Assembly Bill 26
The use of race-based nicknames, logos, mascots, and team names by school boards
Topics: Court: Procedure, Discrimination in education, Indians and tribal issues, School: Board, School: Health program, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
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
Feb 22, 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 Homeland Security and State Affairs. 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.
Under current law, a school district resident may object to the use of a race-based nickname, logo, mascot, or team name by the school board of the district by filing a complaint with the state superintendent of public instruction. Upon receipt of a complaint, the state superintendent must notify the school board and must, with certain exceptions, schedule a contested case hearing. At the hearing, the school board must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the use of the race-based nickname, logo, mascot, or team name does not promote discrimination, pupil harassment, or stereotyping, as defined by the state superintendent by rule.
Following the hearing, the state superintendent must issue a written decision and order. The state superintendent must dismiss the complaint unless he or she determines that the school board's use of the race-based nickname, logo, mascot, or team name promotes discrimination, pupil harassment, or stereotyping. If the state superintendent finds that the school board's use promotes discrimination, pupil harassment, or stereotyping, the state superintendent must order the school board to terminate its use of the nickname, logo, mascot or team name; and the school board must, with limited exceptions, do so within 12 months after the school board receives the order. Failure of a school board to comply with the decision and order subjects the school board to forfeitures. A decision of the state superintendent under the complaint, hearing, and order process is subject to judicial review.
Read the full summary Show less
This bill eliminates the specific right of a school district resident to object to the use of a race-based nickname, logo, mascot, or team name by filing a complaint with the school board and eliminates the right of the school district resident to obtain a contested case hearing on that complaint. The bill eliminates the authority granted to the state superintendent to determine whether the use of a race-based nickname, logo, mascot, or team name promotes discrimination, pupil harassment, or stereotyping; to order a school board to terminate the use of a race-based nickname, logo, mascot, or team name; and to impose forfeitures upon the school board for failure to comply with the order.
The bill also voids all orders issued by the state superintendent under the complaint, hearing, and order process eliminated by this bill; requires the state superintendent to dismiss with prejudice any complaints pending under the complaint, hearing, and order process eliminated by the bill; and requires a court to dismiss with prejudice any decision and order, issued by the state superintendent under the complaint, hearing, and order process eliminated by the bill, for which judicial review has been sought.
The bill does not eliminate the provision that permits a school district resident to submit a complaint to a school board if the resident believes that he or she has been discriminated against on the basis of a number of factors, including the person's race, national origin, ancestry, or creed. A school district resident who submits such a complaint to a school board may appeal a negative determination made by the school board to the state superintendent.
Who's behind it
18 lawmakers are its . 17 are Republicans and 1 is a Independent.
5 more lawmakers .
See all 23 names Hide the names
Authors (18)
- Tyler August · Republican, Assembly
- Joan Ballweg · Republican, Senate
- Garey Bies · Republican, Assembly
- Paul F. Farrow · Republican, Senate
- André Jacque · Republican, Senate
- Dean Kaufert · Republican, Assembly
- Samantha Kerkman · Republican, Assembly
- Dan Knodl · Republican, Assembly
- Daniel LeMahieu · Republican, Assembly
- Howard Marklein · Republican, Senate
- Steve Nass · Republican, Senate
- Kevin Petersen · Republican, Assembly
- Don Pridemore · Republican, Assembly
- Roger Rivard · Republican, Assembly
- Richard Spanbauer · Republican, Assembly
- Pat Strachota · Republican, Assembly
- Thomas Tiffany · Republican, Senate
- Bob Ziegelbauer · Independent, Assembly
Signed on in support (5)
- David Craig · Republican, Senate
- Neal Kedzie · Republican, Senate
- Frank G. Lasee · Republican, Senate
- Mary Lazich · Republican, Senate
- Joe Leibham · Republican, Senate
What happened
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Mar 23, 2012
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Jun 21, 2011
1 more representative signed on in support.
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Feb 22, 2011
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Homeland Security and State Affairs.
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Feb 22, 2011
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Feb 22, 2011 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Nass, Jacque, August, LeMahieu, Spanbauer, Knodl, Ziegelbauer, Pridemore, Kerkman, Ballweg, Tiffany, Strachota, Rivard, Petersen, Bies, Farrow, Marklein and Kaufert;Cosponsored by Senators Lazich, Kedzie, Lasee and Leibham
- Feb 22, 2011 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to committee on Homeland Security and State Affairs
- Jun 21, 2011 · Assembly
Representative Craig added as a coauthor
- 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
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