Sen. Melissa Agard (D-Madison) introduced two new legislative bills Wednesday aimed at curbing violence through prevention. One would create a curriculum that teaches students about healthy relationships and the other intends to limit crimes of passion with guns.
Coinciding with Teen Violence Prevention Month, the bill focused on incorporating the curriculum into school gained bipartisan support from Sen. Jerry Petrowski (R-Marathon) and Rep. Samantha Kerkman (R-Salem).
“Teen dating violence is a prevalent problem in the United States,” Sen. Kerkman said in a press release. “Developing healthy relationship practices as a young adult can have lifelong, positive impacts on health.”
According to the press release, promoting positive relationships may, “identify abusive behavior,” which, “is critical to preventing teen dating violence and preventing cyclical abuse patterns.”
Sen. Agard joined with Rep. Sheila Stubbs (D-Madison) also announced legislation to “reinstate the 48 hour waiting period on handgun purchases in Wisconsin” on the sixth anniversary of Caroline Nosal was murdered by her co-worker in 2016. James Nosal, Caroline’s father, joined lawmakers at the introduction in Madison.
“I urge my colleagues to listen to the people that are most impacted by inaction on this policy. Dr. and Mrs. Nosal have endured an unthinkable tragedy, and we are forever grateful for their strength in sharing their story,” Rep. Stubbs said. “As lawmakers, it is our job to ensure no other family has to face this pain.”
“We’re here to say that we can avoid senseless violence like this in the future. We must choose to be a safer, more secure society. We must choose as a society to support policies that save lives. Simply put, every Wisconsinite should have the freedom to live, work, and play without fear of violence,” said Agard. “We have the power to create a better, safer future. Let’s work together to accomplish that.”
