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Bills from the 2009–10 session

Assembly Bill 41

A state minimum wage, permitting the enactment of local living wage ordinances, and granting rule-making authority

Topics: County: Ordinance, Municipality: Ordinance, Town: Laws, Village: Ordinance, Wage: Minimum, Workforce Development, Department of

Stopped in committee

It had a but no committee vote, so it never came up for a vote. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Feb 12, 2009

  2. Committee, stopped here

    Stopped here. It had a hearing but no committee vote.

  3. Assembly vote, not reached

  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 ⁠”

It sat with the Assembly Committee on Labor.

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.

Currently, the state minimum wage law requires that employers pay a living wage to their employees. Under that law, the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) has provided, by rule, minimum wages for various types of employees, including employees, generally; minor employees; opportunity employees, which are defined as employees under 20 years of age in their first 90 days of employment with a particular employer; tipped employees; agricultural employees; camp counselors;

golf caddies; students employed at independent colleges and universities for less than 20 hours per week; student learners employed in bona fide school training programs; and individuals who are unable to earn the standard minimum wage because of a disability. DWD has exempted, by rule, from the minimum wage law employees who perform less than 15 hours per week of casual employment, such as baby-sitting or lawn mowing, in and around an employer's home; employees who provide companionship services to elderly or infirm individuals; and elementary and secondary school students performing work-like activities in their schools. DWD has also promulgated rules providing allowances against the minimum wage for employers that provide meals or lodging for their employees.

Read the full summary

Under this bill, DWD will continue to provide the exemptions listed above and separate minimum wages for students employed at independent colleges and universities for less than 20 hours per week, student learners employed in bona fide school training programs, and individuals who are unable to earn the standard minimum wages because of a disability. For other employees, however, the bill sets the minimum wages, effective on June 1, 2009, or on the day after publication of the bill, whichever is later, as follows:

- See PDF for table - See PDF for table - See PDF for table The bill also increases the allowance against the minimum wage that an employer who provides room and board for an employee may take, as follows:

- See PDF for table Beginning on June 1, 2010, the bill requires DWD annually to promulgate rules revising the minimum wages and allowances for meals and lodging established under the bill by determining the percentage difference between the consumer price index for the preceding year and the consumer price index for the current year, adjusting the minimum wages and allowances in effect on May 31 of the current year by that percentage difference, and rounding that result to the nearest multiple of five cents or, in the case of a camp counselor, the nearest dollar.

Finally, current law prohibits a city, village, town, or county from enacting and administering an ordinance establishing a living wage. This bill eliminates that prohibition.

Who's behind it

23 lawmakers are its ⁠. 21 are Democrats. 2 have no party on record.

13 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 36 names

Authors (23)

Signed on in support (13)

What it would cost

State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

Versions and amendments

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

What happened

  1. Apr 28, 2010

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Mar 24, 2010

    The committee held a public hearing.

  3. Feb 27, 2009

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  4. Feb 12, 2009

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Labor.

  5. Feb 12, 2009

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Feb 12, 2009 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Mason, Sinicki, Grigsby, Black, Zepnick, Pope-Roberts, A. Williams, Turner, Milroy, Pocan, Kessler, Berceau, Hilgenberg, Colon, Soletski, Sherman, Shilling, Benedict, Toles, Garthwaite, Krusick, Young and Pasch;Cosponsored by Senators Decker, Hansen, Wirch, Kreitlow, Taylor, Carpenter, Coggs, Lehman, Plale, Miller, Erpenbach, Sullivan and Vinehout

  2. Feb 12, 2009 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to committee on Labor

  3. Feb 27, 2009 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Mar 23, 2010 · Assembly

    Assembly substitute amendment 1 offered by Representatives Mason and Grigsby

  5. Mar 24, 2010 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  6. 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

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

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

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate. 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

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

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

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate

More in the glossary