Senate Bill 355
Prohibiting electronic text messaging while driving and providing a penalty
Topics: Motor vehicle: Regulation, Telecommunications, Telephone
Stopped in committee
It never got a , so it never came up for a vote. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.
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Introduced, passed
Oct 16, 2009
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. No public hearing was held.
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Senate vote, not reached
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Assembly vote, not reached
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Governor, not reached
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Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Apr 28, 2010: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
It never got a hearing in the Senate Committee on Transportation, Tourism, Forestry, and Natural Resources. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.
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Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
Current law prohibits inattentive driving of a motor vehicle, which means that a driver of a motor vehicle may not be so engaged or occupied as to interfere with the safe driving of the vehicle. Any person convicted of inattentive driving may be required to forfeit not less than $20 nor more than $400.
This bill prohibits a person from driving while composing or sending an electronic text message. The prohibition does not apply to operators of authorized emergency vehicles or to the use of a global positioning system device. Persons who violate this prohibition may be required to forfeit not less than $100 nor more than $400 for a first offense, and not less than $200 nor more than $800 for a second or subsequent conviction within a year.
Who's behind it
10 senators are its . 6 are Republicans and 4 are Democrats.
30 more lawmakers .
See all 40 names Hide the names
Authors (10)
- Alan Lasee · Republican, Senate
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- Rob Cowles · Republican, Senate
- Alberta Darling · Republican, Senate
- Dave Hansen · Democrat, Senate
- Sheila Harsdorf · Republican, Senate
- John Lehman · Democrat, Senate
- Luther S. Olsen · Republican, Senate
- Dale Schultz · Republican, Senate
- Lena Taylor · Democrat, Senate
Signed on in support (30)
- Alvin Ott · Republican, Assembly
- Peter Barca · Democrat, Assembly
- Chuck Benedict · Democrat, Assembly
- Terese Berceau · Democrat, Assembly
- Penny Bernard Schaber · Democrat, Assembly
- Garey Bies · Republican, Assembly
- Spencer Black · Democrat, Assembly
- Edward Brooks · Republican, Assembly
- Fred Clark · Democrat, Assembly
- David Cullen · Democrat, Assembly
- Scott Gunderson · Republican, Assembly
- Gary Hebl · Democrat, Assembly
- Steve Hilgenberg · Democrat, Assembly
- Gordon Hintz · Democrat, Assembly
- Kim Hixson · Democrat, Assembly
- Mary Hubler · Democrat, Assembly
- Samantha Kerkman · Republican, Assembly
- Margaret Krusick · Democrat, Assembly
- Thomas Lothian · Republican, Assembly
- Cory Mason · Democrat, Assembly
- Sandy Pasch · Democrat, Assembly
- Jerry Petrowski · Republican, Senate
- Mark Radcliffe · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- John Steinbrink · Democrat, Assembly
- Barbara Toles · Democrat, Assembly
- Robert Turner · Democrat, Assembly
- Terry Van Akkeren · Democrat, Assembly
- Karl Van Roy · Republican, Assembly
- Ted Zigmunt · Democrat, Assembly
What happened
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Apr 28, 2010
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Oct 16, 2009
Sent to the Senate Committee on Transportation, Tourism, Forestry, and Natural Resources.
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Oct 16, 2009
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Oct 16, 2009 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Lehman, A. Lasee, Hansen, Olsen, Carpenter, Harsdorf, Cowles, Taylor, Darling and Schultz;Cosponsored by Representatives Barca, Turner, Bernard Schaber, Zigmunt, Steinbrink, A. Ott, Clark, Sinicki, Bies, Pasch, Hilgenberg, Petrowski, Hixson, Hintz, Radcliffe, Kerkman, Benedict, Mason, Gunderson, Black, Hebl, Brooks, Cullen, Berceau, Hubler, Lothian, Krusick, Van Roy, Van Akkeren and Toles
- Oct 16, 2009 · Senate
Read first time and referred to committee on Transportation, Tourism, Forestry, and Natural Resources
- 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.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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
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.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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