Gov. Jim Doyle approved a bill Thursday defining parents who manufacture methamphetamine as child abusers.

Under previous Wisconsin law, illegal meth makers still retain parental rights unless convicted of serious felonies like homicide or sexual assault.

The new law will expand the definition of child abuse to include juvenile exposure to meth labs.

"The governor is sending a clear message to methamphetamine users that if they put our children at risk, there's going to be huge consequences," Doyle spokesperson Anne Lupardus said.

Authored by Rep. Terry Moulton, R-Chippewa Falls, Assembly Bill 213 came in response to evidence of a jump in meth use in Wisconsin.

According to bill co-author Rep. Robin Vos, R-Racine, the law aims to correct rising meth problems in western Wisconsin.

Vos said AB 213 is a "common sense" piece of legislation that received broad bipartisan support in both the Assembly and Senate.

"It's one of those things where it seems most of the time when we are trying to protect children, it's not really a partisan issue," Vos said. "If a parent is … literally manufacturing meth while the child is in the room … that parent has forfeited their right and we need to do what's in the best interest of the child."

Doyle signed AB 213 in Menomonie Thursday after presenting a $250,000 grant to the Western Wisconsin Methamphetamine Action Consortium. The grant is intended to aid in the recovery of meth users as part of a statewide effort to combat addiction to the substance.