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Bills from the 2019–20 session

Senate Bill 850

Reporting 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.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Feb 20, 2020

  2. Committee, stopped here

    Stopped here. No public hearing was held.

  3. Senate vote, not reached

  4. Assembly 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 Senate Committee on Elections, Ethics and Rural Issues. 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.

Current law requires a committee that wishes to engage in certain campaign finance activities to register with the Ethics Commission and to report information about contributions, expenditures, and obligations related to campaigns. The trigger for registration varies depending on the nature of the committee. For example, a candidate committee must register as soon as practicable after the individual qualifies as a candidate; a legislative campaign committee must register before making or accepting contributions, making disbursements, or incurring obligations to support or oppose a candidate; and political action committees and independent expenditure committees must register after making or accepting contributions, disbursements, or obligations in an aggregate amount in excess of $2,500.

This bill requires a political action committee, an independent expenditure committee, and a recall committee to register if the committee makes a disbursement or incurs an obligation on a mass communication. The bill also requires all registered committees, other than a referendum committee or a conduit, to include on their campaign finance reports information about disbursements made or obligations incurred on a mass communication.

Read the full summary

The bill also requires a person who is not a committee but who makes a disbursement of $500 or more on a mass communication to report that information and other information related to the mass communication within 24 hours.

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, if the communication 1) is made within 60 days before an election; 2) includes a reference to a clearly identified candidate whose name will appear on the ballot for that election; and 3) is susceptible of no reasonable interpretation other than as an appeal to vote for or against the candidate. The bill requires the person making the disbursement to report information including the name and address of the person that received the disbursement for the mass communication and the amount of the disbursement or obligation.

Who's behind it

3 senators are its ⁠. All 3 are Democrats.

8 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 11 names

Authors (3)

Signed on in support (8)

What happened

  1. Apr 1, 2020

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Feb 20, 2020

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Elections, Ethics and Rural Issues.

  3. Feb 20, 2020

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Feb 20, 2020 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Larson, Miller and L. Taylor; cosponsored by Representatives Subeck, Stubbs, Sinicki, Brostoff, Sargent, Pope, Spreitzer and Shankland

  2. Feb 20, 2020 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Elections, Ethics and Rural Issues

  3. 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.

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

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.

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