A pair of bipartisan bills aimed at strengthening Wisconsin’s response to online child exploitation were signed into law on April 8 by Governor Tony Evers. Assembly Bills 957 and 958 — now, respectively, Act 216 and Act 217 — focus on expanding funding and position authority for the state’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
In January 2026, Rep. Jill Billings (D-La Crosse) introduced both pieces of legislation, which were authored by Rep. Lindee Brill (R-Sheboygan Falls) and Sen. Jesse James (R-Thorp). The bills originated as part of the work of the Assembly Speaker’s Task Force on Protecting Kids, a bipartisan group focused on addressing the rise of online threats targeting minors established in 2025. The Assembly passed both bills in February.
Since ICAC was created in 1998, the task force has worked closely with state and local law enforcement to develop responses to offenders who use online technology for child sexual exploitation and internet crimes against children. These bills increase staffing, funding and investigative capacity to respond to online threats to Wisconsin children.
“ICAC plays a very important role in this state,” Billings said in an interview. “I felt it was important to give them at least some of the staff that they need, as much as I felt like we could get for them right now,” she added, referring to the increases in staff and spending provided by the legislation to support the task force.
Act 216 allocates $400,000 in each year of the 2025–27 biennium to the Wisconsin Department of Justice to support law enforcement efforts targeting internet crimes against children, while Act 217 provides four additional full-time positions with ICAC. These positions include two criminal analysts, a digital evidence examiner and an outreach specialist. Lawmakers say these additions are needed as reports of online child exploitation continue to increase.
“The Wisconsin ICAC Task Force does critical work to investigate online crimes against kids and support victims,” Attorney General Josh Kaul stated in a press release following the passing of the legislation. “Investing in this work helps with protecting kids online and holding offenders accountable.”
ICAC serves as the clearing house for CyberTips, which refer to cases of suspected child exploitation submitted by individuals or electronic service providers. Under federal law, providers are required to file a tip to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children when certain material is discovered on their system.
According to a 2026 report from the Assembly Speaker’s Task Force on Protecting Kids, more than 11,000 CyberTips were referred to Wisconsin’s ICAC Task Force in 2024, and 14,000 were referred between Jan. 1 and Nov. 7, 2025. According to Billings, the total number of tips received in 2025 exceeded 19,000 by the end of the year.
Additionally, ICAC conducts more than 2,500 investigations into crimes against children each year, Billings said in an April 9 press release published by WisPolitics. These investigations often center on significant online threats to children, such as sextortion and exposure to federally prohibited child sexual abuse material. Sextortion is a form of sexual exploitation in which an offender threatens to release compromising material of a victim unless the victim provides the payment requested. Billings said these cases are often linked to serious consequences, including mental health crises and suicide.
In the Speaker’s Task Force on Protecting Kids report, officials describe ICAC as a coordination point for statewide investigations that often require specialized digital forensic work.
As cases have increased, lawmakers say the demand on investigators has also increased. Analysts with ICAC are responsible for reviewing large volumes of digital reports, tracing offenders and assisting local agencies with complex investigations that can cross state and international borders.
According to Billings, investigators were unable to follow up on every tip due to staffing shortages. She describes a common sextortion pattern in which overseas offenders use AI-generated images to extort and blackmail young people, often demanding payment in gift cards.
Supporters like Billings say ICAC already has the expertise needed to investigate these crimes effectively, but additional capacity is needed to handle the growing number of cases, reflecting a broader effort to strengthen the state’s response rather than rebuild it. Attorney General Kaul noted in his statement that additional staffing will increase the number of cases ICAC can investigate.
Lawmakers also emphasized that prevention is a key component of ICAC’s mission. The new outreach position funded by the legislation is intended to help parents better understand online safety risks and stay informed about social media exploitation and other violations occurring through messaging apps and online gaming platforms where predators may target minors, according to Billings.
The bills passed with unanimous support, reflecting agreement among lawmakers that protecting children online is a shared priority as incidents of online crimes against children become increasingly prevalent.
“These bills are a critical step in the right direction, but we know there’s more work to be done,” Brill said in an April 8 press release. “As a mother, I am passionate about the need to defend future generations and protect the innocent of the state of Wisconsin.”
