Senate Bill 516
Changing the permitted uses of room tax revenues. (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
Jan 7, 2016
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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 Revenue, Financial Institutions, and Rural Issues. 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.
This bill changes the definition of "tourism promotion and tourism development" under the room tax to include within that definition economic development. The effect of this change is to authorize a municipality that imposes a room tax to spend any amount that must be spent on tourism promotion and development to be spent by the municipality on economic development. Amounts not spent by the municipality on economic development are forwarded to a commission or tourism entity to be spent on other aspects of tourism promotion and development.
Generally under current law, a municipality may retain a certain percentage of room tax revenues to be spent by the municipality for any public purpose, and the remainder of the revenue must be forwarded to a tourism commission, if the municipality has created one, or to a tourism entity, to be spent on tourism promotion and development. Current law defines "tourism promotion and tourism development" as expenditures by a commission or tourism entity on items including tourism marketing projects, tourist information services, and tangible municipal development that are significantly used by transient tourists and are likely to generate paid overnight stays at hotels and motels.
Read the full summary Show less
Generally, a municipality may retain approximately 30 percent of the room tax and must forward approximately 70 percent to a commission or tourism entity, although that ratio will begin to change somewhat beginning in 2017 such that an increasing percentage of room tax revenue must be spent on tourism promotion and development.
Under this bill, out of the approximately 70 percent that must be spent on tourism promotion and development, a municipality may spend any amount of that revenue on economic development and amounts not spent for that purpose must be forwarded to a commission or tourism entity. The bill defines "economic development" as development designed to promote job growth or retention, expand the property tax base, or improve a municipality's overall economic vitality.
Beginning in 2017, a municipality must certify each year to the Department of Revenue the amount of room tax revenues it spends on economic development.
Who's behind it
2 senators are its . 1 is a Democrat and 1 is a Republican.
10 more lawmakers .
See all 12 names Hide the names
Authors (2)
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- Mary Lazich · Republican, Senate
Signed on in support (10)
- Scott Allen · Republican, Assembly
- Mark Born · Republican, Assembly
- Steve Doyle · Democrat, Assembly
- Rob Hutton · Republican, Senate
- Joel Kleefisch · Republican, Assembly
- Dale Kooyenga · Republican, Senate
- Jesse Kremer · Republican, Assembly
- Mike Kuglitsch · Republican, Assembly
- Joe Sanfelippo · Republican, Assembly
- John Spiros · Republican, 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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Jan 14, 2016
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Jan 7, 2016
Sent to the Senate Committee on Revenue, Financial Institutions, and Rural Issues.
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Jan 7, 2016
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Jan 7, 2016 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Lazich and Carpenter; cosponsored by Representatives Sanfelippo, Kuglitsch, Allen, Born, Doyle, Hutton, Kleefisch, Kooyenga, Kremer, Murphy and Spiros
- Jan 7, 2016 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Revenue, Financial Institutions, and Rural Issues
- Jan 14, 2016 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Jan 19, 2016 · Senate
Representative Murphy withdrawn as a cosponsor
- 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