Assembly Bill 271
Ordering support for an adult disabled child
Topics: Court, Divorce, Family: Support, Intellectual disabilities, Persons with disabilities
Stopped in committee
It had a but no committee vote, 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
Sep 21, 2011
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. It had a hearing but no committee vote.
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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 sat with the Assembly Committee on Health.
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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
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
Under current law, when a court enters a judgment of annulment, divorce, or legal separation, in addition to other specified circumstances, such as in a paternity action, the court must order either or both parents of a minor child to pay an amount that is reasonable or necessary to fulfill a duty to support the minor child. The court must order that support be paid until the child is age 18, or age 19 if the child is pursuing an accredited course of instruction leading to a high school diploma or its equivalent. The amount of support that must be paid is determined by using a percentage standard, which bases the amount on the payer's income and the number of children to be supported. This amount may be modified, however, if the court determines on the basis of a number of factors that using the percentage standard would be unfair to either parent or the child.
This bill authorizes a court, in the same actions and circumstances under which the court must order child support for a minor child, to order support for an adult disabled child of the parties, for a definite or indefinite time, regardless of whether the child is institutionalized. In addition, if the court orders support for a minor child of the parties who is disabled, the court may order that the support be paid for a definite or indefinite period after the child reaches the age at which support is normally no longer required, regardless of whether the child is institutionalized. In either case, the court must find that the child needs substantial care and supervision because of a physical or mental disability; that the child is not and will not in the future be capable of supporting himself or herself; and that the disability exists or existed, or the cause of the disability is known to exist or to have existed before the child's 18th birthday. The court must determine the support amount for an adult disabled child in the same way that the court determines support for a minor child and must designate the person to receive the support payments for an adult or minor disabled child, which person may be the disabled child if he or she is at least age 18.
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Under the bill, a court or court commissioner may make a temporary order requiring either or both parents to make payments for the support of an adult disabled child during the pendency of an action in which the court may order child support for the adult disabled child. If a court orders child support for an adult disabled child, the bill requires the court to assign responsibility for and direct the manner of payment of health care expenses for the adult disabled child, which may include requiring a parent to obtain family coverage that includes coverage for the adult disabled child, if such coverage is available through the parent's employer. In addition, in an action in which a court may order or modify child support for an adult disabled child, the bill authorizes the court to require either or both parents to participate in an employment or training program. Under current law, a court is authorized or required to make these same orders when ordering child support for a minor child.
Who's behind it
6 lawmakers are its . All 6 are Republicans.
See all 6 names Hide the names
Authors (6)
- Edward Brooks · Republican, Assembly
- David Craig · Republican, Senate
- Chris Kapenga · Republican, Senate
- Dale Kooyenga · Republican, Senate
- Kevin Petersen · Republican, Assembly
- Jeremy Thiesfeldt · Republican, Assembly
What happened
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Mar 23, 2012
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Mar 7, 2012
The committee held a public hearing.
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Feb 17, 2012
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Health.
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Sep 21, 2011
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Children and Families.
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Sep 21, 2011
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Sep 21, 2011 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Kapenga, Brooks, Thiesfeldt, Craig, Kooyenga and Petersen
- Sep 21, 2011 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to committee on Children and Families
- Feb 17, 2012 · Assembly
Withdrawn from committee on Children and Families and referred to committee on Health pursuant to Assembly Rule 42 (3)(c)
- Mar 7, 2012 · Assembly
Public hearing held
- 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
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