Wisconsin Senate Extends STATE Tax Exemption to Preborn Children, Passes Constitutional Amendment Prohibiting Church Closures

For Immediate Release: November 7, 2023

Madison, WI – Today, the Wisconsin Senate passed the final bill in a legislative package, entitled Embrace Them Both, that protects and supports pregnant mothers and their preborn children. Authored by Senator Romaine Quinn (R-Cameron), Senate Bill (SB) 344 increases the current state income tax exemption for dependents from $700 to $1,000 and extends the coverage to preborn children whose fetal heartbeat has been detected. The tax emption may not be claimed for a pregnancy that ends in abortion, defined in state law as the intentional killing of a preborn child. SB 344 passed on a 20-11 vote.

“Designating the preborn child as a ‘dependent’ provides substantial tax savings to her expectant parents and recognizes her as a human ‘person’ deserving of public benefits,” said Pro-Life Wisconsin Legislative Director Matt Sande. “Pro-Life Wisconsin thanks the Senate for supporting Wisconsin’s growing families.”

The non-statutory, legislative findings in SB 344 state that “human life begins at conception” and that “during the embryonic stage of pregnancy, the heart of an unborn child begins to beat.” Because less than five percent of all natural pregnancies end in miscarriage after detection of cardiac activity, fetal heartbeat is a key medical marker for an unborn child’s capacity to achieve a live birth.

On October 17, 2023, the Wisconsin Senate passed SB 343, SB 345, and SB 346 that together clarify and strengthen Wisconsin’s current statutory abortion ban and provide the necessary resources for both moms and babies to survive and thrive in a post-Roe Wisconsin. With the passage of SB 344, all four Embrace Them Both bills have moved to the Wisconsin Assembly for public hearings and floor passage.

The Wisconsin Senate also passed Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 54, legislation authored by Senator Cory Tomczyk (R-Mosinee) guaranteeing the freedom to gather in places of worship during a state of emergency. Specifically, SJR 54 amends the Wisconsin Constitution to prohibit

the state or a political subdivision of the state from ordering the closure of or forbidding gatherings in places of worship in response to a state of emergency at the national, state, or local level, including an emergency related to public health. SJR 54 passed on a 21-10 vote.

Pro-Life Wisconsin is a Christian organization relying on God to change hearts and minds toward His most precious creation of human life. It is engaged in a spiritual war against the culture of death. Its members fortify themselves in this epic battle by faithfully attending their communal places of worship and living sacramental lives. When they are cut off from this spiritual sustenance, it is difficult to be effective in their missionary work.

“Just as food feeds the body, worship feeds the soul,” said Sande. “Both are essential. In a state of emergency, uninhibited access to our grocery stores is no more important than unrestricted access to our churches. SJR 54 recognizes and reinforces this reality. Moreover, the legislation upholds our unqualified federal First Amendment rights to freely exercise our religious beliefs and freely assemble and expands our unqualified state constitutional freedom of worship right.”

An amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution requires passage in two successive legislatures followed by a simple majority vote of the people. The Governor’s signature is not required. Having passed the Senate, SJR 54 now moves to the Wisconsin Assembly for a public hearing and floor passage.

CONTACT:
Matt Sande, Legislative Director
P: 262.352.0890
E: [email protected]