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Bills from the 2011–12 session

Senate Bill 58

Liability of public utility customers for unbilled utility service

Topics: Public Service Commission, Public utility

Passed the Senate, then stopped

The Senate passed it on Mar 6, 2012, but the Assembly never voted on it. A bill has to ⁠. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Apr 12, 2011

  2. Committee, passed

  3. Senate vote, passed

    Passed Mar 6, 2012

  4. Assembly vote, stopped here

    Stopped here. The Assembly never voted on it.

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 23, 2012: “Failed to concur in 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.

Current law imposes a two-year deadline on public utility bills for service.

Under the deadline, a public utility must bill a customer for service within two years of the service. Current law also provides that a customer is not liable for unbilled service two years after the date of the service, unless certain specified exceptions apply. As a result, under current law, a customer is liable, without exception, for service billed within the two-year deadline, but is liable for service billed after the two-year deadline only if an exception applies.

Read the full summary

This bill creates an exception to customer liability for service billed within the two-year deadline. Under the bill, a customer is not liable for service if a public utility fails to bill the customer in a timely manner and the failure resulted from the inaccurate measurement of service caused in whole or in part by the public utility's act or omission. The bill provides that service is considered billed in a timely manner if it is billed in the same billing cycle in which the service is delivered. The bill also prohibits the Public Service Commission from allowing a public utility to recover in rates any amounts that the bill prohibits the public utility from collecting from customers.

Who's behind it

4 senators are its ⁠. 3 are Republicans and 1 is a Democrat.

7 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 11 names

Authors (4)

Signed on in support (7)

What it would cost

State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

Versions and amendments

Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.

How lawmakers voted

There was one vote on this bill.

Senate vote

Failed, 2 to 3 · Oct 20, 2011

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

Official motion: “Report passage by committee on Energy, Biotechnology, and Consumer Protection, Ayes 2, Noes 3”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Mar 23, 2012

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Mar 6, 2012

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  3. Mar 6, 2012

    The Assembly received it.

  4. Mar 6, 2012

    The Senate passed it.

  5. Mar 6, 2012

    The Senate adopted it.

  6. Oct 20, 2011

    “Report passage by committee on Energy, Biotechnology, and Consumer Protection, Ayes 2, Noes 3” (the official wording)

  7. Oct 19, 2011

    The committee voted on it.

  8. Sep 21, 2011

    The committee held a public hearing.

  9. Jun 8, 2011

    1 more senator signed on in support.

  10. May 6, 2011

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  11. Apr 12, 2011

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Energy, Biotechnology, and Consumer Protection.

  12. Apr 12, 2011

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Apr 12, 2011 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Ellis, Cowles, Olsen and Lassa;Cosponsored by Representatives Kaufert, Kerkman, Ziegelbauer, Berceau, Ballweg and Thiesfeldt

  2. Apr 12, 2011 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Energy, Biotechnology, and Consumer Protection

  3. May 6, 2011 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Jun 8, 2011 · Senate

    Senator Carpenter added as a coauthor

  5. Sep 21, 2011 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  6. Oct 19, 2011 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  7. Oct 20, 2011 · Senate

    Report passage by committee on Energy, Biotechnology, and Consumer Protection, Ayes 2, Noes 3

  8. Oct 20, 2011 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  9. Mar 5, 2012 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 3-6-2012 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  10. Mar 6, 2012 · Senate

    Read a second time

  11. Mar 6, 2012 · Senate

    Senate amendment 1 offered by Senators Wanggaard and Ellis

  12. Mar 6, 2012 · Senate

    Senate amendment 1 adopted

  13. Mar 6, 2012 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  14. Mar 6, 2012 · Senate

    Rules suspended

  15. Mar 6, 2012 · Senate

    Read a third time and passed

  16. Mar 6, 2012 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  17. Mar 6, 2012 · Assembly

    Received from Senate

  18. Mar 6, 2012 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to committee on Rules

  19. Mar 23, 2012 · Assembly

    Failed to concur in pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

Terms on this page

Second chamber's vote

A bill has to pass both the Assembly and the Senate in the same form before it goes to the governor.

Official term: Concurrence. 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

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate. 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

Second chamber's vote

A bill has to pass both the Assembly and the Senate in the same form before it goes to the governor.

Official term: Concurrence

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

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate

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