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Bills from the 2015–16 session

Assembly Bill 264

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.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Jun 10, 2015

  2. Committee, stopped here

    Stopped here. No public hearing was held.

  3. Assembly vote, not reached

  4. Senate vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Apr 13, 2016: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

It never got a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Small Business Development. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.

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.

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, who 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

This bill repeals references to and provisions for a living wage and replaces them with provisions requiring a minimum wage, described as follows. Under this bill, DWD must continue to provide the exemptions listed above as well as separate minimum wages for opportunity 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 wages because of a disability. For employees generally, however, including tipped employees, the bill sets the minimum wage as follows:

- See PDF for table Beginning six years after the bill's effective date, the bill requires DWD annually to promulgate rules revising the minimum wages established under the bill by determining the percentage difference between the consumer price index for the preceding 12-month period (year) and the consumer price index for the year before the preceding year, adjusting the minimum wages then in effect by that percentage difference, and rounding that result to the nearest multiple of five cents. DWD, however, is not required to revise the general minimum wage if the consumer price index for the preceding year has not increased over the consumer price index for the year before 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

17 lawmakers are its ⁠. All 17 are Democrats.

8 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 25 names

Authors (17)

Signed on in support (8)

What it would cost

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

What happened

  1. Apr 13, 2016

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Dec 15, 2015 to Jan 7, 2016

    2 more representatives signed on in support.

  3. Jul 15, 2015

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  4. Jun 10, 2015

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Small Business Development.

  5. Jun 10, 2015

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Jun 10, 2015 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Sargent, Subeck, Hesselbein, Johnson, Bowen, Berceau, Goyke, Stuck, Brostoff, Ohnstad, Pope, Barnes, Kessler, Young, Sinicki, C. Taylor and Riemer; cosponsored by Senators Wirch, C. Larson, Miller, Risser, Harris Dodd and Ringhand

  2. Jun 10, 2015 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Small Business Development

  3. Jul 15, 2015 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Dec 15, 2015 · Assembly

    Representative Zamarripa added as a coauthor

  5. Jan 7, 2016 · Assembly

    Representative Mason added as a coauthor

  6. Apr 13, 2016 · 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.

More in the glossary

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

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

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

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

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