Senate Bill 274
Requiring landlords to change locks
Topics: Children: Abuse and neglect, Court: Procedure, Landlord and tenant, Women
Stopped before the full Senate voted
The recommended passing it, but the full Senate never voted on it. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.
-
Introduced, passed
Aug 26, 2009
-
Committee, passed
Approved
-
Senate vote, stopped here
Stopped here. The full Senate never voted on it.
-
Assembly vote, not reached
-
Governor, not reached
-
Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Apr 28, 2010: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
Following saves it on this device. New actions show on your Following page. You can also get updates in a feed reader.
Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
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
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
Under current law, a tenant may terminate his or her tenancy and remove from the premises if the tenant or a child of the tenant faces an imminent threat of serious physical harm from another person if the tenant remains on the premises. The tenant must provide notice to the landlord and a certified copy of: 1) an injunction order protecting the tenant or the child from the person; 2) a condition of release ordering the person not to contact the tenant; 3) a criminal complaint alleging that the person sexually assaulted or stalked the tenant or the child; or 4) a criminal complaint filed against the person as a result of an arrest for committing a domestic abuse offense against the tenant.
This bill requires a landlord to change the locks to a tenant's premises, or to give a tenant permission to do so, regardless of whether the tenant is terminating his or her tenancy, if the tenant requests it and provides the landlord with a certified copy of one of the documents that the tenant must provide under current law to terminate his or her tenancy because the tenant faces an imminent threat of serious physical harm from another person if the tenant remains on the premises. The landlord must change the locks, or give the tenant permission to do so, within 48 hours after receiving the request and certified copy of the document. The tenant is responsible for the cost of having the locks changed.
Read the full summary Show less
The bill provides an exception from the requirement to change the locks. If the person who is the subject of the document that the tenant provides a certified copy of to the landlord is also a tenant of the premises for which the locks are to be changed, the landlord is not required to change the locks unless the document is: 1) an injunction directing that other tenant to avoid the residence of the tenant requesting that the locks be changed; or 2) a condition of release ordering that other tenant not to contact the tenant requesting that the locks be changed.
Who's behind it
5 senators are its . 4 are Democrats and 1 is a Republican.
19 more lawmakers .
See all 24 names Hide the names
Authors (5)
- Dave Hansen · Democrat, Senate
- Jim Holperin · Democrat, Senate
- Pat Kreitlow · Democrat, Senate
- Dale Schultz · Republican, Senate
- Lena Taylor · Democrat, Senate
Signed on in support (19)
- Alvin Ott · Republican, Assembly
- Annette Williams · Democrat, Assembly
- Terese Berceau · Democrat, Assembly
- Penny Bernard Schaber · Democrat, Assembly
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- Fred Clark · Democrat, Assembly
- Kristen Dexter · Democrat, Assembly
- Tamara Grigsby · Democrat, Assembly
- Gary Hebl · Democrat, Assembly
- Nick Milroy · Democrat, Assembly
- Joe Parisi · Democrat, Assembly
- Sandy Pasch · Democrat, Assembly
- Mark Pocan · Democrat, Assembly
- Kelda Roys · Democrat, Senate
- Donna Seidel · Democrat, Assembly
- Shilling
- Jeff Smith · Democrat, Senate
- Scott Suder · Republican, Assembly
- Jeffrey Wood · Independent, Assembly
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 was one vote on this bill.
Senate Committee on Judiciary vote on an amendment
Passed, 5 to 0 · Oct 29, 2009
No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.
Official motion: “Report adoption of Senate Amendment 1 recommended by committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing, Ayes 5, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page
What happened
-
Apr 28, 2010
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
-
Oct 29, 2009
The committee voted to recommend passing it, 5 to 0.
-
Oct 29, 2009
“Report adoption of Senate Amendment 2 recommended by committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing, Ayes 5, Noes 0” (the official wording)
-
Oct 29, 2009
“Report adoption of Senate Amendment 1 recommended by committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing, Ayes 5, Noes 0” (the official wording)
-
Oct 7, 2009
The committee held a public hearing.
-
Sep 24, 2009
1 more senator signed on in support.
-
Aug 26, 2009
Sent to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing.
-
Aug 26, 2009
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Aug 26, 2009 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Holperin, Hansen, Kreitlow, Schultz and Taylor;Cosponsored by Representatives Dexter, Parisi, Berceau, Bernard Schaber, Clark, Grigsby, Hebl, Milroy, A. Ott, Pasch, Pocan, Roys, Seidel, Shilling, Smith, Suder, A. Williams and Wood
- Aug 26, 2009 · Senate
Read first time and referred to committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing
- Sep 24, 2009 · Senate
Senator Carpenter added as a coauthor
- Oct 1, 2009 · Senate
Senate amendment 1 offered by Senator Holperin
- Oct 7, 2009 · Senate
Public hearing held
- Oct 13, 2009 · Senate
Senate amendment 2 offered by Senator Holperin
- Oct 29, 2009 · Senate
Executive action taken
- Oct 29, 2009 · Senate
Report adoption of Senate Amendment 1 recommended by committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing, Ayes 5, Noes 0
- Oct 29, 2009 · Senate
Report adoption of Senate Amendment 2 recommended by committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing, Ayes 5, Noes 0
- Oct 29, 2009 · Senate
Report passage as amended recommended by committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing, Ayes 5, Noes 0
- Oct 29, 2009 · Senate
Available for scheduling
- Jan 14, 2010 · Senate
Placed on calendar 1-19-2010 by committee on Senate Organization
- Jan 19, 2010 · Senate
Read a second time
- Jan 19, 2010 · Senate
Laid on the table
- Apr 28, 2010 · Senate
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.
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.
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
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
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote