Threats to health care providers and providing a penalty, the official text

2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-5908/1
MJW:klm

2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 905
January 23, 2026 - Introduced by Representatives Kurtz, Novak, Behnke, Dittrich, Duchow, Knodl, Kreibich, Maxey, Mursau, O'Connor, Penterman, Piwowarczyk, Sinicki, Tucker and Wichgers, cosponsored by Senators Marklein, Wanggaard, Cabral-Guevara, James and Nass. Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

An Act to renumber and amend 947.016 (3); to create 947.016 (3) (am) of the statutes; relating to: threats to health care providers and providing a penalty.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, it is a Class H felony to threaten a health care provider or a person who works in a health care facility under specific circumstances.
This bill defines "health care provider" and "health care facility" to include certain workers, such as emergency medical technicians, who may not work at a health care facility. These definitions align with the definition of those terms under current battery provisions. The bill also provides that the felony penalty applies if the threat is in response to an action taken by a health care provider in his or her official capacity, regardless of whether the action occurred at a health care facility.
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.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. 947.016 (3) of the statutes, as created by 2025 Wisconsin Act 24, is renumbered 947.016 (3) (bm) and amended to read:
947.016 (3) (bm) Health care providers and staff and their family members. The person threatens a current or former health care provider or a person who works or formerly worked in a health care facility or a family member of a current or former health care provider or a person who works or formerly worked in a health care facility under all of the following circumstances:
1. At the time of the threat, the person knows or should have known that the victim is or was formerly a health care provider or works or formerly worked in a health care facility or is a family member of the person who is or was formerly a health care provider or who works or formerly worked in a health care facility.
2. The threat is in response to an action occurring at the a health care facility or an action by a health care provider acting in his or her official capacity or by an official, employee, or agent of the a health care facility acting in his or her official capacity.
Section 2. 947.016 (3) (am) of the statutes is created to read:
947.016 (3) (am) In this subsection:
1. “Health care facility” has the meaning given in s. 940.51 (12).
2. “Health care provider” has the meaning given in s. 940.51 (13).
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