Assembly Bill 185
Authorizing certain individuals to contribute to a college savings plan account
Topics: Income tax: Deduction, Legislature: Tax Exemptions, Joint Survey Committee on, Scholarships and loans
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
Jun 16, 2011
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. No public hearing was held.
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Assembly vote, not reached
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Senate vote, not reached
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Governor, not reached
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Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Mar 23, 2012: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
It never got a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities. 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
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate. 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, there is a college tuition and expenses program, commonly referred to as "EdVest I," under which a contributor may purchase "tuition units" that can be used to pay qualified educational costs on behalf of a beneficiary. The purchase of the units is limited to parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, legal guardians, trusts created on behalf of a beneficiary, or individuals purchasing units for their own use. Contributions made to an account set up under the program, up to a limit of $3,000 each year for each beneficiary, may be deducted from a contributor's income in the calculation of his or her income taxes if the beneficiary of the account is one of the following: the claimant; the claimant's child; the claimant's grandchild; the claimant's great-grandchild; or the claimant's niece or nephew.
Also, under current law, there exists a college savings program, commonly referred to as "EdVest II," under which anyone may open an account for a prospective student, regardless of the contributor's relationship to the beneficiary. Individuals may open accounts for themselves, and a prospective student may be the beneficiary of more than one college savings account. Contributions made to an account set up under this program, up to a limit of $3,000 each year for each beneficiary, may be deducted from a contributor's income in the calculation of his or her income taxes if the beneficiary of the account is one of the following: the claimant; the claimant's child; the claimant's grandchild; the claimant's great-grandchild; or the claimant's niece or nephew.
Read the full summary Show less
Current law authorizes an income tax deduction for amounts contributed to both EdVest I and EdVest II by a divorced or legally separated parent of a child. The deduction may be claimed without regard to whether the child is his or her dependent. The total annual deduction under these two programs, per beneficiary, claimed by married parents who file jointly or separately, or by the divorced or legally separated parents of a child, may not exceed $3,000. The total annual deduction under these two programs, per beneficiary, claimed by a married person who files separately may not exceed $1,500 per claimant. The total annual deduction under these two programs, per beneficiary, claimed by a formerly married couple may not exceed a total of $3,000, or $1,500 per claimant, except that the former couple's divorce judgment may specify a different division of the $3,000 maximum that may be claimed by each former spouse.
The only individuals who may purchase tuition units for an EdVest I account or contribute to an EdVest II account, and receive income tax deductions for such a purchase or contribution, are the owners of the accounts. Under this bill, an authorized contributor to an EdVest I or EdVest II account who is not the owner of the account may claim a tax deduction for his or her contribution, subject to the current law limitations, if the claimant is the parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, aunt, or uncle of the beneficiary.
Because this bill relates to an exemption from state or local taxes, it may be referred to the Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions for a report to be printed as an appendix to the bill.
Who's behind it
11 lawmakers are its . 10 are Democrats and 1 is a Republican.
3 more lawmakers .
See all 14 names Hide the names
Authors (11)
- Terese Berceau · Democrat, Assembly
- Steve Doyle · Democrat, Assembly
- Mike Endsley · Republican, Assembly
- Tamara Grigsby · Democrat, Assembly
- Andy Jorgensen · Democrat, Assembly
- Sandy Pasch · Democrat, Assembly
- Sondy Pope · Democrat, Assembly
- Kelda Roys · Democrat, Senate
- Jennifer Shilling · Democrat, Senate
- Robert Turner · Democrat, Assembly
- Amy Sue Vruwink · Democrat, Assembly
Signed on in support (3)
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Julie M. Lassa · Democrat, Senate
- Lena Taylor · Democrat, Senate
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
What happened
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Mar 23, 2012
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Jul 14, 2011
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Jun 16, 2011
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities.
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Jun 16, 2011
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Jun 16, 2011 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Pasch, Grigsby, Shilling, Jorgensen, Vruwink, Turner, Pope-Roberts, Berceau, Endsley, Roys and Doyle;Cosponsored by Senators C. Larson, Taylor and Lassa
- Jun 16, 2011 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to committee on Colleges and Universities
- Jul 14, 2011 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- 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.
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
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.
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
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate