2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
ASSEMBLY SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT 1,
TO ASSEMBLY BILL 542
November 29, 2023 - Offered by Representative Callahan.
AB542-ASA1,1,4 1An Act to repeal 165.88 (3m) (d); to amend 165.88 (4); and to create 165.88 (3p)
2of the statutes; relating to: grants to schools to acquire proactive metallic and
3nonmetallic threat detection equipment and software and making an
4appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, the Department of Justice awards grants to schools to
improve school safety. Currently DOJ awards grants to fund eligible expenditures
such as training; safety-related upgrades to buildings, equipment, and facilities;
and expenditures to provide blueprints or mapping data to law enforcement.
This bill requires DOJ to award grants of up to $325,000 to school boards or
governing bodies of private schools to acquire proactive metallic and nonmetallic
threat detection equipment and software and provides $4,000,000 in the 2023-25
fiscal biennium for the grants. Under the bill, the school board or governing body
must apply for the grants jointly with a local law enforcement agency. To be eligible
for a grant, an applicant must demonstrate that a school covered by the application
had a firearm-related incident that occurred on or after January 1, 2014. The bill
also requires a grant recipient to provide matching funds that equal at least 25
percent of the grant.
Under the bill, DOJ is limited to awarding grants to no more than 10 applicants
per fiscal biennium. If more than 10 applicants are qualified, the bill requires DOJ

to consider geographic variation and the order of applications received when
awarding the grants.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
AB542-ASA1,1 1Section 1 . 165.88 (3m) (d) of the statutes is repealed.
AB542-ASA1,2 2Section 2 . 165.88 (3p) of the statutes is created to read:
AB542-ASA1,2,73 165.88 (3p) Grants to schools for metallic and nonmetallic threat
4detection equipment and software.
(a) From the appropriation under s. 20.455 (2)
5(f), the department of justice shall award grants to school boards and governing
6bodies of private schools to acquire proactive metallic and nonmetallic threat
7detection equipment and software.
AB542-ASA1,2,178 (b) The department shall accept applications for the grants under this
9subsection from school boards, or governing bodies of private schools, that are
10working jointly with local law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction over the school.
11To be eligible for a grant under this subsection, a school board must demonstrate that
12a school in the school district had a firearm-related incident that occurred on or after
13January 1, 2014, or a governing body of a private school must demonstrate that the
14private school had a firearm-related incident that occurred on or after January 1,
152014. The firearm-related incident must satisfy all of the criteria under s. 118.124
16(2) (b). Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, the department shall consider the
17statistics reported under s. 118.124.
AB542-ASA1,2,2018 (c) Grant moneys awarded under par. (a) shall be used to acquire proactive
19metallic and nonmetallic threat detection equipment or software that complies with
20all of the following:
AB542-ASA1,2,2121 1. The equipment or software is developed in the United States.
AB542-ASA1,3,2
12. The equipment or software is designed to integrate with existing school
2security cameras or other school security alert systems.
AB542-ASA1,3,73 3. The artificial intelligence software is written and programmable to follow
4authorized protocol autonomously, or the equipment or software is managed directly
5by the school or law enforcement or by the contracted vendor onsite or though a
6constantly monitored operations center that is staffed by highly trained analysts, to
7rapidly communicate possible seen or unseen threats to end users.
AB542-ASA1,3,108 4. The equipment or software has been successfully deployed in other facilities,
9such as airports, courthouses, classified or unclassified facilities for state
10governments or the federal government, or school districts, or to a commercial user.
AB542-ASA1,3,1311 (d) A grant awarded under par. (a) may not exceed $325,000, and a recipient
12of a grant under this subsection shall provide matching funds that equal at least 25
13percent of the grant.
AB542-ASA1,3,1714 (e) The department may award grants under this subsection to no more than
1510 applicants per fiscal biennium. If more than 10 applicants are qualified under par.
16(b), the department shall consider geographic variation and the order of applications
17received when awarding grants.
AB542-ASA1,3 18Section 3 . 165.88 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB542-ASA1,3,2219 165.88 (4) Report. The department of justice shall submit an annual report to
20the cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance providing an account of the
21grants awarded under sub. subs. (2), (3m), and (3p) and the expenditures made with
22the grant moneys.
AB542-ASA1,4 23Section 4 . Fiscal changes.
AB542-ASA1,4,224 (1) Grant funding. In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the appropriation
25to the department of justice under s. 20.455 (2) (f), the dollar amount for the 2023-24

1fiscal year is increased by $4,000,000 to implement the grant program under s.
2165.88 (3p).
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