MADISON, WI – On Friday, Governor Evers vetoed Senate Bill 432, which would have required child welfare agencies to refer all instances of suspected child abuse to law enforcement.
The legislation, also known as “Zoey’s Law,” was authored by Senator Romaine Quinn (R-Birchwood) and Representative Chanz Green (R-Mason) in response to the case of Zoey Chafer, a four-year-old from Hayward, who lost her life despite numerous reports made by doctors and school officials about suspected abuse. The reports were not advanced for further inquiry.
“The tragic case of Zoey Chafer never should have happened. The system failed Zoey then and now it has failed her again with the governor’s veto,” Quinn said.
Under current law, child welfare departments are required to refer reports of suspected sexual abuse or trafficking to law enforcement within 12 hours. However, reports of other forms of suspected abuse, such as physical abuse, neglect, or exposure to dangerous drugs are not required by statute to be referred to police.
“As it stands now some types of child abuse may not be investigated because of inconsistent policies across the state,” Quinn said. “With this bill we wanted to close the gap to ensure that law enforcement will intervene and investigate when a child may be in danger.”
In his veto message, Governor Evers stated that “this bill could potentially triple the number of allegations that would be provided to local law enforcement agencies across our state,” and later added it could “result in increased workloads for both child welfare and local law enforcement agencies.”
Quinn responded by saying that the bill was not about creating a new burden, but ensuring there would be accountability and consistency in responding when the safety of a child is at stake.
“The governor’s argument appears to say that all cases of child abuse shouldn’t be reported simply because there would be too many cases to deal with,” Quinn said. “I believe when any abuse is suspected, we should never have uncertainty about who must act or when, in the best interest of the child.”
Last fall in the legislature’s public hearings on the bill, Quinn shared Zoey’s story with the committee members:
“Zoey Chafer, from Hayward, was born with severe cerebral palsy and was unable to speak or walk. Tragically, in July 2021, Zoey lost her life at the age of 4. Two weeks after her death, her family was notified that she died from an overdose of alcohol. The lab said her blood alcohol content was .57, which is 7 times higher than the legal limit of .08 for an adult. Since Zoey received nutrition through a feeding tube, suspicion fell to her caretakers at the time, her mother and her mother’s boyfriend. The boyfriend, who was an approved caregiver and paid by the state for his duties, has since pleaded guilty to 2 counts of physical abuse of a child and chronic neglect. Numerous reports were made by doctors and school officials about broken bones and bruising. These reports were made to CPS but they were screened out. The system failed Zoey Chafer.”
The legislation received bipartisan support before it was vetoed in its entirety on Friday. In order to move the bill forward, it would need to be reintroduced in the 2027 legislative session.
“I will not stop fighting for kids like Zoey,” Quinn said. “I plan to reintroduce this important legislation and work with the next governor to ensure that it becomes law.”
Last Update: Mar 30, 2026 2:11 pm CDT
