Senate Approves Holocaust Education, Sexual Assault Tracking Kit Bills
Madison –Wisconsin is on pace to become the 17th state to require some form of Holocaust education in schools. On Tuesday, the Wisconsin State Senate approved a bipartisan bill requiring middle school and high school students to learn about the Holocaust. State Senator Alberta Darling says she authored the bill to help stop anti-Semitism and to encourage understanding.
“Unfortunately, we are losing voices of first-hand accounts of Holocaust survivors,” Darling said, “This bill will help make sure those voices are preserved forever and the important lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten.”
Senator Darling’s bill adds Holocaust education to the model academic standards for social studies. Also, it guarantees that Wisconsin students learn about the Holocaust at least once during middle school and once during high school.
Also on Tuesday, the State Senate approved another bill by Senator Darling which will create the Wisconsin Sexual Assault Kit Tracking System. Senator Darling says it's time the state ensures that sexual assault victims have access to information about their sexual assault kits.
“This bill empowers victims of sexual assault as their case goes through the legal system,” Darling said, “I’ve worked with members of both houses and both parties to ensure that Wisconsin statute protects victims and prevents another backlog of cases.”
The bill will create a database for health care professionals, law enforcement, state crime laboratory personnel, and prosecutors to update information on the location and status of a sexual assault kit. The bill also enables victims to track or receive updates on the location and status of their kit.
Senator Darling represents portions of Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha Counties.
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