Assembly Bill 124 would create a lifetime ban on legal name changes for all Wisconsinites convicted of one of the ninety-seven enumerated offenses deemed a “violent crime” under Wis. Stat. § 969.001(3)(a). People in this category who change their name would be criminally charged with a Class H Felony punishable by a fine not to exceed $10,000 or imprisonment not to exceed 6 years, or both.
This proposal would treat anyone with one of these convictions—no matter how many decades have passed since the date of the offense—as a permanent threat to the community, regardless of any individual circumstances or progress since the time of the conviction.
This approach fails to serve public safety by denying individuals the basic dignity of shaping their own identity and making it harder for people to rebuild stable lives after incarceration.
This bill is particularly harmful to some of the most vulnerable Wisconsinites at risk of violence themselves: people who are survivors of abuse and transgender people. Even if a person was convicted as a teenager, has served their time, lived lawfully for decades, or is trying to escape trauma or danger, the law leaves no room for discretion or nuance.
