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Bills from the 2011–12 session

Senate Bill 541

Making a contribution to a crime prevention organization as a surcharge or as an allowable cost in a criminal case, as a condition of probation, or as a surcharge in a forfeiture case

Topics: Circuit court, Court: Fee, Court: Municipal, Crime and criminals, Fines, Forfeiture, Municipality: Ordinance, Organization, Miscellaneous, Parole or probation

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.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Mar 2, 2012

  2. Committee, stopped here

    Stopped here. No public hearing was held.

  3. Senate vote, not reached

  4. Assembly 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 ⁠”

It never got a hearing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.

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.

This bill allows a circuit court or a municipal court to order a person who violates an ordinance that is the same as or similar to a criminal statute to make a contribution surcharge to certain qualifying organizations (crime prevention organizations). The bill also allows a circuit court in a criminal action to require a person who is found guilty of a crime to make a contribution surcharge in lieu of or in addition to a fine or certain court costs or, if the court places the person on probation, as a condition of probation.

Under the bill, a court that requires a contribution surcharge must determine that the person has the financial ability to make the contribution and, in a forfeiture case, the amount of the surcharge may not exceed the maximum amount of the forfeiture for the violation. In a criminal case, the court must also determine that the contribution is appropriate under the facts of the case.

Read the full summary

Under the bill, if a court imposes a contribution surcharge but does not require the person to pay a forfeiture, fine, or court costs, the court shall state on the record the reasons why it is not requiring the person to pay the forfeiture, fine, or court costs.

Under the bill, a crime prevention organization may be a private, nonprofit organization that has as its primary purpose preventing crime, encouraging the public to report crime, or assisting law enforcement agencies in the apprehension of criminal offenders or a law enforcement agency that has a crime prevention fund, if the contribution is credited to the crime prevention fund and is used for crime prevention purposes. The bill requires any crime prevention organization that receives a contribution surcharge to submit a report annually to the clerk of the court that ordered the contribution. The report must list the names of the officers of the organization, the amount of contributions the organization received and the names of the contributors, how the contributions were spent, and the balance, if any, remaining at the time the report is made.

Who's behind it

Rob Cowles, a Republican, is its ⁠.

6 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 7 names

Author (1)

Signed on in support (6)

What happened

  1. Mar 23, 2012

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Mar 2, 2012

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations.

  3. Mar 2, 2012

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Mar 2, 2012 · Senate

    Introduced by Senator Cowles;Cosponsored by Representatives Jacque, A. Ott, Endsley, Mursau, Tranel and Spanbauer

  2. Mar 2, 2012 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations

  3. Mar 23, 2012 · Senate

    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

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

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

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

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

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