Patrick Snyder, Wisconsin State Representative for 85th District | Facebook
Patrick Snyder, Wisconsin State Representative for 85th District | Facebook
According to the Wisconsin State Legislature's official website, the bill was described as follows: "extortion, sexual extortion, and providing a penalty".
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill introduces legislation to address "sextortion," making it a Class I felony to threaten harm to someone's reputation, property, or safety to coerce them into sexual acts or to produce intimate images. The bill upgrades this to a Class H felony if the victim is coerced into compliance, is a minor with an offender close in age, or suffers significant harm. It becomes a Class G felony if the crime is associated with previous sexual offenses, is part of a child abduction, or involves a significant age gap between a minor victim and the offender. The bill also extends victims' compensation to include cases of suicide linked to these crimes and requires the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties to assess the new law's impact. The effective date is not specified within the bill.
The bill was co-authored by Senator Jesse L. James (Republican-23rd District), Representative David Armstrong (Republican-67th District), Representative Elijah R. Behnke (Republican-6th District), Representative Lindee Rae Brill (Republican-27th District), Representative Calvin T. Callahan (Republican-35th District). It was co-sponsored by Senator Rachael Cabral-Guevara (Republican-19th District), Senator Romaine Robert Quinn (Republican-25th District), and Senator Cory Tomczyk (Republican-29th District), along 30 other co-sponsors.
Patrick Snyder has co-authored or authored another 24 bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with none of them being enacted.
Snyder graduated from the University of Iowa in 1978 with a BA.
Snyder, a Republican, was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2017 to represent the state's 85th Assembly district, replacing previous state representative Dave Heaton.
In Wisconsin, the legislative process starts when a senator, constituent, group, or agency proposes an idea for a bill. After drafting, the bill is introduced, numbered, and referred to a committee for review and public input. If approved, it moves through three readings and votes in both the Senate and Assembly. Once both chambers pass the same version, the bill goes to the governor, who can sign it, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. Only a small share of bills introduced each session ultimately become law. You can learn more about the Wisconsin legislative process here.
| Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| AB201 | 04/16/2025 | Extortion, sexual extortion, and providing a penalty |
| AB193 | 04/15/2025 | Ratification of the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact. (FE) |
| AB164 | 04/08/2025 | Various changes to the unemployment insurance law and federal Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment grants. (FE) |
| AB156 | 04/02/2025 | Requiring child sexual abuse prevention education. (FE) |
| AB141 | 03/17/2025 | Provisional social worker certificates and licenses |
| AB97 | 02/28/2025 | Extension of eligibility under the Medical Assistance program for postpartum women. (FE) |
| AB27 | 02/17/2025 | Expanding veterans benefits to individuals who served in Laos in support of the United States during the Vietnam War |
| AB23 | 02/07/2025 | Establishment of a Palliative Care Council. (FE) |
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