Assembly Bill 32
The prosecution and venue for trial of certain offenses by certain state residents
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 20, 2017
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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, Mar 28, 2018: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
It never got a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Judiciary. 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
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
This bill changes the venue for trials involving violations of elections, ethics, and lobbying regulation laws.
Under current law, with limited exceptions, civil violations of elections laws and of laws related to the official functions of the subject of an investigation or any matter that relates to elections that are alleged to be committed by a resident of this state are prosecuted by the Elections Commission or by the district attorney for the prosecutorial unit (in most cases, the county) where the subject resides. Also under current law, with similar exceptions, civil violations of campaign finance, ethics, and lobbying regulation laws and of laws related to the official functions of the subject of an investigation or any matter that relates to campaign finance, ethics, or lobbying that are alleged to be committed by a resident of this state are prosecuted by the Ethics Commission or by the district attorney for the prosecutorial unit where the subject resides. With similar exceptions, civil violations of these laws by nonresidents are prosecuted by the respective commission or by the district attorney for the prosecutorial unit where an alleged violation occurs. Criminal violations of these laws are prosecuted solely by the same district attorney, subject to the same exceptions. With certain limited exceptions, the trial in any such civil or criminal prosecution of a resident of this state, as well as in any lobbying license revocation action brought by the Ethics Commission, is held in circuit court for the county where the subject resides. With similar exceptions, the trial in any such civil or criminal prosecution of a nonresident of this state is held in circuit court for the county where an alleged violation occurs.
Read the full summary Show less
This bill provides, with similar exceptions, that all such civil violations of elections laws shall be prosecuted by the Elections Commission or by the district attorney for the prosecutorial unit where an alleged violation occurs, irrespective of the residence of the defendant. The bill also provides, with similar exceptions, that all such civil violations of campaign finance, ethics, and lobbying laws shall be prosecuted by the Ethics Commission or by the district attorney for the prosecutorial unit where an alleged violation occurs, irrespective of the residence of the defendant.
The bill also provides, with similar exceptions, that all such criminal violations shall be prosecuted solely by the district attorney for the prosecutorial unit where an alleged violation occurs, irrespective of the residence of the defendant. In addition, the bill provides, with limited exceptions, that the trial in any such civil or criminal prosecution, as well as in any lobbying license revocation action brought by the Ethics Commission, shall be held in circuit court for the county where the alleged violation occurs. Under the bill, the Elections Commission has no responsibility for prosecution of any violations other than violations of elections laws, and the Ethics Commission has no responsibility for prosecution of any violations other than violations of campaign finance, ethics, and lobbying regulation laws.
The bill also deletes a statutory restriction on the disclosure of certain information related to the investigation or prosecution of laws arising from or in relation to the official functions of the person who is investigated or prosecuted.
Under the bill, the information may still be withheld if other laws authorize or require the information to be withheld or if the custodian can demonstrate that the public interest requires withholding.
Who's behind it
9 lawmakers are its . All 9 are Democrats.
See all 9 names Hide the names
Authors (9)
- Terese Berceau · Democrat, Assembly
- Jonathan Brostoff · Democrat, Assembly
- Chris Taylor · Democrat, Assembly
- Frederick Kessler · Democrat, Assembly
- Cory Mason · Democrat, Assembly
- Tod Ohnstad · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
- Dana Wachs · Democrat, Assembly
What happened
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Mar 28, 2018
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Jan 20, 2017
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Judiciary.
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Jan 20, 2017
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
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
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