AG Josh Kaul speaks at a town hall in Green Bay. | Photo by Andrew Kennard/Wisconsin Examiner

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul spoke to a crowd at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay last Thursday about crime victims’ services and Wisconsin’s response to  actions taken by the Trump administration.

Kaul said Wisconsin is currently involved in 11 multi-state lawsuits challenging various actions of the federal government. Among them are cases related to massive staffing cuts in the U.S. Department of Education, termination of health funding and an executive order to end birthright citizenship.

Kaul said many programs are being changed drastically. He discussed possible impacts of Social Security staff cuts as an example and encouraged people to reach out to the Wisconsin Department of Justice and share how these policy changes are affecting them.

Last month, Kaul unsuccessfully attempted to block Elon Musk from handing out $1 million checks at an event supporting Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel, who lost the recent election to Susan Crawford. The state Supreme Court turned down Kaul’s petition.

In Kaul’s opinion, “having rules that regulate petitions that are circulated right before an election, having rules that make clear that inducements to register to vote are problematic would be helpful,” he said. “And I think having statutes that make clear what it means to induce somebody to vote would be helpful.”

Kaul also described his pitch for money for services for crime victims in the state budget. Lower allocations from the federal Victims of Crime Act left providers scrambling, and Kaul said some providers have cut back on their hours and some have cut back on services. 

“Crime victim services, for those of you who aren’t familiar, can make a critical difference in the lives of people who are victims of crime,” Kaul said. “…They can help ensure that the victim’s rights are protected.”

Crime victim services can also help lead a person “to want to work with law enforcement and hold a perpetrator accountable, and that makes all of us safer,” he said. 

“So, essentially, what we’re talking about at the current level of funding is programs being stretched to the breaking point,” Kaul said. “That’s something I’ve heard from victim advocates.”

AG Josh Kaul speaks at a town hall in Green Bay. | Photo by Andrew Kennard/Wisconsin Examiner

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul spoke to a crowd at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay last Thursday about crime victims’ services and Wisconsin’s response to  actions taken by the Trump administration.

Kaul said Wisconsin is currently involved in 11 multi-state lawsuits challenging various actions of the federal government. Among them are cases related to massive staffing cuts in the U.S. Department of Education, termination of health funding and an executive order to end birthright citizenship.

Kaul said many programs are being changed drastically. He discussed possible impacts of Social Security staff cuts as an example and encouraged people to reach out to the Wisconsin Department of Justice and share how these policy changes are affecting them.

Last month, Kaul unsuccessfully attempted to block Elon Musk from handing out $1 million checks at an event supporting Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel, who lost the recent election to Susan Crawford. The state Supreme Court turned down Kaul’s petition.

In Kaul’s opinion, “having rules that regulate petitions that are circulated right before an election, having rules that make clear that inducements to register to vote are problematic would be helpful,” he said. “And I think having statutes that make clear what it means to induce somebody to vote would be helpful.”

Kaul also described his pitch for money for services for crime victims in the state budget. Lower allocations from the federal Victims of Crime Act left providers scrambling, and Kaul said some providers have cut back on their hours and some have cut back on services. 

“Crime victim services, for those of you who aren’t familiar, can make a critical difference in the lives of people who are victims of crime,” Kaul said. “…They can help ensure that the victim’s rights are protected.”

Crime victim services can also help lead a person “to want to work with law enforcement and hold a perpetrator accountable, and that makes all of us safer,” he said. 

“So, essentially, what we’re talking about at the current level of funding is programs being stretched to the breaking point,” Kaul said. “That’s something I’ve heard from victim advocates.”