Skip to content
Bills from the Jan 2011 Special Session

Senate Bill 5

Requiring a supermajority for passage of tax increase legislation

Stopped before the full Senate voted

The recommended passing it, but the full Senate never voted on it. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Jan 5, 2011

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Senate vote, stopped here

    Stopped here. The full Senate never voted on it.

  4. Assembly vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Sep 28, 2011: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

Read the bill

Following saves it on this device. New actions show on your Following page. You can also get updates in a feed reader.

What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

This bill prohibits either house of the legislature from passing a bill that increases the rate of the state sales tax or that increases any of the rates of the income tax or franchise tax unless the bill is approved by two-thirds of those members present and voting. The bill, however, specifies that this prohibition does not apply if the legislature passes a joint resolution requiring a statewide advisory referendum on the question of whether the legislature should authorize the tax increase provided in the bill and a majority of voters voting at the referendum vote to approve the tax increase.

Who's behind it

4 lawmakers are its ⁠. 4 have no party on record.

6 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 10 names

Authors (4)

  • Committee on Senate Organization
  • Representative August
  • Senator Vukmir
  • by request of Governor Scott Walker

Signed on in support (6)

  • Tyler August · Republican, Assembly
  • Glenn Grothman · Republican, Senate
  • Kuglitsch, Mursau, Weininger, Litjens, Murtha, Knilans, Farrow, Vos, Loudenbeck, Endsley, Kaufert, M. Williams, Knudson, Knodl, A. Ott, Jacque, Meyer, Strachota, Honadel, Nygren, Petryk, LeMahieu, Nass and Petrowski
  • Schultz, Leibham, Lasee, Kapanke, Darling, Kedzie and Lazich
  • Jeffrey Stone · Republican, Assembly
  • Leah Vukmir · Republican, Senate

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 were 2 votes on this bill.

Senate Committee on Judiciary vote to recommend it

Passed, 3 to 2 · Feb 2, 2011

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

Official motion: “Report passage recommended by committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations, Ayes 3, Noes 2”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Senate vote

Passed, 19 to 13 · Feb 8, 2011 · 1 didn't vote

See how each of the 33 senators voted

D: Democrat, R: Republican

Didn't vote (1)

Official motion: “Decision of the Chair stands as the judgement of the Senate, Ayes 19, Noes 13”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Sep 28, 2011

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Feb 8, 2011

    “Point of order that January 2011 Special Session Senate Bill 5 is not germane to the special session call not well taken” (the official wording)

  3. Feb 2, 2011

    “Withdrawn from joint committee on Finance and made Available for Scheduling by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 41 (1)(e)” (the official wording)

  4. Feb 2, 2011

    Sent to the Joint Committee on Finance.

  5. Feb 2, 2011

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 3 to 2.

  6. Jan 19, 2011

    The committee held a public hearing.

  7. Jan 5, 2011 to Jan 10, 2011

    26 more representatives and 9 senators signed on in support.

  8. Jan 5, 2011

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

  9. Jan 5, 2011

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Jan 5, 2011 · Senate

    Introduced by committee on Senate Organization, by request of Governor Scott Walker, Senator Vukmir, and Representative August

  2. Jan 5, 2011 · Senate

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

  3. Jan 5, 2011 · Senate

    Senator Vukmir added as a coauthor

  4. Jan 5, 2011 · Senate

    Representative August added as a cosponsor

  5. Jan 5, 2011 · Senate

    Senators Schultz, Leibham, Lasee, Kapanke, Darling, Kedzie and Lazich added as coauthors

  6. Jan 5, 2011 · Senate

    Representatives Kuglitsch, Mursau, Weininger, Litjens, Murtha, Knilans, Farrow, Vos, Loudenbeck, Endsley, Kaufert, M. Williams, Knudson, Knodl, A. Ott, Jacque, Meyer, Strachota, Honadel, Nygren, Petryk, LeMahieu, Nass and Petrowski added as a cosponsors

  7. Jan 10, 2011 · Senate

    Representative Stone added as a cosponsor

  8. Jan 10, 2011 · Senate

    Senator Grothman added as a coauthor

  9. Jan 19, 2011 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  10. Feb 1, 2011 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  11. Feb 2, 2011 · Senate

    Report passage recommended by committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations, Ayes 3, Noes 2

  12. Feb 2, 2011 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  13. Feb 2, 2011 · Senate

    Referred to joint committee on Finance by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 41 (1)(e)

  14. Feb 2, 2011 · Senate

    Withdrawn from joint committee on Finance and made Available for Scheduling by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 41 (1)(e)

  15. Feb 2, 2011 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 2-8-2011 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  16. Feb 4, 2011 · Senate

    Senate amendment 1 offered by Senator Carpenter

  17. Feb 4, 2011 · Senate

    Senate amendment 2 offered by Senator Carpenter

  18. Feb 4, 2011 · Senate

    Senate amendment 3 offered by Senator Carpenter

  19. Feb 8, 2011 · Senate

    Read a second time

  20. Feb 8, 2011 · Senate

    Point of order that January 2011 Special Session Senate Bill 5 is not germane to the special session call not well taken

  21. Feb 8, 2011 · Senate

    Decision of the Chair stands as the judgement of the Senate, Ayes 19, Noes 13

  22. Feb 8, 2011 · Senate

    Laid on the table

  23. Sep 28, 2011 · 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

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.

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

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote

More in the glossary