Assembly Bill 153
An exception to the hearsay rule of evidence if a witness is unavailable
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.
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Introduced, passed
Apr 15, 2013
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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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Governor, not reached
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Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Apr 8, 2014: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
It never got a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Judiciary. 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.
Under current law, hearsay evidence (a statement, other than one made by a person who is testifying in court, that is offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted) is generally inadmissible in civil and criminal court proceedings. Current law offers some exceptions to the rule that hearsay is inadmissible if the hearsay was spoken by a person (declarant) who is unavailable to testify at the proceeding.
Exceptions include including admitting a statement from a declarant who believed his or her death was imminent, a statement made by a declarant in a prior court proceeding, and under certain circumstances, a statement a declarant made that was against his or her own interests. Current law allows a court to admit hearsay evidence not covered by one of the specific exceptions if the court finds that the evidence has circumstantial guarantees of trustworthiness.
Read the full summary Show less
This bill creates an exception to the hearsay rule to allow a statement made by a declarant who is unavailable to testify as a witness at a proceeding if the declarant's statement is made against a party who wrongfully caused the declarant to be unavailable.
Who's behind it
6 lawmakers are its . All 6 are Republicans.
1 more lawmaker .
See all 7 names Hide the names
Authors (6)
- Rob Hutton · Republican, Senate
- André Jacque · Republican, Senate
- Joel Kleefisch · Republican, Assembly
- Howard Marklein · Republican, Senate
- John Spiros · Republican, Assembly
- Jim Steineke · Republican, Assembly
Signed on in support (1)
- Joan Ballweg · Republican, Senate
What happened
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Apr 8, 2014
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Apr 25, 2013
1 more representative signed on in support.
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Apr 15, 2013
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Judiciary.
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Apr 15, 2013
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Apr 15, 2013 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Steineke, Hutton, Jacque, Spiros, Marklein and Kleefisch
- Apr 15, 2013 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Judiciary
- Apr 25, 2013 · Assembly
Representative Ballweg added as a coauthor
- Apr 8, 2014 · Assembly
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.
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