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Madison —In what is likely its final session of the year, the state Assembly voted late Thursday to curb early voting and decided early Friday to limit the incidents when police take DNA from criminal suspects.

The DNA changes roll back a law Republicans passed just last year to take DNA at arrest for felonies, rather than convictions. The Assembly changed course to limit taking DNA at arrest only for suspicion of violent offenses.

Alsoduring the all-night session, lawmakers approved bills to crack down on so-called revenge porn, to put limits on asbestos lawsuits and to give a tax break for aircraft maintenance.

The stakes were high in a marathon session that was expected to go overnight. If a piece of legislation hasn't at least passed the Assembly by Friday morning, it likely won't clear the Legislature at all this year. The Senate will meet one more time, on April 1, allowing senators to consider bills that advance out of the Assembly this week.

On party lines,the Assembly voted 56-38 to limit early voting, sending the measure to Gov. Scott Walker.

"Racist! White supremacist!" a protester cried from the visitor's gallery just after legislators voted.

The debate onending weekend voting in the run-up to elections contained some of the most heated exchanges of the day. Democrats decried the limits on early voting as the latest effort by the GOP to make it harder for minorities, veterans, the elderly and students to vote.

"Democrats want to fix problems. Republicans want to fix elections," an array of Democrats said in speech after speech.

Rep. Fred Kessler (D-Milwaukee) said if put into law, the limits would be thrown out by courts, arguing they violated the federal Voting Rights Act because urban areas with large African-American and Latino populations would have the same voting hours as sparsely populated rural areas.

"You are placing barriers — barriers — against minority people to voting," he said.

Republicans said they were advancing the measure because they want voting hours to be more uniform around the state, particularly because rural officials don't have the staff to keep clerks' offices open for early voting as late as their urban counterparts.

"This bill is equality across the state," Rep. Duey Stroebel (R-Town of Cedarburg) said.

Rep. Kathleen Bernier (R-Chippewa Falls) read from a long-standing state law that includes a statement of purpose that says absentee voting and early voting must be closely regulated.

"I want everyone and anyone who is willing and wanting to cast a vote ... to do so. But we shan't go against this law," Bernier said.

Under the bill, early voting in clerk's offices could take place solely on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and would be limited to 45 hours in total each week.

The Assembly previously passed the bill but needed to consider it again because of a change the Senate made to the measure last week. That amendment would require the state to pay for half of the expenses to offer early voting. The provision would cost about $200,000.

This is the second time Republicans have set limits on early voting since Walker and GOP lawmakers took control of state government in January 2011. That year, the Legislature cut early voting from three weeks, including three weekends, to two weeks, including one weekend.

DNA

Around 3:30 a.m. Friday, the Assembly put limits on when police will take DNA at arrest. In another change — heralded by law enforcement — DNA samples would be immediately sent to the state Department of Justice, rather than kept temporarily at the local level.

Last year, at the urging of Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, the Legislature changed the law to require police to collect DNA samples when they arrest people for felonies. That law takes effect in April 2015 and departs from the current requirement that DNA be taken from felons at conviction.

That law also will require DNA to be collected from those convicted of misdemeanors. In all, the changes could generate tens of thousands of additional samples from accused criminals every year to help police investigations.

Last year, Republican lawmakers largely went along with Van Hollen's plan, but those concerned about civil liberties pushed through changes limiting when DNA could be analyzed. Under those provisions, local sheriff's departments must keep the samples and cannot forward them to the state Justice Department unless the arrest was made through a warrant, a court made a finding of probable cause, or the defendant failed to make an initial appearance in court.

Van Hollen is now seeking a change because he believes requiring local law enforcement agencies to keep samples will needlessly complicate the process and make it more difficult for authorities to monitor samples and establish chain of custody.

The Senate last week went along with his plan and passed a bill to require police to send DNA samples to the Department of Justice as soon as they collected them.

The Assembly went along with that bill, but amended it to scale back when DNA is collected at arrest, limiting it to violent crimes but not other felonies. That change, as well as the bill itself, were passed on voice votes.

"It's better public policy," said Rep. Dean Knudson (R-Hudson), the amendment's sponsor. "It right-sizes our law and should be a safeguard against the chance of court challenges that could lead to convictions being overturned."

The measure now returns to the Senate. If it does not agree to the Assembly version of the bill, there will be no changes to the DNA law. That would frustrate groups like the Badger State Sheriffs Association, which want DNA samples to immediately go to the Department of Justice.

Asbestos

The Assembly voted 55-38to slow trials for those making court claims for exposure to asbestos. The measure now goes to Walker.

Asbestos has long been used for insulation and fireproofing. But it also can cause cancer and respiratory illnesses. Many of the companies that produce the product created trust funds to pay claims as they filed for bankruptcy protection.

Victims can file claims against the companies that are still in business and those that set up trusts. The bill would require plaintiffs to disclose any actions against trusts that they have filed, or plan to file. Once they have done so, a trial couldn't start for six months.

Supporters said the measure aims to prevent people from trying to collect twice.

"There is not an endless pot of money," said Rep. Jim Ott (R-Mequon), adding that the bill ensures money will be available in trusts for future claims.

But opponents said it sets up an unnecessary roadblock for those seeking damages, noting many of those exposed to asbestos are veterans.

"Veterans across Wisconsin will NOT forget that Republicans in the State Assembly refused to stand up for those of us that have put our lives on the line for our country," said a statement from Renee Simpson, commander of the Wisconsin Veterans of Foreign Wars. "My father is now dead from asbestos poisoning. I am outraged (that) the Wisconsin Assembly would turn their backs on veterans like my dad. I am equally outraged that Assembly members have turned their backs on the families that are left behind."

Simpson's statement was in a joint news release denouncing the bill from the Wisconsin Veterans of Foreign Wars, Wisconsin American Legion and Wisconsin Military Order of the Purple Heart.

Republican lawmakers and Walker say they have heard from veterans on both sides of the issue.

Aircraft maintenance

Lawmakers also approved 93-0 a measure to repeal the sales tax on aircraft maintenance. The bill, which now goes to Walker, would create a sales tax exemption on maintenance, repair, painting and other work on aircraft. The exemption would also apply to sales tax on parts used for repairs.

The bill has the backing of aviation companies, including the Cessna/Citation facilities in Milwaukee and the Appleton operations of Gulfstream Aerospace. They told lawmakers that Wisconsin's sales tax puts them at a competitive disadvantage to companies in other states, where the work isn't taxed.

The advantage is big enough, they said, that aircraft owners and even owners of smaller planes are flying to other states to have work done.

The Department of Revenue has said the exemptions could reduce sales tax revenue by $2.9 million annually.

'Revenge porn'

On a voice vote, the Assembly approved a bill to criminalize so-called "revenge porn," where people post compromising photos or videos of their former partners out of spite. Supporters of the proposal say once explicit images go online, they're virtually impossible to remove because the material is quickly copied and posted on other websites.

It is currently against the law to photograph people in the nude without their consent. But if they consent to such photos or videos, there is nothing barring the later distribution of those images.

The Assembly had previously passed the measure, but had to agree to changes the Senate made this week. The measure now goes to Walker.

Some Democrats raised concerns that courts could overturn the measure on free speech grounds. They wanted to include a requirement that people could be held criminally liable for distributing material intentionally. The GOP balked at that.

The bill toughens the law to make it a misdemeanor to reproduce or distribute photos or video of someone who is nude or engaged in sexually explicit behavior without that person's consent.

Lobbyist donations

Early Friday, the Assembly approved 54-37 a bill already passed by the Senate that would give lobbyists more time during election years to make financial contributions to lawmakers and other candidates. It now goes to Walker.

Lawmakers moved up the date to April 15 from June 1.

Supporters say the change is needed because partisan primaries are now held earlier than they had been for years, lengthening the campaign season. The primaries are held in August instead of September.

Republican lawmakers have backed off from another change that would have let lobbyists hand over campaign checks from others during the legislative session.

Twitter: twitter.com/patrickdmarley