Assembly Bill 38
Limiting the authority of a law enforcement officer to arrest someone for sleeping or camping in a county park, authorizing local ordinances to prohibit overnight sleeping or camping in a county park, and providing a penalty. (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 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 Criminal Justice 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
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
Under this bill, and subject to a number of exceptions, no state or local law enforcement officer may arrest a person, without a warrant, who is suspected of sleeping in an area of a county park in which the county has prohibited overnight sleeping or overnight camping. The exceptions include situations where the law enforcement officer knows the person is wanted for arrest on charges unrelated to sleeping or camping in a county park or the officer reasonably believes the person is a threat to public health or safety for reasons unrelated to sleeping or camping in a county park.
The bill authorizes a city, village, town, or county to enact and enforce an ordinance prohibiting a person from sleeping in a county park in an area designated by the political subdivision as an area in which overnight sleeping or camping is prohibited, but the ordinance must specify that the penalty for violating such an ordinance is a forfeiture of not less than $10 nor more than $200, plus costs. The ordinance must also specify that a person who is convicted of violating such an ordinance and does not pay the forfeiture may be sentenced to a term of not more than 90 days in the county jail or county house of corrections.
Read the full summary Show less
If a political subdivision has in effect on the effective date an ordinance that is inconsistent with the provisions contained in the bill, the ordinance does not apply and may not be enforced.
Who's behind it
5 representatives are its . All 5 are Democrats.
2 more lawmakers .
See all 7 names Hide the names
Authors (5)
- Terese Berceau · Democrat, Assembly
- Jonathan Brostoff · Democrat, Assembly
- David Crowley · Democrat, Assembly
- Frederick Kessler · Democrat, Assembly
- Tod Ohnstad · Democrat, Assembly
Signed on in support (2)
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Lena Taylor · Democrat, Senate
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 Criminal Justice and Public Safety.
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Jan 20, 2017
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Jan 20, 2017 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Kessler, Crowley, Brostoff, Berceau and Ohnstad; cosponsored by Senators L. Taylor and C. Larson
- Jan 20, 2017 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety
- Mar 28, 2018 · 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.
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