Assembly Joint Resolution 52
Requiring the legislature to enact laws requiring reasonable notice of and public access to meetings of governmental bodies, including the legislature, and making members of the legislature subject to citations and civil penalties for violations of such laws (first consideration)
Topics: Constitutional amendments: First consideration, Legislature, Legislature: Member, 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 proposal.
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Introduced, passed
Aug 9, 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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Adopted, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Mar 23, 2012: “Failed to adopt pursuant to ”
It never got a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Assembly Organization pursuant to Assembly Rule 42 (3)(c). 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
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.
On June 14, 2011, in Ozanne v. Fitzgerald , the Wisconsin Supreme Court held that under the constitutional separation of powers, the courts will not apply the notice and public access requirements of the open meetings law to meetings of legislative bodies.
The constitution also prohibits arrest of members of the legislature except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace and exempts members from civil process during the legislative session and for 15 days before and after the session.
Read the full summary Show less
This constitutional amendment, proposed to the 2011 legislature on first consideration, requires the legislature to enact laws requiring reasonable notice of and public access to meetings of governmental bodies, including the legislature, and making members of the legislature subject to citations and civil penalties for violations of such laws.
A constitutional amendment requires adoption by two successive legislatures, and ratification by the people, before it can become effective.
Who's behind it
25 lawmakers are its . All 25 are Democrats.
4 more lawmakers .
See all 29 names Hide the names
Authors (25)
- Peter Barca · Democrat, Assembly
- Terese Berceau · Democrat, Assembly
- Penny Bernard Schaber · Democrat, Assembly
- Janet Bewley · Democrat, Senate
- David Cullen · Democrat, Assembly
- Steve Doyle · Democrat, Assembly
- Elizabeth Coggs · Democrat, Assembly
- Jason Fields · Democrat, Assembly
- Gary Hebl · Democrat, Assembly
- Gordon Hintz · Democrat, Assembly
- Brett Hulsey · Democrat, Assembly
- Cory Mason · Democrat, Assembly
- Louis Molepske Jr. · Democrat, Assembly
- Sandy Pasch · Democrat, Assembly
- Mark Pocan · Democrat, Assembly
- Mark Radcliffe · Democrat, Assembly
- Jon Richards · Democrat, Assembly
- Janis Ringhand · Democrat, Senate
- Kelda Roys · Democrat, Senate
- Donna Seidel · Democrat, Assembly
- Jennifer Shilling · Democrat, Senate
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Tony Staskunas · Democrat, Assembly
- John Steinbrink · Democrat, Assembly
- Amy Sue Vruwink · Democrat, Assembly
Signed on in support (4)
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- Jim Holperin · Democrat, Senate
- Spencer Coggs · Democrat, Senate
How lawmakers voted
There was one vote on this proposal. 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, 38 to 57 · Feb 16, 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 Assembly Organization and take up, Ayes 38, Noes 57”. Official record · This vote on its own page
What happened
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Mar 23, 2012
The session ended, and the proposal died with it.
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Feb 16, 2012
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Assembly Organization.
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Aug 9, 2011
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Homeland Security and State Affairs.
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Aug 9, 2011
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Aug 9, 2011 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Richards, Barca, Berceau, Bernard Schaber, Bewley, E. Coggs, D. Cullen, Doyle, Fields, Hebl, Hintz, Hulsey, Mason, Molepske Jr, Pasch, Pocan, Radcliffe, Ringhand, Roys, Seidel, Shilling, Sinicki, Staskunas, Steinbrink and Vruwink;Cosponsored by Senators C. Larson, Holperin, Carpenter and S. Coggs
- Aug 9, 2011 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to committee on Homeland Security and State Affairs
- Feb 16, 2012 · Assembly
Withdrawn from committee on Homeland Security and State Affairs and referred to committee on Assembly Organization pursuant to Assembly Rule 42 (3)(c)
- Feb 16, 2012 · Assembly
Refused to suspend rules to withdraw from committee on Assembly Organization and take up, Ayes 38, Noes 57
- Mar 23, 2012 · Assembly
Failed to adopt 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
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
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote