforcement officers on how to identify and respond to transnational repression; 2) develop best practices on how to prevent transnational repression within local communities; 3) maintain a list of countries and foreign terrorist organizations that perpetrate transnational repression; and 4) develop a public awareness campaign to help individuals identify and report cases of transnational repression.
The bill also makes it a Class E felony to intentionally engage in the prevention, detection, investigation, monitoring, surveilling, or prosecution of an offense under the law or rule of a foreign government or foreign terrorist organization without the approval of the federal government or a Wisconsin law enforcement agency with jurisdiction. The bill imposes a three-year mandatory minimum term of confinement in prison and a mandatory minimum fine of at least $10,000 for a conviction.
Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime, the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a report.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
SB650,1
1
Section
1
.
165.27 of the statutes is created to read:
SB650,2,10
2
165.27
Transnational repression training, prevention, and
3
awareness.
(1)
In this section, “transnational repression” means an action taken
4
by a person acting as an agent of or on behalf of a foreign government or foreign
5
terrorist organization, outside of the jurisdiction of the government or organization,
6
with the intent to harass, intimidate, silence, punish, or otherwise impose the
7
foreign government’s or foreign terrorist organization’s control, preferences,
8
viewpoints, or laws upon a dissident; exile; activist; journalist; political opponent;
9
member of a religious, ethnic, or political minority group; or citizen of another
10
country due to their political view.
SB650,2,11
11
(2)
The department of justice shall do all of the following:
SB650,3,2
1
(a) Develop a training program for law enforcement officers on how to identify
2
and respond to transnational repression.
SB650,3,5
3
(b) Maintain a list of countries and foreign terrorist organizations that
4
perpetrate transnational repression frequently, including how the countries and
5
organizations perpetrate transnational repression.
SB650,3,7
6
(c) Develop best practices for preventing transnational repression within local
7
communities.
SB650,3,11
8
(d) Develop a public awareness campaign to help individuals identify and
9
report possible cases of transnational repression and to collect examples of cases
10
from the public. The public awareness campaign shall include institutions of higher
11
education with foreign student populations.
SB650,3,13
12
(e) Create a digital portal on the department’s website for reporting suspected
13
cases of transnational repression.
SB650,3,16
14
(3)
The department of justice shall submit a report annually to the
15
appropriate standing committees of the legislature under s. 13.172 (3) detailing
16
identified cases of transnational repression.
SB650,2
17
Section
2
.
939.64 of the statutes is created to read:
SB650,3,22
18
939.64
Penalty enhancer; crime committed as act of transnational
19
repression.
(1)
If a person commits, or solicits, conspires, or attempts under s.
20
939.30, 939.31, or 939.32 to commit, a crime under chs. 939 to 948, the
21
classification for the underlying crime is increased as provided under sub. (2) if all
22
of the following apply:
SB650,3,24
23
(a) The action is taken by a person acting as an agent of or on behalf of a
24
foreign government or foreign terrorist organization.
SB650,4,5
1
(b) The action is taken with the intent to harass, intimidate, silence, punish,
2
or otherwise impose the foreign government’s or foreign terrorist organization’s
3
control, preferences, viewpoints, or laws upon a dissident; exile; activist; journalist;
4
political opponent; member of a religious, ethnic, or political minority group; or
5
citizen of another country due to their political view.
SB650,4,8
6
(2)
(a) If the underlying crime under sub. (1) is a Class B to I felony, the person
7
is guilty of a felony that is one classification higher than the classification of the
8
underlying crime.
SB650,4,10
9
(b) If the underlying crime under sub. (1) is a Class A misdemeanor, the
10
person is guilty of a Class I felony.
SB650,4,13
11
(c) If the underlying crime under sub. (1) is a misdemeanor other than a Class
12
A misdemeanor, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor that is one classification
13
higher than the classification of the underlying crime.
SB650,4,16
14
(3)
This section provides for the enhancement of the penalties applicable for
15
the underlying crime. The court shall direct that the trier of fact find a special
16
verdict as to all of the elements specified in sub. (1).
SB650,3
17
Section
3
.
946.685 of the statutes is created to read:
SB650,4,23
18
946.685
Illegally enforcing foreign laws.
(1)
No person may intentionally
19
engage in the prevention, detection, investigation, monitoring, surveilling, or
20
prosecution of an offense under the law or rule of a foreign government or foreign
21
terrorist organization at the direction of the foreign government or foreign terrorist
22
organization without the prior approval of the federal government or a Wisconsin
23
law enforcement agency with jurisdiction.
SB650,5,5
24
(2)
A person who violates sub. (1) is guilty of a Class E felony. If a person is
1
convicted of a violation of sub. (1), the court shall impose a bifurcated sentence
2
under s. 973.01. The term of confinement in prison portion of the bifurcated
3
sentence shall be at least 3 years, and the person shall be fined at least $10,000.
4
Otherwise the penalties for the crime apply, subject to any applicable penalty
5
enhancement.
SB650,4
6
Section
4
.
973.01 (2) (c) 2. a. of the statutes is amended to read:
SB650,5,8
7
973.01
(2)
(c) 2. a. Sections 939.621, 939.623, 939.632, 939.635,
939.64,
8
939.645, 946.42 (4), 961.442, 961.46, and 961.49.
SB650,5,9
9
(end)
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