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Bills from the 2021–22 session

Senate Bill 331

Notifying a child welfare agency and a parent, guardian, and legal custodian of the presence of a child in a runaway home

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

    Apr 28, 2021

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

It never got a hearing in the Senate Committee on Human Services, Children and Families. 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, a licensed foster home, group home, or shelter may provide housing or services to a child runaway if both the child and his or her parent, guardian, or legal custodian consent to the provision of housing or services. If the parent, guardian, or legal custodian does not consent, the foster home, group home, or shelter must notify the agency responsible for providing child welfare services of the child's presence in the home or shelter within 12 hours of the child's arrival at the home or shelter. After such notification, the agency must notify the parent, guardian, and legal custodian as soon as possible of the child's presence in that home.

Under current law, a hearing is then held to determine whether the child must be returned to the parent, guardian, or legal custodian or is permitted to stay at the foster home, group home, or shelter for up to 20 days.

Read the full summary

This bill extends from 12 to 72 hours the time after a child runaway's arrival that a foster home, group home, or shelter must notify the agency responsible for providing child welfare services of the child's presence in the home or shelter. Under the bill, an intake worker must only notify the parent, guardian, or legal custodian of the child if it is in the best interest of the child. The bill also specifies that, if it is in the child's best interest, no later than six hours after the child arrives, the home or shelter must notify the parent, guardian, and legal custodian of the child's presence. If he or she cannot be reached for the purpose of this notification, the home or shelter must attempt to reach him or her for that purpose at least every six hours until successful.

Under current law, if the child's parent, guardian, or legal custodian does not consent to the temporary care and housing of the child at the home or shelter, a hearing must be held on the issue within 24 hours of the time that the child entered the home or shelter. This bill changes this deadline to within 24 hours of the time the intake worker is notified that the child entered the home or shelter.

Who's behind it

6 senators are its ⁠. All 6 are Democrats.

17 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 23 names

Authors (6)

Signed on in support (17)

What happened

  1. Mar 15, 2022

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Apr 28, 2021

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Human Services, Children and Families.

  3. Apr 28, 2021

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Apr 28, 2021 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Johnson, Roys, Ringhand, Larson, L. Taylor and Carpenter; cosponsored by Representatives Emerson, Conley, Cabrera, Hebl, Anderson, Sinicki, Stubbs, Vruwink, Subeck, Shelton, Ortiz-Velez, Bowen, Billings, Ohnstad, S. Rodriguez, Haywood and Brostoff

  2. Apr 28, 2021 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Human Services, Children and Families

  3. Mar 15, 2022 · 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