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Bills from the 2019–20 session

Assembly Bill 945

Bargaining over wages, hours, and conditions of employment for public employees. (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.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Feb 24, 2020

  2. Committee, stopped here

    Stopped here. No public hearing was held.

  3. Assembly vote, not reached

  4. Senate vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. 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 Labor and Integrated Employment. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.

Read the bill

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What it would have done

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

Under current law, the only subject that most state and municipal employees may collectively bargain is a percentage increase in base wages that does not exceed the percentage increase in the consumer price index. This bill removes that limitation so that state and municipal employees may bargain over any increase in wages.

Also, under current law, certain protective occupation participants under the Wisconsin Retirement System, known as public safety employees, and certain municipal transit employees may collectively bargain wages, hours, and conditions of employment. Under the bill, most state and general municipal employees may collectively bargain hours and conditions of employment.

Read the full summary

The bill also allows all municipal employers and labor organizations to agree to a dispute settlement procedure, including binding interest arbitration, to resolve an impasse over the terms of a collective bargaining agreement under the Municipal Employment Relations Act.

Under current law, representatives for most municipal and state employee bargaining units must be selected by at least 51 percent of the employees in the bargaining unit. The bill changes that requirement to a simple majority of the employees voting in the collective bargaining unit.

Finally, under current law, representatives for most municipal and state employee bargaining units must be certified annually by receiving at least 51 percent of the vote of the employees in the bargaining unit. The bill repeals this certification requirement.

Who's behind it

24 lawmakers are its ⁠. All 24 are Democrats.

11 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 35 names

Authors (24)

Signed on in support (11)

What it would cost

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

What happened

  1. Apr 1, 2020

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Mar 9, 2020

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  3. Mar 6, 2020

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  4. Feb 24, 2020

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Labor and Integrated Employment.

  5. Feb 24, 2020

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Feb 24, 2020 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives C. Taylor, Cabrera, Brostoff, Sinicki, Hebl, Hesselbein, Sargent, Gruszynski, Pope, Considine, Zamarripa, Shankland, Stubbs, Spreitzer, Billings, Anderson, Bowen, Emerson, Goyke, Ohnstad, Hintz, Subeck, Fields and L. Myers; cosponsored by Senators Larson, Wirch, Carpenter, Johnson, Smith, Risser, Hansen, Ringhand, Shilling, Bewley and Miller

  2. Feb 24, 2020 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Labor and Integrated Employment

  3. Mar 6, 2020 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Mar 6, 2020 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  5. Mar 9, 2020 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  6. 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.

More in the glossary

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

More in the glossary

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

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate. 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

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

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