Senate Bill 779
Creating the water fund for our future. (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.
-
Introduced, passed
Feb 6, 2020
-
Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. No public hearing was held.
-
Senate vote, not reached
-
Assembly vote, not reached
-
Governor, not reached
-
Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Apr 1, 2020: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
It never got a hearing in the Senate Committee on Government Operations, Technology and Consumer Protection. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.
Following saves it on this device. New actions show on your Following page. You can also get updates in a feed reader.
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
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate. 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 creates a new nonlapsible trust fund, designated as the water fund for our future, to consist of $10,000,000 transferred biennially from the general fund.
Under the bill, the Joint Committee on Finance may at any time transfer any amount of the unencumbered balance from the fund to the budget stabilization fund, if the budget stabilization fund has been fully expended.
Read the full summary Show less
The bill also creates the Joint Committee for the Oversight of the Water Fund for Our Future. Under the bill, the committee receives applications for making expenditures from the fund and makes recommendations to JCF regarding use of the fund.
Under the bill, the committee may also recommend to JCF an amount to transfer to a rapid response account created within the water fund for our future, which may be used by the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Health Services to respond to natural disasters and public health emergencies.
Funds from the rapid response account may be used for the costs of remediation and to notify, relocate, and assist people affected by the natural disaster or public health emergency.
The bill also allows DNR and the Department of Justice to seek reimbursement from responsible parties for funds expended from the water fund for our future.
Finally, the bill allows any agency to submit a request to JCF for supplemental funds from the water fund for our future. JCF may approve the request after considering any recommendation from the Joint Committee for the Oversight of the Water Fund for Our Future.
Who's behind it
5 senators are its . 4 are Democrats and 1 is a Republican.
27 more lawmakers .
See all 32 names Hide the names
Authors (5)
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Luther S. Olsen · Republican, Senate
- Fred A. Risser · Democrat, Senate
- Patty Schachtner · Democrat, Senate
- Jeff Smith · Democrat, Senate
Signed on in support (27)
- Jimmy Anderson · Democrat, Assembly
- Jill Billings · Democrat, Assembly
- Jonathan Brostoff · Democrat, Assembly
- Chris Taylor · Democrat, Assembly
- Marisabel Cabrera · Democrat, Assembly
- Dave Considine · Democrat, Assembly
- Jason Fields · Democrat, Assembly
- Staush Gruszynski · Democrat, Assembly
- Gary Hebl · Democrat, Assembly
- Dianne Hesselbein · Democrat, Senate
- Joel Kitchens · Republican, Assembly
- Debra Kolste · Democrat, Assembly
- Scott Krug · Republican, Assembly
- Greta Neubauer · Democrat, Assembly
- Todd Novak · Republican, Assembly
- John Nygren · Republican, Assembly
- Tod Ohnstad · Democrat, Assembly
- Sondy Pope · Democrat, Assembly
- Melissa Sargent · Democrat, Assembly
- Katrina Shankland · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- John Spiros · Republican, Assembly
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
- Shelia Stubbs · Democrat, Assembly
- Lisa Subeck · Democrat, Assembly
- Ron Tusler · Republican, Assembly
- Don Vruwink · Democrat, Assembly
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
What happened
-
Apr 1, 2020
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
-
Mar 12, 2020
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
-
Feb 6, 2020
Sent to the Senate Committee on Government Operations, Technology and Consumer Protection.
-
Feb 6, 2020
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Feb 6, 2020 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Smith, Olsen, Larson, Risser and Schachtner; cosponsored by Representatives Shankland, Nygren, Novak, Pope, Hebl, Billings, Anderson, Brostoff, Cabrera, Considine, Fields, Gruszynski, Hesselbein, Kitchens, Kolste, Krug, Neubauer, Ohnstad, Sargent, Sinicki, Spiros, Spreitzer, Stubbs, Subeck, C. Taylor, Tusler and Vruwink
- Feb 6, 2020 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Government Operations, Technology and Consumer Protection
- Mar 12, 2020 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Apr 1, 2020 · Senate
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
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
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