Assembly Bill 709
Expungement of misdemeanors
Topics: Court: Procedure, Crime and criminals, Jail
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
Mar 15, 2012
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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, Apr 12, 2012: “Fiscal estimate received”
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.
Under current law, if a person is found guilty of a misdemeanor or a nonviolent Class H or Class I felony that he or she commits before age 25, the sentencing court may order that the record of conviction be expunged when he or she completes his or her sentence. The court must find that expungement would benefit the person and not harm society and the person may not commit another crime or have his or her probation revoked in order to be eligible for expungement. If the person successfully completes the sentence in such a case, the Department of Corrections or the county jail or house of correction must issue a certificate stating that the person successfully completed the sentence. The expungement takes effect immediately upon the issuance of that certificate.
This bill makes expungement available for all persons who were convicted of a misdemeanor with a maximum jail sentence of one year, regardless of their age at the time of their offenses, unless the misdemeanor conviction was the result of a plea agreement for certain felony charges. In addition, upon the expungement of a person's conviction, he or she can no longer be affected by any prohibition, disqualification, disability, increased penalty, or other adverse or unfavorable treatment that results from a misdemeanor conviction, including any adverse consequences that might result from a court's consideration of the expunged offense in any subsequent case. Moreover, neither the existence nor the contents of court records relating to the expunged offense may be disclosed to anyone other than the person or his or her attorney. The bill also permits a court to enter an order authorizing expungement at any time during or after the sentence. The bill, however, specifies that expungement may not occur within the first two years after the person's misdemeanor conviction and that, in general, a person is eligible for expungement only once in his or her lifetime.
Who's behind it
5 representatives are its . 4 are Democrats and 1 is a Republican.
2 more lawmakers .
See all 7 names Hide the names
Authors (5)
- Garey Bies · Republican, Assembly
- Tamara Grigsby · Democrat, Assembly
- Frederick Kessler · Democrat, Assembly
- Mark Pocan · Democrat, Assembly
- Robert Turner · Democrat, Assembly
Signed on in support (2)
- 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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Apr 12, 2012
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Mar 23, 2012
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Mar 15, 2012
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Corrections.
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Mar 15, 2012
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Mar 15, 2012 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Kessler, Turner, Grigsby, Pocan and Bies;Cosponsored by Senators Taylor and S. Coggs
- Mar 15, 2012 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to committee on Criminal Justice and Corrections
- Mar 23, 2012 · Assembly
Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1
- Apr 12, 2012 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
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