Assembly Bill 542
A state minimum wage, permitting the enactment of local living wage ordinances, extending the time limit for emergency rule procedures, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, providing an exemption from rule-making procedures, and requiring the exercise of rule-making authority. (FE)
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
Dec 9, 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 Jobs, Economy and Mining pursuant to Assembly Rule 42 (3)(c). 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
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
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
Currently, the state minimum wage law requires that employers pay a living wage to their employees. Under that law, the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) has provided, by rule, minimum wages for various types of employees, including employees, generally; minor employees; opportunity employees, which are defined as employees under 20 years of age in their first 90 days of employment with a particular employer; tipped employees; agricultural employees; camp counselors;
golf caddies; students employed at independent colleges and universities for less than 20 hours per week; student learners employed in bona fide school training programs; and individuals who are unable to earn the standard minimum wage because of a disability. DWD has exempted, by rule, from the minimum wage law employees who perform less than 15 hours per week of casual employment, such as baby-sitting or lawn mowing, in and around an employer's home; employees who provide companionship services to elderly or infirm individuals; and elementary and secondary school students performing work-like activities in their schools. DWD has also promulgated rules providing allowances against the minimum wage for employers that provide meals or lodging for their employees.
Read the full summary Show less
Under this bill, DWD will continue to provide the exemptions listed above and separate minimum wages for students employed at independent colleges and universities for less than 20 hours per week, student learners employed in bona fide school training programs, and individuals who are unable to earn the standard minimum wages because of a disability. For other employees, however, the bill sets the minimum wages as follows:
- See PDF for table - See PDF for table - See PDF for table The bill also increases the allowance against the minimum wage that an employer who provides room and board for an employee may take, as follows:
- See PDF for table Beginning on September 1, 2014, the bill requires DWD annually to promulgate rules revising the minimum wages and allowances for meals and lodging established under the bill by determining the percentage difference between the consumer price index for the preceding year and the consumer price index for the current year, adjusting the minimum wages and allowances in effect on August 31 of the current year by that percentage difference, and rounding that result to the nearest multiple of five cents or, in the case of a camp counselor, the nearest dollar. This requirement does not apply, however, if the consumer price index for the current year has not increased over the consumer price index for the preceding year.
Finally, current law prohibits a city, village, town, or county from enacting and administering an ordinance establishing a living wage. This bill eliminates that prohibition.
Who's behind it
23 lawmakers are its . All 23 are Democrats.
12 more lawmakers .
See all 35 names Hide the names
Authors (23)
- Mandela Barnes · Democrat, Assembly
- Terese Berceau · Democrat, Assembly
- Chris Taylor · Democrat, Assembly
- Fred Clark · Democrat, Assembly
- Eric Genrich · Democrat, Assembly
- Evan Goyke · Democrat, Assembly
- Gary Hebl · Democrat, Assembly
- Dianne Hesselbein · Democrat, Senate
- Brett Hulsey · Democrat, Assembly
- LaTonya Johnson · Democrat, Senate
- Frederick Kessler · Democrat, Assembly
- Cory Mason · Democrat, Assembly
- Nick Milroy · Democrat, Assembly
- Tod Ohnstad · Democrat, Assembly
- Sandy Pasch · Democrat, Assembly
- Sondy Pope · Democrat, Assembly
- Daniel Riemer · Democrat, Assembly
- Melissa Sargent · Democrat, Assembly
- Katrina Shankland · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Dana Wachs · Democrat, Assembly
- Leon Young · Democrat, Assembly
- Josh Zepnick · Democrat, Assembly
Signed on in support (12)
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- Jon Erpenbach · Democrat, Senate
- Dave Hansen · Democrat, Senate
- Nikiya Harris Dodd · Democrat, Senate
- Robert Jauch · Democrat, Senate
- Lena Taylor · Democrat, Senate
- John Lehman · Democrat, Senate
- Mark Miller · Democrat, Senate
- Fred A. Risser · Democrat, Senate
- Timothy Cullen · Democrat, Senate
- Bob Wirch · Democrat, Senate
- Mandy Wright · Democrat, Assembly
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
How lawmakers voted
There was one vote on this bill. Taking a bill up right away needs two-thirds of the members, a higher bar than passing it, so that vote can draw more yeses than the final one.
Assembly vote to take it up right away
Failed, 36 to 60 · Mar 18, 2014
No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.
Official motion: “Refused to suspend rules to withdraw from committee on Jobs, Economy and Mining and take up, Ayes 36, Noes 60”. Official record · This vote on its own page
What happened
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Apr 8, 2014
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Mar 14, 2014
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economy and Mining.
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Jan 6, 2014
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Dec 18, 2013
1 more representative signed on in support.
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Dec 9, 2013
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Labor.
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Dec 9, 2013
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Dec 9, 2013 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Mason, Barnes, Ohnstad, Riemer, Goyke, Hesselbein, Genrich, Johnson, Sargent, Wachs, Berceau, Clark, Hebl, Hulsey, Kessler, Milroy, Pasch, Pope, Shankland, Sinicki, C. Taylor, Young and Zepnick; cosponsored by Senators Wirch, Lehman, Carpenter, T. Cullen, Erpenbach, Hansen, Harris, Jauch, Miller, Risser and L. Taylor
- Dec 9, 2013 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Labor
- Dec 18, 2013 · Assembly
Representative Wright added as a coauthor
- Jan 6, 2014 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- Mar 14, 2014 · Assembly
Withdrawn from committee on Labor and referred to committee on Jobs, Economy and Mining pursuant to Assembly Rule 42 (3)(c)
- Mar 18, 2014 · Assembly
Refused to suspend rules to withdraw from committee on Jobs, Economy and Mining and take up, Ayes 36, Noes 60
- 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
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
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
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote