Assembly Bill 445
The hours that a minor may work
Topics: Agricultural labor, Child labor, Hours of labor, Workforce Development, Department of
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
Dec 27, 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 Labor and Workforce Development. 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
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote. 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 general standards for the employment of minors, including standards prohibiting minors under 16 years of age from being employed for such hours of the day or week or at such periods of the day as may be dangerous or prejudicial to the life, health, safety, or welfare of the minor.
2011 Wisconsin Act 32 made various changes to those standards, including:
Read the full summary Show less
1. Eliminating the statutory hours per day and per week and days per week and times of day that a minor 16 years of age or over may work.
2. Setting the hours that a minor under 16 years of age may work at three hours per day on a school day and eight hours per day on a nonschool day and at 18 hours per week in a school week and 40 hours per week in a nonschool week.
3. Setting the days in a week that a minor under 16 years of age may work at six.
4. Setting the times of day that a minor under 16 years of age may work at not before 7:00 a.m. and not after 7:00 p.m. from the day after Labor Day to May 31 and at not before 7:00 a.m. and not after 9:00 p.m. from June 1 to Labor Day.
2011 Wisconsin Act 32 also prohibited the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) from fixing for minors 16 years of age or over maximum hours of employment per day and per week, maximum days of employment per week, or hours at which employment may begin and end and from fixing for minors under 16 years of age maximum hours of employment per day and per week, maximum days of employment per week, or hours at which employment may begin and end that exceed those maximum hours per day and per week or those maximum days per week or that begin earlier or end later than those hours at which employment may begin and end.
This bill eliminates those changes, thereby restoring prior law. Specifically, the bill prohibits any minor, including a minor 16 years of age or over, but not including a minor employed in domestic service, farm labor, or service as an election inspector, from working for no more than eight hours per day, 40 hours per week, and six days per week, except that the bill permits a minor under 16 years of age, subject to those exceptions, to work for no more than 24 hours per week. The bill also prohibits a minor under 16 years of age from working before 7:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m., except in domestic service, farm labor, public exhibitions, or street trades. Finally, the bill provides that these standards are subject to orders issued by DWD fixing hours of employment for minors. Under prior law, DWD fixed those hours as follows:
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Who's behind it
16 lawmakers are its . All 16 are Democrats.
6 more lawmakers .
See all 22 names Hide the names
Authors (16)
- Terese Berceau · Democrat, Assembly
- Janet Bewley · Democrat, Senate
- Chris Taylor · Democrat, Assembly
- Fred Clark · Democrat, Assembly
- Steve Doyle · Democrat, Assembly
- Tamara Grigsby · Democrat, Assembly
- Gary Hebl · Democrat, Assembly
- Gordon Hintz · Democrat, Assembly
- Frederick Kessler · Democrat, Assembly
- Cory Mason · Democrat, Assembly
- Sandy Pasch · Democrat, Assembly
- Mark Pocan · Democrat, Assembly
- Kelda Roys · Democrat, Senate
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Robert Turner · Democrat, Assembly
- JoCasta Zamarripa · Democrat, Assembly
Signed on in support (6)
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Dave Hansen · Democrat, Senate
- Julie M. Lassa · Democrat, Senate
- 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.
How lawmakers voted
There was one vote on this bill. Taking a bill up right away needs two-thirds of the members, a higher bar than passing it, so that vote can draw more yeses than the final one.
Assembly vote to take it up right away
Failed, 35 to 56 · Mar 15, 2012
No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.
Official motion: “Refused to suspend rules to withdraw from committee on Labor and Workforce Development and take up, Ayes 35, Noes 56”. Official record · This vote on its own page
What happened
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Mar 23, 2012
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Jan 9, 2012
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Dec 27, 2011
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Labor and Workforce Development.
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Dec 27, 2011
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Dec 27, 2011 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Grigsby, Pocan, Doyle, Pasch, Turner, Sinicki, Berceau, Hebl, Roys, Mason, Zamarripa, Kessler, Clark, Hintz, C. Taylor and Bewley;Cosponsored by Senators Lassa, Taylor, Hansen, C. Larson, Risser and S. Coggs
- Dec 27, 2011 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to committee on Labor and Workforce Development
- Jan 9, 2012 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- Mar 15, 2012 · Assembly
Refused to suspend rules to withdraw from committee on Labor and Workforce Development and take up, Ayes 35, Noes 56
- 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
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.
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
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote