(facebook.com)
MADISON, Wis. — Two new Wisconsin laws aimed at protecting children from sexual predators were signed Friday, creating the state’s first explicit criminal offense for child grooming and requiring stricter policies governing communication between school staff and students.
The legislation, authored by State Rep. Amanda Nedweski (R–Pleasant Prairie) along with State Sen. Jesse James (R–Thorp) and State Sen. Romaine Quinn (R–Birchwood), establishes felony penalties for adults who groom minors for sexual activity and mandates school policies addressing staff-student communication.
The reform comes after nearly two years of legislative work and was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature.
While the bills were the product of statewide collaboration among lawmakers, prosecutors, and victim advocates, the push for stronger protections was fueled locally by a scandal that first came to light through reporting by Kenosha County Eye.
Kenosha County Eye broke the story involving former teacher Christian Enwright, exposing allegations that shocked the community and ignited public outrage. After the outlet’s reporting brought the case into the public spotlight, Kenosha police launched a serious investigation into the allegations.
At the time, the Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office—then led by former District Attorney Michael Graveley—initially declined to charge Enwright.
The decision drew sharp criticism once the details of the allegations became widely known through Kenosha County Eye’s reporting. As public scrutiny intensified and the case gained broader attention, prosecutors ultimately revisited the matter and filed charges against Enwright.
Out of that controversy came a broader push to close gaps in Wisconsin law that previously made grooming behavior difficult to prosecute unless an assault had already occurred.
Under the newly signed legislation, Assembly Bill 677 formally defines “child grooming” in Wisconsin law and establishes strict felony penalties for offenders who target minors for sexual activity. Lawmakers say the statute now allows predators convicted of grooming a child to face up to 25 years in prison.
A companion measure, Senate Bill 673, requires every Wisconsin school district to adopt clear policies and training governing how school staff communicate with students, a reform designed to prevent inappropriate relationships from developing in the first place.
Nedweski said the legislation represents a major step forward in protecting children and holding predators accountable.
“After nearly two years of working to strengthen protections for children in Wisconsin, I’m grateful to see these two important bills signed into law,” Nedweski said in a statement. “This is a major step forward in protecting kids, supporting victims, and ensuring that those who prey on children are held accountable.”
The Pleasant Prairie Republican also noted that her office learned the bills had been signed through a 9:46 a.m. email from the governor’s legislative affairs staff rather than receiving advance notice of the signing.
Despite that frustration, Nedweski said the reforms mark an important turning point.
“These strong deterrents will keep kids safe and put predators behind bars,” she said.
For many in Kenosha County, the passage of the new laws represents a direct example of how local investigative reporting can drive statewide change.
What began as a controversial criminal case uncovered by Kenosha County Eye ultimately helped spark legislative reforms designed to better protect children across Wisconsin.
24 Responses
As said before, if you don’t do another good thing in life, Kevin, this could stand as a great accolade – protecting kids!
AB677. 6 Democrats voted no.
Of course they did! Probably pedos themselves!! How could anyone not vote in favor of this new law!
How can people support President Trump, the Pedo-in-Chief?
Yawn. No one cares but you, troll.
🤣
You dim-witted people are intellectually incapable of comprehending that all of you have been conned by a narcissist pedophile.
Sucks to be you!
Your attempt at sounding smart failed you, miserably. So now we see you fail at trolling and language arts. Yikes
AB673 44 democrats voted no including Neubauer who represents part of Racine/Sturtevant.
How can ANYONE Vote against this !
Unbelievable !!
All of these representatives and senators who voted against this, how do you not see that children don’t see the political divide much less understand it ?
How can you face your constituents after this ??
These are sole reasons to loose an election.
They dont care. As long as they get kickbacks, and we have constant voter fraud, nothing will change.
Separate issues.
You’re retarded.
Not calling the authors and sponsors of these bills so they can attend the signing is small potatoes yet that’s who Tony Evers is, a small minded person.
Kudos to Amanda, Jesse and Romaine for getting this done in Madison !
Exceptional Kudos for the reporting by KCE to expose this degenerate and exposing the lack of penalties available to prosecutors in dealing with offenses like this.
All around a Great Day Today and going Forward !
All the more reason to keep Amanda close to home. Stay here with your ears to the local needs and help our area as much as you can here.
Yes bigger things await you in the future if that’s what you want. With wins like this you will go far.
But for now we all Thank You Amanda for a Job Well Done !!!
Too bad we can’t apply the new law to Enright and send that POS to prison where he belongs!
Sex crimes are a sickness.
A sickness that some cannot control.
It’s a 50/50 bet that somewhere down the line he will do it again. Doesn’t have to be in a school.
A .45 will control it…
Remember the Christina Maguson case from the 90’s? She was working for KUSD and a group home for troubled boys when she got pregnant by a 17yr old she had known since he was a child. Is there a psych evaluation. that can be given to employees to see if they are attracted to children? It is becoming more prevalent all over and with more women.
Yeah, just look at their voting history: Democrat= pedophile.
God bless you Amanda. You and your hard work means innocence can flourish again.
Big shout out to Detective Kunz for working so diligently on the Enright case and contributing to bringing attention to there being a need for such a bill! And a big shout out to the other KPD members who were essential to pushing for this bill and helped get it across the finish line!
And thank you Kevin for providing so much coverage to this case, keeping our public informed!
Yes! Det. Kunz didn’t give up. I’ve read his reports and his work with this case was very thorough and I could see the father and dedicated cop in him in his pursuit to seek justice.
How many young girls did “coach” Jimmy groom during his long tenure at Wilmot? A day late and a dollar short.
This may just result in job vacancies at KUSD. Pedo’s may be pursuing a Ministry career with a Theology degree from Liberty University now.
I wonder if the teachers get equal protection. What happens when a brazen teen says some wild ass shit to a teacher, teacher sends student to the deans office, office doesn’t do anything, and send the future degenerate back into the classroom. That’s setting up teachers for failure as well. Everyone, including students, especially teens, need to be held accountable for their actions. They are just close enough to adulthood to know what they are saying or doing.