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Bills from the 2019–20 session

Assembly Bill 472

An exception from local levy limits for certain amounts levied for charges assessed by a joint emergency medical services department. (FE)

Became law

The governor signed it on Mar 4, 2020. It's ⁠.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Sep 24, 2019

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Assembly vote, passed

    Passed Oct 10, 2019

  4. Senate vote, passed

    Passed Feb 19, 2020

  5. Governor, passed

    Signed

  6. Law, here now

    2019 Wisconsin Act 133

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 4, 2020: “Published 3-4-2020”

Read the bill

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What it does

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Generally under current law, local levy limits are applied to the property tax levies that are imposed in December of each year. Current law prohibits any city, village, town, or county (political subdivision) from increasing its levy by a percentage that exceeds its “valuation factor," which is defined as the greater of either 0 percent or the percentage change in the political subdivision's equalized value due to new construction, less improvements removed. In addition, the calculation of a political subdivision's levy does not include any tax increment that is generated by a tax incremental district.

Current law contains a number of exceptions to the levy limit, such as amounts a county levies for a countywide emergency medical system, for a county children with disabilities education board, and for certain bridge and culvert construction and repair. In addition, a political subdivision may exceed the levy limit that is otherwise applicable if its governing body adopts a resolution to do so and if that resolution is approved by the electors in a referendum.

Read the full summary

Another current law exception (the joint fire department exception) is for the amount that a city, village, or town (municipality) levies to pay for charges assessed by a joint fire department, but only to the extent that the amount levied to pay for such charges would cause the municipality to exceed the otherwise applicable levy limit. This exception to the levy limit applies only if the charges assessed by a joint fire department increase in the current year by an amount equal to or less than the rate of inflation over the preceding year, plus 2 percent, and if the municipality's governing body adopts a resolution in favor of exceeding the otherwise applicable levy limit.

Under this bill, the joint fire department exception is expanded so that it also applies to the amount that a municipality levies to pay for charges assessed by a joint emergency medical services district, subject to the same conditions and limitations as current apply to a joint fire department. The bill first applies to a levy that is imposed in December 2019.

Who's behind it

5 representatives are its ⁠. 4 are Republicans and 1 is a Democrat.

5 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 10 names

Authors (5)

Signed on in support (5)

What it would cost

State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

Versions and amendments

Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.

How lawmakers voted

There were 2 votes on this bill.

Assembly Committee on Ways and Means vote to recommend it

Passed, 11 to 0 · Oct 7, 2019

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 Ways and Means, Ayes 11, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Senate vote

Passed, 5 to 0 · Feb 14, 2020

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

  1. Mar 4, 2020

    The new law was published.

  2. Mar 4, 2020

    The governor signed it. It became 2019 Wisconsin Act 133.

  3. Feb 28, 2020

    Sent to the governor.

  4. Feb 19, 2020

    The Senate passed it too.

  5. Feb 14, 2020

    “Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 5, Noes 0” (the official wording)

  6. Feb 13, 2020

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Senate Organization.

  7. Oct 11, 2019

    The Senate received it.

  8. Oct 10, 2019

    The Assembly passed it.

  9. Oct 10, 2019

    The Assembly adopted it.

  10. Oct 7, 2019

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  11. Oct 7, 2019

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 11 to 0.

  12. Oct 2, 2019

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  13. Oct 2, 2019

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  14. Sep 26, 2019

    The committee held a public hearing.

  15. Sep 26, 2019

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  16. Sep 24, 2019

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means.

  17. Sep 24, 2019

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Sep 24, 2019 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Loudenbeck, Mursau, Murphy, Milroy and Dittrich; cosponsored by Senators Nass, Feyen and Wanggaard

  2. Sep 24, 2019 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Ways and Means

  3. Sep 26, 2019 · Assembly

    Representative Knodl added as a coauthor

  4. Sep 26, 2019 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  5. Oct 2, 2019 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  6. Oct 2, 2019 · Assembly

    Representative Wittke added as a coauthor

  7. Oct 2, 2019 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  8. Oct 4, 2019 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representatives Loudenbeck and Mursau

  9. Oct 7, 2019 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Ways and Means, Ayes 11, Noes 0

  10. Oct 7, 2019 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  11. Oct 8, 2019 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 10-10-2019 by Committee on Rules

  12. Oct 10, 2019 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  13. Oct 10, 2019 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 adopted

  14. Oct 10, 2019 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  15. Oct 10, 2019 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  16. Oct 10, 2019 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed

  17. Oct 10, 2019 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  18. Oct 11, 2019 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  19. Feb 13, 2020 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Senate Organization

  20. Feb 13, 2020 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  21. Feb 14, 2020 · Senate

    Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 5, Noes 0

  22. Feb 14, 2020 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 2-19-2020 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  23. Feb 19, 2020 · Senate

    Read a second time

  24. Feb 19, 2020 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  25. Feb 19, 2020 · Senate

    Rules suspended

  26. Feb 19, 2020 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in

  27. Feb 19, 2020 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  28. Feb 20, 2020 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  29. Feb 25, 2020 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled on 2-25-2020

  30. Feb 28, 2020 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 2-28-2020 by directive of the Speaker

  31. Mar 4, 2020 · Assembly

    Report approved by the Governor on 3-3-2020. 2019 Wisconsin Act 133

  32. Mar 4, 2020 · Assembly

    Published 3-4-2020

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

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