Assembly Bill 496
Powers of the attorney general
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
Oct 1, 2019
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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, Apr 1, 2020: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
It never got a hearing in the Assembly Committee on State Affairs. 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 repeals changes made to the powers of the attorney general in 2017 Wisconsin Act 369 relating to the power to compromise or discontinue civil actions prosecuted by the Department of Justice and the power to compromise and settle actions in cases where DOJ is defending the state. The bill reestablishes these settlement powers as they existed under the law before Act 369 was enacted.
The bill allows the attorney general to compromise or discontinue actions prosecuted by DOJ 1) when directed by the officer, department, board, or commission that directed the prosecution; or 2) with the approval of the governor when the action is prosecuted by DOJ on the initiative of the attorney general or at the request of any individual. The bill eliminates the requirement for approval of compromise or discontinuance from a legislative intervenor or the Joint Committee on Finance. It also eliminates the requirement, in certain circumstances, for the attorney general to obtain approval of a settlement or discontinuance by the Joint Committee on Legislative Organization before submitting a proposed plan to JCF.
Read the full summary Show less
Under the bill, when DOJ is representing the defense, the attorney general may compromise and settle the action as the attorney general determines to be in the best interest of the state. The bill eliminates the requirement under current law that, in actions for injunctive relief, or if there is a proposed consent decree, the attorney general obtain approval of any legislative intervenor or, if there is no intervenor, JCF.
The bill also eliminates the requirement, in certain circumstances, that the attorney general obtain approval from JCLO before submitting a proposed plan of settlement or compromise to JCF.
The bill also repeals the requirement that the attorney general must deposit all settlement funds into the general fund and restores procedures relating to discretionary settlement funds under which the attorney general could expend certain settlement funds not committed under the terms of a settlement after submitting a plan to JCF for passive review and either the cochairpersons of the committee do not schedule a meeting or a meeting is scheduled and JCF approves a plan for expenditure.
Who's behind it
24 lawmakers are its . All 24 are Democrats.
15 more lawmakers .
See all 39 names Hide the names
Authors (24)
- Jimmy Anderson · Democrat, Assembly
- Jill Billings · Democrat, Assembly
- David Bowen · Democrat, Assembly
- Jonathan Brostoff · Democrat, Assembly
- Chris Taylor · Democrat, Assembly
- Dave Considine · Democrat, Assembly
- David Crowley · Democrat, Assembly
- Steve Doyle · Democrat, Assembly
- Jason Fields · Democrat, Assembly
- Evan Goyke · Democrat, Assembly
- Gary Hebl · Democrat, Assembly
- Dianne Hesselbein · Democrat, Senate
- Gordon Hintz · Democrat, Assembly
- Debra Kolste · Democrat, Assembly
- Greta Neubauer · Democrat, Assembly
- Tod Ohnstad · Democrat, Assembly
- Sondy Pope · Democrat, Assembly
- Melissa Sargent · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
- Amanda Stuck · Democrat, Assembly
- Robyn Vining · Democrat, Assembly
- Don Vruwink · Democrat, Assembly
- JoCasta Zamarripa · Democrat, Assembly
Signed on in support (15)
- Janet Bewley · Democrat, Senate
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- Jon Erpenbach · Democrat, Senate
- Dave Hansen · Democrat, Senate
- LaTonya Johnson · Democrat, Senate
- Lena Taylor · Democrat, Senate
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Mark Miller · Democrat, Senate
- Janis Ringhand · Democrat, Senate
- Fred A. Risser · Democrat, Senate
- Patty Schachtner · Democrat, Senate
- Katrina Shankland · Democrat, Assembly
- Jennifer Shilling · Democrat, Senate
- Jeff Smith · Democrat, Senate
- Bob Wirch · Democrat, Senate
What happened
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Apr 1, 2020
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Oct 10, 2019
1 more representative signed on in support.
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Oct 1, 2019
Sent to the Assembly Committee on State Affairs.
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Oct 1, 2019
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Oct 1, 2019 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives C. Taylor, Goyke, Hintz, Hebl, Vining, Kolste, Anderson, Zamarripa, Fields, Sargent, Neubauer, Crowley, Brostoff, Sinicki, Hesselbein, Billings, Spreitzer, Considine, Ohnstad, Vruwink, Bowen, Stuck, Pope and Doyle; cosponsored by Senators Erpenbach, Johnson, Shilling, Bewley, Carpenter, Larson, Schachtner, Risser, Wirch, Smith, Ringhand, L. Taylor, Hansen and Miller
- Oct 1, 2019 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs
- Oct 10, 2019 · Assembly
Representative Shankland added as a coauthor
- Apr 1, 2020 · 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