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Bills from the 2011–12 session

Assembly Bill 12

The restoration of information from an original birth certificate after adoption

Topics: Children: Adoption, Court: Procedure, Vital statistics

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

    Feb 2, 2011

  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, Mar 23, 2012: “Failed to pass 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.

Under current law, at the time a person is adopted the state registrar must prepare a new birth certificate for the adoptee unless the adoptive parents or the person being adopted objects. The new birth certificate must contain, among other information, the names and personal information of the adoptive parents, unless the court's order of adoption indicates otherwise. When a new certificate is issued, the original certificate is impounded and may be accessed only by court order, with permission of the birth parents, or for processing purposes of the state registrar.

This bill allows an adult who has been adopted to petition the court to order the state registrar to prepare a new birth certificate based on information on the person's original birth certificate if the person did not have the opportunity, at the time of the adoption, to request that a new birth certificate not be prepared; any adoptive parent who is alive and who is named on the person's birth certificate does not object to the removal of his or her name from the birth certificate; and any birth parent who is alive and who is named on the person's original birth certificate does not object to the restoration of the information on the person's original birth certificate. Under the bill, if the court finds that all of those circumstances apply, the court must grant the petition. The state registrar must issue a new birth certificate that uses all of the information from the original birth certificate, if ordered by the court.

Read the full summary

A new birth certificate issued under the bill does not affect the legal relationship between the adoptive parents and the adoptee and does not restore any legal rights or legal relationship that terminated at the time of adoption.

Who's behind it

19 lawmakers are its ⁠. 14 are Democrats and 5 are Republicans.

4 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 23 names

Authors (19)

Signed on in support (4)

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.

How lawmakers voted

There was one vote on this bill.

Assembly Committee on Children and Families vote on an amendment

Passed, 7 to 0 · Feb 20, 2012

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

Official motion: “Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by committee on Children and Families, Ayes 7, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Mar 23, 2012

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Feb 20, 2012

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  3. Feb 20, 2012

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 7 to 0.

  4. Jan 11, 2012

    The committee held a public hearing.

  5. Feb 22, 2011

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  6. Feb 10, 2011

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  7. Feb 2, 2011

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Children and Families.

  8. Feb 2, 2011

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Feb 2, 2011 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Kestell, Milroy, Stone, Barca, Bernard Schaber, Bewley, Brooks, D. Cullen, Danou, Jorgensen, Kessler, LeMahieu, Pasch, Ripp, Shilling, Seidel, Sinicki, Turner and Vruwink;Cosponsored by Senators Lazich, Jauch, Lassa and Olsen

  2. Feb 2, 2011 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to committee on Children and Families

  3. Feb 10, 2011 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Feb 22, 2011 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  5. Jan 11, 2012 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  6. Jan 24, 2012 · Assembly

    Assembly amendment 1 offered by Representatives Kestell and Milroy

  7. Jan 25, 2012 · Assembly

    Assembly amendment 2 offered by Representatives Kestell and Milroy

  8. Feb 8, 2012 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  9. Feb 20, 2012 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by committee on Children and Families, Ayes 7, Noes 0

  10. Feb 20, 2012 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Amendment 2 adoption recommended by committee on Children and Families, Ayes 7, Noes 0

  11. Feb 20, 2012 · Assembly

    Report passage as amended recommended by committee on Children and Families, Ayes 7, Noes 0

  12. Feb 20, 2012 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  13. Mar 23, 2012 · 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

Cost estimate

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

Official term: Fiscal estimate. 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

Cost estimate

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

Official term: Fiscal estimate

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