Senate Bill 79
Coordination of mass communications
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
Mar 1, 2019
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. No public hearing was held.
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Senate vote, not reached
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Assembly 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 Senate Committee on Elections, Ethics and Rural Issues. 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 prohibits a political action committee, independent expenditure committee, or other person from making expenditures for certain mass communications that are coordinated with a candidate or the candidate's agent or the legislative campaign committee or political party of the candidate's political party in violation of the contribution limits and source restrictions applicable to the candidate. Current law imposes this same prohibition on expenditures for express advocacy that are coordinated with a candidate, the candidate's agent, or with an LCC or PP. Under current law, an expenditure is coordinated if either of the following applies: 1) the candidate, candidate's agent, LCC, or PP communicates directly with and specifically requests that the PAC, IEC, or other person make the expenditure and the PAC, IEC, or other person explicitly assents to the request before making the expenditure; or 2) the candidate, candidate's agent, LCC, or PP exercises control over the expenditure or the content, timing, location, form, intended audience, number, or frequency of the communication.
This bill eliminates the definition of coordination applicable to express advocacy expenditures and creates new definitions for coordination that apply to expenditures for express advocacy and to expenditures for a mass communication.
Read the full summary Show less
The bill provides that an expenditure for express advocacy is coordinated if the candidate, candidate's agent, LCC, or PP exercises control over or engages in substantial discussions or negotiations with the person making the expenditure regarding the content, timing, location, form, intended audience, or frequency of the communication. Similarly, the bill specifies that a mass communication is coordinated if the candidate, the candidate's agent, or the LCC or PP exercises control over or engages in substantial discussions or negotiations with the person making the expenditure regarding the content, timing, location, form, intended audience, or frequency of the mass communication.
The bill defines mass communication as a message that is disseminated by means of one or more communications media, a mass electronic communication, a mass distribution, or a mass telephoning, but not including a bona fide poll conducted for the purpose of objectively identifying or collecting data concerning the attitude or preference of electors. The bill requires the person making the disbursement to report information including the name and address of the person that received the disbursement and whether the person making the disbursement for the mass communication coordinated with the candidate.
Who's behind it
5 senators are its . All 5 are Democrats.
12 more lawmakers .
See all 17 names Hide the names
Authors (5)
- Janet Bewley · Democrat, Senate
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- LaTonya Johnson · Democrat, Senate
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Jeff Smith · Democrat, Senate
Signed on in support (12)
- Jimmy Anderson · Democrat, Assembly
- Jonathan Brostoff · Democrat, Assembly
- Marisabel Cabrera · Democrat, Assembly
- Dave Considine · Democrat, Assembly
- David Crowley · Democrat, Assembly
- Melissa Sargent · Democrat, Assembly
- Katrina Shankland · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
- Lisa Subeck · Democrat, Assembly
- Don Vruwink · Democrat, Assembly
- JoCasta Zamarripa · Democrat, Assembly
What happened
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Apr 1, 2020
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Mar 1, 2019
Sent to the Senate Committee on Elections, Ethics and Rural Issues.
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Mar 1, 2019
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Mar 1, 2019 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Larson, Bewley, Carpenter, Johnson and Smith; cosponsored by Representatives Anderson, Brostoff, Cabrera, Considine, Crowley, Sargent, Shankland, Sinicki, Spreitzer, Subeck, Vruwink and Zamarripa
- Mar 1, 2019 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Elections, Ethics and Rural Issues
- 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
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