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Bills from the 2011–12 session

Assembly Bill 509

The admissibility of hearsay evidence at a preliminary examination

Topics: Court: Procedure, Evidence

Stopped before the full Assembly voted

The recommended passing it, but the full Assembly never voted on it. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Feb 1, 2012

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Assembly vote, stopped here

    Stopped here. The full Assembly never voted on it.

  4. Senate vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 23, 2012: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

Read the bill

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What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Under current law, if an adult is charged with a felony (or, under certain circumstances, if a juvenile is charged with a violation that would be a crime if committed by an adult), a preliminary examination is conducted to determine whether there is probable cause to believe that the person committed the crime as charged. In the case of a juvenile, the preliminary examination is also used to determine whether the juvenile should be tried in adult court or referred to juvenile court.

Under current law, hearsay evidence (a statement, other than one made by a person who is testifying in court, that is offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted) is generally inadmissible in court proceedings, including in a preliminary examination. Current law offers some exceptions to the rule that hearsay is inadmissible, which generally require some indication that the hearsay is reliable or trustworthy. Current law also includes an exception at a preliminary examination to establish property ownership, a victim's lack of consent to entry upon or destruction of private property, and certain elements of identity theft crimes.

Read the full summary

Under this bill, hearsay evidence is admissible at a preliminary examination.

Under the bill, the court may rely on hearsay, in whole or in part, to determine whether there is probable cause that the defendant committed a crime.

Who's behind it

5 lawmakers are its ⁠. All 5 are Republicans.

2 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 7 names

Authors (5)

Signed on in support (2)

How lawmakers voted

There was one vote on this bill.

Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Corrections vote to recommend it

Passed, 5 to 4 · Feb 20, 2012

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report passage recommended by committee on Criminal Justice and Corrections, Ayes 5, Noes 4”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Mar 23, 2012

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Feb 20, 2012

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  3. Feb 20, 2012

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 5 to 4.

  4. Feb 9, 2012

    The committee held a public hearing.

  5. Feb 1, 2012

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Corrections.

  6. Feb 1, 2012

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Feb 1, 2012 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Jacque, Bies, Craig, Krug and LeMahieu;Cosponsored by Senators Grothman and Lazich

  2. Feb 1, 2012 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to committee on Criminal Justice and Corrections

  3. Feb 9, 2012 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  4. Feb 16, 2012 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  5. Feb 20, 2012 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by committee on Criminal Justice and Corrections, Ayes 5, Noes 4

  6. Feb 20, 2012 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  7. 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.

More in the glossary

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

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.

More in the glossary

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

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote

More in the glossary