Skip to content
Bills from the 2009–10 session

Assembly Bill 291

Claims for loss of society and companionship in medical malpractice cases

Topics: Damage (personal injury), Medical malpractice

Stopped before the full Assembly voted

The recommended passing it, but the full Assembly never voted on it. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Jun 2, 2009

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Assembly vote, stopped here

    Stopped here. The full Assembly never voted on it.

  4. Senate vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

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

Read the bill

Following saves it on this device. New actions show on your Following page. You can also get updates in a feed reader.

What it would have done

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

Under current law, as stated in Estate of Wells v. Mt. Sinai Medical Center , 183 Wis. 2d 677 (1994), a parent does not have the right to recover for the loss of society and companionship of an adult child whose injuries were the result of medical malpractice. This bill provides that a parent does have the right to recover for loss of society and companionship if the parent's adult child is injured as the result of medical malpractice.

Under current law, as stated in Czapinski v. St. Francis Hospital, Inc.

Read the full summary

, 236 Wis.

2d 316 (2000), an adult child does not have the right to recover for the loss of society and companionship of a parent who died as the result of medical malpractice. This bill provides that an adult child does have the right to recover for loss of society and companionship if the adult child's parent dies as the result of medical malpractice.

Who's behind it

13 lawmakers are its ⁠. All 13 are Democrats.

3 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 16 names

Authors (13)

Signed on in support (3)

How lawmakers voted

There was one vote on this bill.

Assembly Committee on Judiciary and Ethics vote to recommend it

Passed, 6 to 4 · Sep 16, 2009

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

Official motion: “Report passage recommended by committee on Judiciary and Ethics, Ayes 6, Noes 4”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Apr 28, 2010

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Sep 16, 2009

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  3. Sep 16, 2009

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 6 to 4.

  4. Jul 14, 2009

    The committee held a public hearing.

  5. Jun 16, 2009

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Judiciary and Ethics.

  6. Jun 2, 2009

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Health and Healthcare Reform.

  7. Jun 2, 2009

    Introduced in the Assembly.

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

    Introduced by Representatives Richards, A. Williams, Kessler, Pope-Roberts, Sinicki, Mason, Toles, Cullen, Spanbauer, Roys, Berceau, Zepnick, Turner and Parisi;Cosponsored by Senators Plale, Hansen and Coggs

  2. Jun 2, 2009 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to committee on Health and Healthcare Reform

  3. Jun 16, 2009 · Assembly

    Withdrawn from committee on Health and Healthcare Reform and referred to committee on Judiciary and Ethics pursuant to Assembly Rule 42 (3)(c)

  4. Jul 14, 2009 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  5. Sep 9, 2009 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  6. Sep 16, 2009 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by committee on Judiciary and Ethics, Ayes 6, Noes 4

  7. Sep 16, 2009 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  8. Oct 9, 2009 · Assembly

    Representative Spanbauer withdrawn as a coauthor

  9. Apr 28, 2010 · Assembly

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

Terms on this page

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

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

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

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