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Bills from the 2021–22 session

Assembly Bill 641

Repealing the personal property tax, granting rule-making authority, 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.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Oct 21, 2021

  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, Mar 15, 2022: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

It never got a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means. 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, beginning with the property tax assessments as of January 1, 2018, machinery, tools, and patterns, not including those items used in manufacturing, are exempt from the personal property tax. However, beginning in 2019, the state pays each taxing jurisdiction an amount equal to the property taxes levied on those items of personal property for the property tax assessments as of January 1, 2017.

Under the bill, beginning with the property tax assessments as of January 1, 2022, no items of personal property will be subject to the property tax. Beginning in 2023, the state will pay each taxing jurisdiction an additional amount equal to the property taxes levied on the items made exempt under the bill for the property tax assessments as of January 1, 2021. Beginning in 2024, each taxing jurisdiction will receive a payment to compensate it for its loss in personal property revenue equal to the payment it received in the previous year, increased by the annual percentage change in the consumer price index.

Read the full summary

Under current law, generally, public utilities, including railroad companies, are subject to a license fee imposed by the state instead of being subject to local property taxes. This bill creates a personal property tax exemption for railroad companies in order to comply with the requirements of the federal Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act.

Finally, the bill makes a number of technical changes related to the repeal of the personal property tax, such as providing a process whereby manufacturing establishments located in this state that do not own real property in this state may continue to claim the manufacturing income tax credit.

Because this bill relates to an exemption from state or local taxes, it may be referred to the Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions for a report to be printed as an appendix to the bill.

Who's behind it

25 lawmakers are its ⁠. All 25 are Democrats.

7 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 32 names

Authors (25)

Signed on in support (7)

What it would cost

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

What happened

  1. Mar 15, 2022

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Feb 4, 2022

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  3. Nov 5, 2021

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  4. Nov 3, 2021

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  5. Oct 21, 2021

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means.

  6. Oct 21, 2021

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Oct 21, 2021 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Vining, B. Meyers, Shankland, Milroy, Doyle, Vruwink, Snodgrass, Hintz, Sinicki, Hebl, Ohnstad, Shelton, Spreitzer, Considine, Billings, Anderson, Neubauer, Hesselbein, S. Rodriguez, Conley, Subeck, Stubbs, Andraca, Ortiz-Velez and McGuire; cosponsored by Senators Pfaff, Smith, Bewley, Ringhand, Agard, Roys and Larson

  2. Oct 21, 2021 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Ways and Means

  3. Nov 3, 2021 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Nov 5, 2021 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  5. Feb 4, 2022 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  6. Mar 15, 2022 · 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.

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