On Friday August 6, 2021, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers took action on six Senate bills. One of these bills, Senate Bill 17, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 76, addressed five key issues:

• Increases penalties for crimes committed against an elder person;
• Increases the penalty for sexual assault of an elder person;
• Creates a crime of physical abuse of an elder person;
• Creates a procedure for a court to freeze or seize a defendant’s assets if charged with a financial exploitation crime involving an elder person; and
• Allows an elder person seeking a restraining order to appear in court via telephone or live audiovisual means.

Governor Evers press release stated, “Aging and older Wisconsinites are particularly vulnerable to financial and physical abuse and exploitation, and unfortunately, we are seeing a devastating and concerning rise in these crimes.” He went on to say, “This bill is an important bipartisan action to help put an end to elder abuse and protect some of our most vulnerable loved ones and neighbors.”