Wisconsin’s Assembly speaker said Tuesday that the state Senate is the only thing standing in the way of a proposal to penalize so-called “sanctuary cities” in Wisconsin.
Sanctuary cities are communities that have passed rules barring law enforcement from asking people their immigration status or reporting people living in the country illegally to the federal government. Under the proposed bill, the state would impose fines of $500 to $5,000 per day for those communities.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, says his chamber won’t take up the bill until the Senate passes it.
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“Remember, we passed it last session,” Vos said. “So what I’ve said this time around is it’s got to pass the Senate first, since we’ve already adopted it, I’m sure if it came over from the Senate we would probably adopt it as well. But I know they had a hearing and I haven’t seen any action since then.”
The state Senate held a public hearing on the bill a few weeks ago, which drew hundreds of protestors from around the state.
A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said Tuesday that senators won’t pass the bill this year, but could take it up next spring.
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