Bill > SB650

Introduced Session

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. LRB-5064/1 CMH:ads&cjs 2025 - 2026 Legislature SENATE BILL 650 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.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Dan Feyen (R)*,  André Jacque (R)*,  Steve Nass (R)*,  Patrick Testin (R)*,  Cory Tomczyk (R)*,  Elijah Behnke (R),  Lindee Brill (R),  Calvin Callahan (R),  Alex Dallman (R),  Chanz Green (R),  Dan Knodl (R),  Anthony Kurtz (R),  Paul Melotik (R),  Clint Moses (R),  Dave Murphy (R),  Jerry O'Connor (R),  William Penterman (R),  Jim Piwowarczyk (R), 

Fiscal estimate received (on 02/10/2026)

Official Document