Assembly Bill 89
Application of the open meetings law to legislative party caucuses
Topics: Legislature, Legislature: Rules: Assembly, Legislature: Rules: Joint, Legislature: Rules: Senate, Open meeting (Governmental)
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
Apr 12, 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 Judiciary and Ethics. 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.
Currently, under the open meetings law, with certain exceptions, meetings of state and local governmental bodies must be preceded by public notice, must be held in places that are reasonably accessible to the public, and must be open to the public at all times. If a meeting is properly noticed, a governmental body may, by recorded vote of a majority of the members present, convene in closed session for the purpose of considering certain matters specified by law. The open meetings law provides that the law does not apply to any partisan caucus of the senate or assembly, except as provided by legislative rule.
This bill deletes the exception in the open meetings law that makes the law inapplicable to a partisan caucus of the senate or assembly, except as provided by legislative rule. Under the bill, no rule of the senate or assembly and no joint rule of the legislature that exempts a partisan caucus of the senate or assembly from compliance with the open meetings law is valid.
Who's behind it
4 lawmakers are its . 3 are Democrats and 1 is a Republican.
5 more lawmakers .
See all 9 names Hide the names
Authors (4)
- Gordon Hintz · Democrat, Assembly
- Dean Kaufert · Republican, Assembly
- Cory Mason · Democrat, Assembly
- Kelda Roys · Democrat, Senate
Signed on in support (5)
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Louis Molepske Jr. · Democrat, Assembly
- Mark Pocan · Democrat, Assembly
- Timothy Cullen · Democrat, Senate
- Evan Wynn · Republican, Assembly
What happened
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Mar 23, 2012
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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May 27, 2011 to Jun 21, 2011
3 more representatives signed on in support.
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Apr 12, 2011
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Judiciary and Ethics.
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Apr 12, 2011
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Apr 12, 2011 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Mason, Kaufert, Hintz and Roys;Cosponsored by Senators T. Cullen and C. Larson
- Apr 12, 2011 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to committee on Judiciary and Ethics
- May 27, 2011 · Assembly
Representative Wynn added as a coauthor
- Jun 2, 2011 · Assembly
Representative Molepske Jr added as a coauthor
- Jun 21, 2011 · Assembly
Representative Pocan 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