Assembly Bill 199
Creating a civil cause of action for acts of violence motivated by gender, making crimes based on gender of victim subject to a penalty enhancer, and providing a penalty
Topics: Court: Procedure, Crime and criminals, Crime and criminals: Felony, Crime victim, Damage (personal injury), Discrimination, Legislature: Criminal Penalties, Joint Review Committee on, Sex crimes
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
Jul 14, 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 Criminal Justice and Corrections. 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.
Current law provides an enhanced penalty for certain crimes if the person committing the crime intentionally selects the victim based on his or her belief or perception of the victim's race, religion, color, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, or ancestry. This bill provides an enhanced penalty for certain crimes if the person committing the crime intentionally selects the victim based on his or her belief or perception of the victim's gender. The penalty enhancer revises the maximum fine and the maximum term of imprisonment for the crime, and the revision is based on the classification of the underlying crime. If the underlying crime is a Class B or Class C misdemeanor, the revised maximum fine is $10,000 and the revised maximum term of imprisonment is one year in the county jail. If the underlying crime is a Class A misdemeanor, the penalty enhancer changes the status of the crime to a felony and the revised maximum fine is $10,000 and the revised maximum term of imprisonment is two years. If the underlying crime is a felony, the maximum fine may be increased by not more than $5,000 and the maximum term of imprisonment may be increased by not more than five years.
The bill also creates a civil cause of action for a person who suffers physical, emotional, or economic harm as a result of a gender-based act. Under the bill, a gender-based act is a physical act of violence that is committed, at least in part, on the basis of the victim's gender or sexual intercourse or contact that the actor commits under coercive conditions. Under the bill, if the actor has previously committed either of these acts against the victim, a threat to commit either of those acts is also a gender-based act.
Read the full summary Show less
Under the bill, a victim must commence a civil action against the actor within seven years after the gender-based act occurs or, if the victim is under the age of 18, within seven years after the victim's 18th birthday. A victim who prevails in a civil action for a gender-based act may recover damages for emotional distress, punitive damages, and investigation or litigation costs, including attorney fees. The bill specifies that a cause of action exists only against the individual who committed the gender-based act.
Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime, the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a report concerning the proposed penalty and the costs or savings that are likely to result if the bill is enacted.
Who's behind it
4 representatives are its . 3 are Democrats and 1 is a Republican.
3 more lawmakers .
See all 7 names Hide the names
Authors (4)
- Terese Berceau · Democrat, Assembly
- Mark Pocan · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Richard Spanbauer · Republican, Assembly
Signed on in support (3)
- Fred A. Risser · Democrat, Senate
- Spencer Coggs · 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 26, 2011
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Jul 14, 2011
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Corrections.
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Jul 14, 2011
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Jul 14, 2011 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Berceau, Sinicki, Spanbauer and Pocan;Cosponsored by Senators S. Coggs, Risser and Taylor
- Jul 14, 2011 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to committee on Criminal Justice and Corrections
- Jul 26, 2011 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- Jul 26, 2011 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- Jul 26, 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