Assembly Bill 775
The showing of a substantial likelihood that a parent will not meet the conditions established for the safe return of the child to the home in a termination of parental rights proceeding
Became law
The governor signed it on Apr 5, 2018. It's .
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Introduced, passed
Dec 27, 2017
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Committee, passed
Approved
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Assembly vote, passed
Passed Feb 13, 2018
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Senate vote, passed
Passed Feb 20, 2018
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Governor, passed
Signed
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Law, here now
2017 Wisconsin Act 256
Latest entry in the official record, Apr 5, 2018: “Published 4-5-2018”
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Terms on this page
Wisconsin Act
The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.
Official term: Act. 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
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary
What it does
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
This bill changes the grounds for an involuntary termination of parental rights (TPR) based on a child's continuing need of protection or services (continuing CHIPS) where a child has been placed outside the home for a cumulative total period of six months or longer.
Under current law an involuntary TPR based on continuing CHIPS may be based on a court's or jury's finding that the child has been placed outside the home for a cumulative total period of six months or longer under the CHIPS order, the parent has failed to meet the conditions established for the safe return of the child to the home, and there is a substantial likelihood that the parent will not meet the conditions established for the safe return of the child to the home within the next nine months after the TPR fact-finding hearing. Also, under current law, a TPR proceeding must be filed for a child who has been placed outside the home under a CHIPS order for 15 of the past 22 months.
Read the full summary Show less
This bill removes the requirement of showing that there is a substantial likelihood that the parent will continue to fail for the next nine months to meet the conditions established for the safe return of the child to the home in a continuing CHIPS TPR proceeding. The bill replaces this requirement with a requirement for the petitioner to show that, if the child has been placed outside the home under a CHIPS order for less than 15 of the past 22 months, there is a substantial likelihood that the parent will not meet the conditions established for the safe return of the child to the home at the time the child will have been placed outside of the home for 15 of the last 22 months.
Who's behind it
36 lawmakers are its . 28 are Republicans and 8 are Democrats.
5 more lawmakers .
See all 41 names Hide the names
Authors (36)
- Jimmy Anderson · Democrat, Assembly
- Joan Ballweg · Republican, Senate
- Terese Berceau · Democrat, Assembly
- Mark Born · Republican, Assembly
- Steve Doyle · Democrat, Assembly
- Edward Brooks · Republican, Assembly
- James Edming · Republican, Assembly
- Mary Felzkowski · Republican, Senate
- Cody Horlacher · Republican, Assembly
- André Jacque · Republican, Senate
- Terry Katsma · Republican, Assembly
- Joel Kitchens · Republican, Assembly
- Debra Kolste · Democrat, Assembly
- Scott Krug · Republican, Assembly
- Bob Kulp · Republican, Assembly
- Jeff Mursau · Republican, Assembly
- Adam Neylon · Republican, Assembly
- Todd Novak · Republican, Assembly
- Kevin Petersen · Republican, Assembly
- Warren Petryk · Republican, Assembly
- Treig Pronschinske · Republican, Assembly
- Rob Brooks · Republican, Assembly
- Keith Ripp · Republican, Assembly
- Jessie Rodriguez · Republican, Assembly
- Mike Rohrkaste · Republican, Assembly
- Katrina Shankland · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Pat Snyder · Republican, Assembly
- Jim Steineke · Republican, Assembly
- Rob Summerfield · Republican, Assembly
- Rob Swearingen · Republican, Assembly
- Paul Tittl · Republican, Assembly
- Travis Tranel · Republican, Assembly
- Nancy VanderMeer · Republican, Assembly
- Don Vruwink · Democrat, Assembly
- Josh Zepnick · Democrat, Assembly
Signed on in support (5)
- Alberta Darling · Republican, Senate
- Lena Taylor · Democrat, Senate
- Luther S. Olsen · Republican, Senate
- Romaine Quinn · Republican, Senate
- Kathleen Vinehout · Democrat, Senate
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
How lawmakers voted
There were 2 votes on this bill.
Assembly Committee on Family Law vote to recommend it
Passed, 5 to 2 · Feb 7, 2018
No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.
Official motion: “Report passage recommended by Committee on Family Law, Ayes 5, Noes 2”. Official record · This vote on its own page
Senate vote
Passed, 5 to 0 · Feb 16, 2018
No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.
Official motion: “Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 5, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page
What happened
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Apr 5, 2018
The new law was published.
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Apr 5, 2018
The governor signed it. It became 2017 Wisconsin Act 256.
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Apr 3, 2018
Sent to the governor.
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Feb 20, 2018
The Senate passed it too.
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Feb 16, 2018
“Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 5, Noes 0” (the official wording)
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Feb 14, 2018
Sent to the Senate Committee on Senate Organization.
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Feb 14, 2018
The Senate received it.
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Feb 13, 2018
The Assembly passed it.
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Feb 7, 2018
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.
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Feb 7, 2018
The committee voted to recommend passing it, 5 to 2.
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Jan 9, 2018
The committee held a public hearing.
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Jan 8, 2018
1 more representative signed on in support.
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Jan 5, 2018
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Dec 27, 2017
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Family Law.
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Dec 27, 2017
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Dec 27, 2017 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Kitchens, Doyle, Snyder, Katsma, Novak, Rodriguez, Ballweg, Pronschinske, Neylon, Anderson, Berceau, Born, E. Brooks, R. Brooks, Felzkowski, Horlacher, Jacque, Kolste, Krug, Kulp, Mursau, Petersen, Petryk, Ripp, Rohrkaste, Shankland, Sinicki, Steineke, Summerfield, Swearingen, Tittl, Tranel, VanderMeer, Vruwink, Zepnick and Edming; cosponsored by Senators Darling, Olsen, L. Taylor and Vinehout
- Dec 27, 2017 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Family Law
- Jan 5, 2018 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- Jan 8, 2018 · Assembly
Representative Quinn added as a coauthor
- Jan 9, 2018 · Assembly
Public hearing held
- Feb 1, 2018 · Assembly
Executive action taken
- Feb 7, 2018 · Assembly
Report passage recommended by Committee on Family Law, Ayes 5, Noes 2
- Feb 7, 2018 · Assembly
Referred to committee on Rules
- Feb 8, 2018 · Assembly
Placed on calendar 2-13-2018 by Committee on Rules
- Feb 13, 2018 · Assembly
Read a second time
- Feb 13, 2018 · Assembly
Ordered to a third reading
- Feb 13, 2018 · Assembly
Rules suspended
- Feb 13, 2018 · Assembly
Read a third time and passed
- Feb 13, 2018 · Assembly
Ordered immediately messaged
- Feb 14, 2018 · Senate
Received from Assembly
- Feb 14, 2018 · Senate
Read first time and referred to committee on Senate Organization
- Feb 14, 2018 · Senate
Available for scheduling
- Feb 16, 2018 · Senate
Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 5, Noes 0
- Feb 16, 2018 · Senate
Placed on calendar 2-20-2018 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)
- Feb 20, 2018 · Senate
Read a second time
- Feb 20, 2018 · Senate
Ordered to a third reading
- Feb 20, 2018 · Senate
Rules suspended
- Feb 20, 2018 · Senate
Read a third time and concurred in
- Feb 20, 2018 · Senate
Ordered immediately messaged
- Feb 20, 2018 · Assembly
Received from Senate concurred in
- Mar 8, 2018 · Assembly
Report correctly enrolled on 3-8-2018
- Apr 3, 2018 · Assembly
Presented to the Governor on 4-3-2018
- Apr 5, 2018 · Assembly
Report approved by the Governor on 4-4-2018. 2017 Wisconsin Act 256
- Apr 5, 2018 · Assembly
Published 4-5-2018
Terms on this page
Wisconsin Act
The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.
Official term: Act. 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
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary
From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source
Wisconsin Act
The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.
Official term: Act
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
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote