Senate Bill 861
The definition of political action committee for campaign finance purposes, public financing of campaigns, and making an appropriation. (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.
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Introduced, passed
Feb 20, 2020
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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
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.
Under this bill, for campaign finance purposes, a political action committee includes a person, other than an individual, that spends more than $1,000 in a 12-month period on expenditures for express advocacy or communications that are susceptible to no reasonable interpretation other than an appeal to vote for or against a candidate, expenditures made to support or defeat a referendum, and contributions made to a candidate committee, legislative campaign committee, or political party.
Current law provides that a political action committee is a person, other than an individual, that either has express advocacy as its major purpose or spends more than 50 percent of its total spending in a 12-month period on expenditures for express advocacy, expenditures made to support or defeat a referendum, and contributions made to a candidate committee, legislative campaign committee, or political party.
Read the full summary Show less
The bill also creates a public campaign financing trust fund from which eligible candidates may receive amounts to finance their campaigns. Under the bill a candidate may apply to the Ethics Commission to receive public campaign financing.
The candidate is eligible to receive the financing if he or she agrees to to accept contributions totalling no more than $100 from any single contributor and accepts no other contributions. The amount of public financing that a candidate may receive is equal to six times the amount of the contributions received by the candidate, not including amounts that the candidate contributes from his or her personal funds.
A candidate who is not in compliance with the campaign finance laws is not eligible for financing.
Finally, the bill provides that any individual filing a state income tax return who has a tax liability or who is entitled to a refund may designate $2 for the public campaign financing trust fund. The designation does not increase an individual's tax liability or reduce an individual's refund. If the total designations are not sufficient to fully fund the costs of public campaign financing, including administrative costs, the bill appropriates additional moneys to finance those costs.
Who's behind it
2 senators are its . All 2 are Democrats.
11 more lawmakers .
See all 13 names Hide the names
Authors (2)
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Jeff Smith · Democrat, Senate
Signed on in support (11)
- Jimmy Anderson · Democrat, Assembly
- David Bowen · Democrat, Assembly
- Jonathan Brostoff · Democrat, Assembly
- Marisabel Cabrera · Democrat, Assembly
- Dave Considine · Democrat, Assembly
- Jodi Emerson · Democrat, Assembly
- Gary Hebl · Democrat, Assembly
- Greta Neubauer · Democrat, Assembly
- Katrina Shankland · Democrat, Assembly
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
- Shelia Stubbs · Democrat, Assembly
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
What happened
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Apr 1, 2020
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Mar 11, 2020
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Mar 5, 2020
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Feb 20, 2020
Sent to the Senate Committee on Elections, Ethics and Rural Issues.
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Feb 20, 2020
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Feb 20, 2020 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Larson and Smith; cosponsored by Representatives Brostoff, Cabrera, Anderson, Hebl, Stubbs, Emerson, Bowen, Spreitzer, Shankland, Neubauer and Considine
- Feb 20, 2020 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Elections, Ethics and Rural Issues
- Mar 5, 2020 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Mar 11, 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