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Bills from the 2009–10 session

Assembly Bill 193

The privilege of self-defense

Topics: Court, Crime and criminals, Death

Passed the Assembly, then stopped

The Assembly passed it on Apr 15, 2010, but the Senate never voted on it. A bill has to ⁠. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Apr 2, 2009

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Assembly vote, passed

    Passed Apr 15, 2010

  4. Senate vote, stopped here

    Stopped here. The Senate never voted on it.

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Apr 28, 2010: “Failed to concur in pursuant to ⁠”

Read the bill

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What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

In general, a person who uses force in self-defense or in the defense of another person may not be convicted of a crime stemming from that use of force. This law applies only when: 1) the amount of force used is reasonable; and 2) the person uses that force to prevent or stop what he or she reasonably believes is an unlawful interference with himself or herself or another person, such as the crime of battery.

Current law specifies that a person may use force that is intended or likely to cause the death of or great bodily harm to another individual only if the person reasonably believes that using such force is necessary to prevent the imminent death of or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another person.

Read the full summary

Under this bill, if a person used defensive force that was intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm, the court must presume that the person reasonably believed that the force was necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm if: 1) the individual against whom the force was used was in the process of unlawfully and forcibly entering, or had already unlawfully and forcefully entered, the residence of the person who used the force; 2) the person was present in that residence; and 3) the person knew or had reason to believe that an unlawful and forcible entry was occurring or had occurred. This presumption, however, does not apply if: 1) the person who used the force was engaged in an unlawful activity or was using his or her residence to further an unlawful activity; or 2) the individual against whom the force was used had identified himself or herself as a peace officer (or was or should have been known to be a peace officer) and was entering the residence in the performance of his or her official duties.

Who's behind it

31 lawmakers are its ⁠. 26 are Republicans and 5 are Democrats.

15 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 46 names

Authors (31)

Signed on in support (15)

Versions and amendments

Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.

How lawmakers voted

There were 2 votes on this bill.

Assembly Committee on Personal Privacy vote on an amendment

Passed, 5 to 1 · Nov 16, 2009

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by committee on Personal Privacy, Ayes 5, Noes 1”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Assembly vote to pass it

Passed, 68 to 29 · Apr 15, 2010

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Read a third time and passed, Ayes 68, Noes 29”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Apr 28, 2010

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Apr 16, 2010

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing.

  3. Apr 16, 2010

    The Senate received it.

  4. Apr 15, 2010

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  5. Apr 15, 2010

    The Assembly passed it, 68 to 29.

  6. Apr 15, 2010

    The Assembly adopted it.

  7. Nov 16, 2009

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  8. Nov 16, 2009

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 5 to 1.

  9. May 28, 2009

    The committee held a public hearing.

  10. Apr 2, 2009

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Personal Privacy.

  11. Apr 2, 2009

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Apr 2, 2009 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Hraychuck, Danou, Vruwink, Mursau, Friske, Van Roy, Ballweg, Suder, Strachota, Petrowski, Vukmir, Zipperer, Davis, Bies, Kleefisch, Gunderson, Vos, Spanbauer, Kerkman, Nerison, LeMahieu, Kestell, Honadel, Rhoades, Zigmunt, Ripp, Jorgensen, Tauchen, Roth, Kaufert and Huebsch;Cosponsored by Senators Holperin, Vinehout, Decker, Plale, Schultz, Lazich, Leibham, Grothman, A. Lasee, Kanavas, Darling, Kapanke, Harsdorf and Hopper

  2. Apr 2, 2009 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to committee on Personal Privacy

  3. May 28, 2009 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  4. Oct 12, 2009 · Assembly

    Assembly amendment 1 offered by Representative Hraychuck

  5. Oct 12, 2009 · Assembly

    Assembly amendment 2 offered by Representative Hraychuck

  6. Oct 12, 2009 · Assembly

    Assembly amendment 3 offered by Representative Hraychuck

  7. Oct 13, 2009 · Assembly

    Assembly amendment 4 offered by Representative Gundrum

  8. Oct 13, 2009 · Assembly

    Assembly amendment 5 offered by Representative Gundrum

  9. Oct 15, 2009 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  10. Oct 15, 2009 · Assembly

    Assembly substitute amendment 1 offered by committee on Personal Privacy

  11. Nov 16, 2009 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by committee on Personal Privacy, Ayes 5, Noes 1

  12. Nov 16, 2009 · Assembly

    Report passage as amended recommended by committee on Personal Privacy, Ayes 5, Noes 1

  13. Nov 16, 2009 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  14. Apr 13, 2010 · Assembly

    Made a special order of business at 11:06 A.M. on 4-15-2010 pursuant to Assembly Resolution 22

  15. Apr 15, 2010 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  16. Apr 15, 2010 · Assembly

    Assembly substitute amendment 1 adopted

  17. Apr 15, 2010 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  18. Apr 15, 2010 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  19. Apr 15, 2010 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed, Ayes 68, Noes 29

  20. Apr 15, 2010 · Assembly

    Representative Nygren added as a coauthor

  21. Apr 15, 2010 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  22. Apr 16, 2010 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  23. Apr 16, 2010 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing

  24. Apr 28, 2010 · Senate

    Failed to concur in pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

Terms on this page

Second chamber's vote

A bill has to pass both the Assembly and the Senate in the same form before it goes to the governor.

Official term: Concurrence. More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Second chamber's vote

A bill has to pass both the Assembly and the Senate in the same form before it goes to the governor.

Official term: Concurrence

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1

More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis

More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor

More in the glossary

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote

More in the glossary