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Legislation that would no longer require children in protective care to be subject to placement with admitted child abusers is one step closer to becoming state law.
Ethan’s Law-co-authored by First District State Senator Andre Jacque of De Pere and 25th Assembly District Representative Paul Tittl of Manitowoc, cleared the State Assembly yesterday in a unanimous voice vote and likewise in the Senate earlier this year with bipartisan support.
Ethan’s Law honors the memory of 7-year-old Ethan Hauschultz of rural Manitowoc who died in April of 2018 after suffering a pattern of cruel abuse at the home of his caregiver and great Uncle Timothy Hauschultz. He had been found guilty of felony child abuse in 2009 among several other violent past offenses but because of a plea bargain, Timothy Hauschultz’s record showed the conviction as disorderly conduct-a non-violent misdemeanor.
Under this bill, Human Services workers could not place a child with any adult who had been found guilty of abusing a child entered a plea of no contest to a child abuse charge, or plea-bargained that crime down to a lesser offense.
Senator Jacque states in a news release “What happened to Ethan is unbelievably tragic. If the loopholes didn’t exist Ethan and his two siblings could not have been placed in this home and presumably Ethan would still be alive today. The system failed him and we owe it to his memory to put proper guidelines in place.”
Representative Tittl added, “This bill will bring some justice to the terrible suffering Ethan Hauschultz underwent that lead to his death and protect children in the future.”
Ethan’s Law now heads to Governor Evers for his consideration.
