Senate Bill 145
Authorizing the circuit court to order a person who engages in discrimination in employment, unfair honesty testing, or unfair genetic testing to pay compensatory and punitive damages. (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
May 1, 2015
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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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Governor, not reached
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Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Apr 13, 2016: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
It never got a hearing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety. 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
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
Under the current fair employment law, a person alleging discrimination in employment or unfair honesty or genetic testing may file a complaint with the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) seeking action that will effectuate the purpose of the fair employment law, including reinstating the employee, providing back pay, and paying costs and attorney fees. The fair employment law, however, does not authorize DWD to award compensatory or punitive damages to a complainant.
This bill permits DWD or a person who is alleged or was found to have been discriminated against or subjected to unfair honesty or genetic testing to bring an action in circuit court to recover compensatory and punitive damages caused by the act of discrimination or unfair honesty or genetic testing. Those damages are in addition to any back pay or other amounts awarded in any administrative proceeding. The bill, however, does not permit an action for damages to be brought against any local governmental unit or against any employer employing fewer than 15 individuals.
Read the full summary Show less
Under the bill, if the circuit court finds that a defendant has committed an act of discrimination or unfair honesty or genetic testing, the circuit court must order the defendant to pay to the person discriminated against compensatory and punitive damages in an amount that the circuit court finds appropriate, subject to the following limitations:
1. If the defendant employs 100 or fewer employees, $50,000.
2. If the defendant employs more than 100 but fewer than 201 employees, $100,000.
3. If the defendant employs more than 200 but fewer than 501 employees, $200,000.
4. If the defendant employs more than 500 employees, $300,000.
The bill requires DWD to annually revise these amounts based upon the change in the consumer price index in the previous year, if any positive change has occurred.
Who's behind it
14 senators are its . All 14 are Democrats.
36 more lawmakers .
See all 50 names Hide the names
Authors (14)
- Janet Bewley · Democrat, Senate
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- Jon Erpenbach · Democrat, Senate
- Dave Hansen · Democrat, Senate
- Nikiya Harris Dodd · Democrat, Senate
- Lena Taylor · Democrat, Senate
- Julie M. Lassa · Democrat, Senate
- Mark Miller · Democrat, Senate
- Janis Ringhand · Democrat, Senate
- Fred A. Risser · Democrat, Senate
- Jennifer Shilling · Democrat, Senate
- Kathleen Vinehout · Democrat, Senate
- Bob Wirch · Democrat, Senate
Signed on in support (36)
- Peter Barca · Democrat, Assembly
- Mandela Barnes · Democrat, Assembly
- Terese Berceau · Democrat, Assembly
- Jill Billings · Democrat, Assembly
- David Bowen · Democrat, Assembly
- Jonathan Brostoff · Democrat, Assembly
- Chris Taylor · Democrat, Assembly
- Dave Considine · Democrat, Assembly
- Chris Danou · Democrat, Assembly
- Steve Doyle · Democrat, Assembly
- Eric Genrich · Democrat, Assembly
- Evan Goyke · Democrat, Assembly
- Gary Hebl · Democrat, Assembly
- Dianne Hesselbein · Democrat, Senate
- Gordon Hintz · Democrat, Assembly
- LaTonya Johnson · Democrat, Senate
- Andy Jorgensen · Democrat, Assembly
- Robb Kahl · Democrat, Assembly
- Frederick Kessler · Democrat, Assembly
- Debra Kolste · Democrat, Assembly
- Cory Mason · Democrat, Assembly
- Beth Meyers · Democrat, Assembly
- Nick Milroy · Democrat, Assembly
- Tod Ohnstad · Democrat, Assembly
- Sondy Pope · Democrat, Assembly
- Daniel Riemer · Democrat, Assembly
- Melissa Sargent · Democrat, Assembly
- Katrina Shankland · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
- Amanda Stuck · Democrat, Assembly
- Lisa Subeck · Democrat, Assembly
- Dana Wachs · Democrat, Assembly
- Leon Young · Democrat, Assembly
- JoCasta Zamarripa · Democrat, Assembly
- Josh Zepnick · Democrat, Assembly
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
What happened
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Apr 13, 2016
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Jun 3, 2015
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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May 1, 2015
Sent to the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.
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May 1, 2015
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- May 1, 2015 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Hansen, Bewley, Carpenter, Erpenbach, Harris Dodd, C. Larson, Lassa, Miller, Ringhand, Risser, Shilling, L. Taylor, Vinehout and Wirch; cosponsored by Representatives Sinicki, Barca, Shankland, Zamarripa, Mason, Ohnstad, Barnes, Berceau, Billings, Bowen, Brostoff, Considine, Danou, Doyle, Genrich, Goyke, Hebl, Hesselbein, Hintz, Johnson, Jorgensen, Kahl, Kessler, Kolste, Meyers, Milroy, Pope, Riemer, Sargent, Spreitzer, Stuck, Subeck, C. Taylor, Wachs, Young and Zepnick
- May 1, 2015 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety
- Jun 3, 2015 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Apr 13, 2016 · 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.
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
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