Senate Joint Resolution 41
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
Sep 29, 2011
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. No public hearing was held.
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Senate vote, not reached
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Assembly 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 Senate Committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations. 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.
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
7 senators are its . All 7 are Democrats.
19 more lawmakers .
See all 26 names Hide the names
Authors (7)
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- Dave Hansen · Democrat, Senate
- Jim Holperin · Democrat, Senate
- Julie M. Lassa · Democrat, Senate
- Spencer Coggs · Democrat, Senate
- Kathleen Vinehout · Democrat, Senate
Signed on in support (19)
- 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
What happened
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Mar 23, 2012
The session ended, and the proposal died with it.
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Sep 29, 2011
Sent to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations.
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Sep 29, 2011
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Sep 29, 2011 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Vinehout, Carpenter, S. Coggs, Hansen, Holperin, C. Larson and Lassa;Cosponsored by Representatives Richards, Barca, Berceau, Bernard Schaber, Bewley, E. Coggs, D. Cullen, Doyle, Fields, Hebl, Hintz, Hulsey, Mason, Molepske Jr, Pasch, Pocan, Radcliffe, Ringhand and Roys
- Sep 29, 2011 · Senate
Read first time and referred to committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations
- Mar 23, 2012 · Senate
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
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