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Bills from the 2021–22 session

Senate Bill 582

Prohibiting state agency employees, state elected officials, federal government agency employees, and certain state individuals holding a national office from influencing social media Internet sites to censor users and providing a penalty. (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

    Sep 24, 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 Utilities, Technology and Telecommunications. 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.

This bill prohibits state agency employees and state elected officials from influencing or attempting to influence a social media Internet site to censor, deplatform, or shadow ban users on the social media Internet site. The prohibition also applies to a U.S. senator or representative of congress elected to his or her office in this state and to federal government agency employees present in this state.

The bill defines “deplatforming” as deleting or banning a user from a social media Internet site for more than 60 days, and defines “shadow banning” as limiting or eliminating the exposure of a user, or content posted by or about a user, to other users. The penalty for each violation of the bill's prohibitions is a forfeiture between $1,000 and $10,000.

Who's behind it

5 senators are its ⁠. All 5 are Republicans.

8 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 13 names

Authors (5)

Signed on in support (8)

What it would cost

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

Versions and amendments

Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.

What happened

  1. Mar 15, 2022

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Nov 5, 2021

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  3. Oct 25, 2021

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  4. Oct 20, 2021

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  5. Oct 15, 2021

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  6. Oct 13, 2021

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  7. Oct 8, 2021

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  8. Sep 27, 2021

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  9. Sep 24, 2021

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Utilities, Technology and Telecommunications.

  10. Sep 24, 2021

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Sep 24, 2021 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Roth, Stroebel, Felzkowski, Nass and Darling; cosponsored by Representatives Sortwell, Cabral-Guevara, Brandtjen, Edming, Horlacher, Knodl and Kuglitsch

  2. Sep 24, 2021 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Utilities, Technology and Telecommunications

  3. Sep 27, 2021 · Senate

    Representative Wichgers added as a cosponsor

  4. Oct 8, 2021 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  5. Oct 13, 2021 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  6. Oct 15, 2021 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  7. Oct 15, 2021 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  8. Oct 20, 2021 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  9. Oct 25, 2021 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  10. Nov 5, 2021 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  11. Feb 8, 2022 · Senate

    Senate Amendment 1 offered by Senator Roth

  12. Feb 8, 2022 · Senate

    Senate Amendment 2 offered by Senator Roth

  13. 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

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

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

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