Senate Bill 670
Persons authorized to officiate at a marriage
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
Feb 1, 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Latest entry in the official record, Apr 25, 2016: “Representative Shankland withdrawn as a cosponsor”
It never got a hearing in the Senate Committee on Government Operations and Consumer Protection. 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.
This bill authorizes a mej koob to officiate at a marriage in accordance with traditional Hmong wedding ceremony customs.
Under current law, a marriage is validly solemnized and contracted in this state after a marriage license has been issued and the two parties mutually declare, before an authorized officiating person and two witnesses, that they take each other as each other's spouse. The following persons are authorized officiating persons: 1) an ordained member of the clergy; 2) a licentiate of a denominational body or an appointee of a bishop serving as the regular member of the clergy of any church of the denomination to which the member of the clergy belongs; 3) the two marrying parties themselves, by mutual declaration that they take each other as each other's spouse; 4) a judge, reserve judge, or municipal judge; and 5) a circuit court commissioner. This bill adds a mej koob, in accordance with traditional Hmong wedding ceremony customs, to the list of who may officiate at a marriage. A mej koob is an individual in Hmong culture who negotiates a marriage between the families of the future bride and groom. A mej koob also conducts the wedding celebration and ensures that the traditional Hmong cultural customs and rituals are followed during the celebration.
Who's behind it
8 senators are its . 7 are Democrats and 1 is a Republican.
36 more lawmakers .
See all 44 names Hide the names
Authors (8)
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- Dave Hansen · Democrat, Senate
- Nikiya Harris Dodd · Democrat, Senate
- Julie M. Lassa · Democrat, Senate
- Roger Roth · Republican, Senate
- Kathleen Vinehout · Democrat, Senate
- Bob Wirch · Democrat, Senate
Signed on in support (36)
- Alvin Ott · Republican, Assembly
- Joan Ballweg · Republican, Senate
- Peter Barca · Democrat, Assembly
- Mandela Barnes · Democrat, Assembly
- David Bowen · Democrat, Assembly
- Jonathan Brostoff · Democrat, Assembly
- Dave Considine · Democrat, Assembly
- Chris Danou · Democrat, Assembly
- Steve Doyle · Democrat, Assembly
- Edward Brooks · Republican, Assembly
- Bob Gannon · Republican, Assembly
- Eric Genrich · Democrat, Assembly
- Evan Goyke · Democrat, Assembly
- Dianne Hesselbein · Democrat, Senate
- Gordon Hintz · Democrat, Assembly
- LaTonya Johnson · Democrat, Senate
- Andy Jorgensen · Democrat, Assembly
- Frederick Kessler · Democrat, Assembly
- Joel Kitchens · Republican, Assembly
- Debra Kolste · Democrat, Assembly
- Bob Kulp · Republican, Assembly
- Beth Meyers · Democrat, Assembly
- Nick Milroy · Democrat, Assembly
- Tod Ohnstad · Democrat, Assembly
- Sondy Pope · Democrat, Assembly
- Daniel Riemer · Democrat, Assembly
- Mike Rohrkaste · Republican, Assembly
- Melissa Sargent · 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 happened
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Apr 13, 2016
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Feb 1, 2016
Sent to the Senate Committee on Government Operations and Consumer Protection.
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Feb 1, 2016
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Feb 1, 2016 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Carpenter, C. Larson, Harris Dodd, Vinehout, Wirch, Hansen, Lassa and Roth; cosponsored by Representatives Brostoff, Stuck, Genrich, Johnson, Milroy, Goyke, Subeck, Kolste, Danou, Hintz, Hesselbein, Barnes, Doyle, Gannon, Pope, Bowen, E. Brooks, Riemer, Kulp, Shankland, Wachs, Ohnstad, Zepnick, Rohrkaste, Sinicki, Ballweg, Kitchens, Considine, Zamarripa, Kessler, Sargent, Meyers, Young, Barca, A. Ott, Spreitzer and Jorgensen
- Feb 1, 2016 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Government Operations and Consumer Protection
- Apr 13, 2016 · Senate
Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1
- Apr 25, 2016 · Senate
Representative Shankland withdrawn as a cosponsor
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