A Wisconsin state representative has pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct in a bitter feud with her caucus over being excluded from resolutions honoring Hispanics and breaking with her party on state budget and legislative district boundary votes.
State Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez pleaded no contest during a hearing and was ordered to pay a $300 fine and submit a DNA sample. She could have faced up to 90 days in jail.
Ortiz-Velez said in a statement that she remains focused on her constituents and not on caucus infighting, adding that her voting choices caused a rift that has been 'ugly and bitter.'
The feud began in August over a resolution honoring Hispanic heritage and Hispanic veterans. Ortiz-Velez grew angry because she believed a lawmaker had intentionally excluded her from working on it.
Prosecutors charged Ortiz-Velez in February, and she was accused of making threats and spreading negative information about her colleagues.
Her attorney said that Assembly Democrats were already upset with Ortiz-Velez going into September because she had voted for the 2025-27 state budget and for new legislative maps.
