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Bills from the 2023–24 session

Assembly Bill 51

Appointment of certain lawfully present aliens as law enforcement officers

Passed the Assembly, then stopped

The Assembly passed it on Mar 22, 2023, but the Senate never voted on it. A bill has to ⁠. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Feb 20, 2023

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Assembly vote, passed

    Passed Mar 22, 2023

  4. Senate vote, stopped here

    Stopped here. The Senate never voted on it.

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Apr 15, 2024: “Failed to concur in pursuant to ⁠”

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, no person may be appointed as a deputy sheriff of any county or police officer of any city, village, or town unless that person is a citizen of the United States. This bill allows the sheriff of a county or the appointing authority of a local law enforcement agency to elect to authorize the appointment of aliens who are the subject of a notice of decision from the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) granting deferred action under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and who are in receipt of a valid employment authorization from the DHS as deputy sheriffs or police officers. The bill also prevents the law enforcement standards board from preventing such an alien from participating in a law enforcement preparatory training program.

Who's behind it

21 representatives are its ⁠. 17 are Republicans and 4 are Democrats.

16 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 37 names

Authors (21)

Signed on in support (16)

Versions and amendments

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

How lawmakers voted

There were 3 votes on this bill.

Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety vote to recommend it

Passed, 14 to 1 · Mar 13, 2023

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report passage recommended by Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Ayes 14, Noes 1”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety vote to recommend it

Passed, 6 to 1 · May 23, 2023

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, Ayes 6, Noes 1”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Senate vote

Passed, 22 to 10 · Feb 20, 2024

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Referred to committee on Senate Organization, Ayes 22, Noes 10”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Apr 15, 2024

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Apr 10, 2024

    1 more senator signed on in support.

  3. Feb 20, 2024

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Senate Organization, Ayes 22, Noes 10.

  4. May 30, 2023 to Jan 19, 2024

    3 more representatives and 1 senator signed on in support.

  5. May 23, 2023

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 6 to 1.

  6. May 10, 2023

    The committee held a public hearing.

  7. May 8, 2023

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  8. Mar 23, 2023

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.

  9. Mar 23, 2023

    The Senate received it.

  10. Mar 22, 2023

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  11. Mar 22, 2023

    The Assembly passed it.

  12. Mar 16, 2023 to Mar 21, 2023

    3 more representatives signed on in support.

  13. Mar 13, 2023

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  14. Mar 13, 2023

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 14 to 1.

  15. Feb 28, 2023 to Mar 10, 2023

    2 more representatives signed on in support.

  16. Feb 28, 2023

    The committee held a public hearing.

  17. Feb 22, 2023

    2 more representatives and 1 senator signed on in support.

  18. Feb 20, 2023

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.

  19. Feb 20, 2023

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Feb 20, 2023 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Macco, Steffen, Kitchens, Armstrong, Baldeh, Behnke, Duchow, Edming, Emerson, S. Johnson, Krug, Michalski, Murphy, Mursau, O'Connor, Ohnstad, Ortiz-Velez, Schmidt, Schraa, Snyder and Green; cosponsored by Senators James, Taylor and Jacque

  2. Feb 20, 2023 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety

  3. Feb 22, 2023 · Assembly

    Senator Spreitzer added as a cosponsor

  4. Feb 22, 2023 · Assembly

    Representatives Stubbs and Subeck added as coauthors

  5. Feb 28, 2023 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  6. Feb 28, 2023 · Assembly

    Representative Wichgers added as a coauthor

  7. Mar 2, 2023 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative Sortwell

  8. Mar 7, 2023 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  9. Mar 10, 2023 · Assembly

    Representative Knodl added as a coauthor

  10. Mar 13, 2023 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Ayes 14, Noes 1

  11. Mar 13, 2023 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  12. Mar 14, 2023 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 3-22-2023 by Committee on Rules

  13. Mar 16, 2023 · Assembly

    Representative C. Anderson added as a coauthor

  14. Mar 21, 2023 · Assembly

    Representatives Cabrera and Andraca added as coauthors

  15. Mar 22, 2023 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  16. Mar 22, 2023 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  17. Mar 22, 2023 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  18. Mar 22, 2023 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed

  19. Mar 22, 2023 · Assembly

    Representative Drake added as a coauthor

  20. Mar 22, 2023 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  21. Mar 23, 2023 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  22. Mar 23, 2023 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Judiciary and Public Safety

  23. May 8, 2023 · Senate

    Representative Joers added as a coauthor

  24. May 10, 2023 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  25. May 23, 2023 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  26. May 23, 2023 · Senate

    Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, Ayes 6, Noes 1

  27. May 23, 2023 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  28. May 30, 2023 · Senate

    Representative Ratcliff added as a coauthor

  29. Nov 7, 2023 · Senate

    Representative Gustafson added as a coauthor

  30. Jan 2, 2024 · Senate

    Representative Jacobson added as a coauthor

  31. Jan 19, 2024 · Senate

    Senator Carpenter added as a cosponsor

  32. Feb 19, 2024 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 2-20-2024 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  33. Feb 20, 2024 · Senate

    Referred to committee on Senate Organization, Ayes 22, Noes 10

  34. Apr 10, 2024 · Senate

    Senator Hesselbein added as a cosponsor

  35. Apr 15, 2024 · Senate

    Failed to concur in pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

Terms on this page

Second chamber's vote

A bill has to pass both the Assembly and the Senate in the same form before it goes to the governor.

Official term: Concurrence. 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

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Second chamber's vote

A bill has to pass both the Assembly and the Senate in the same form before it goes to the governor.

Official term: Concurrence

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

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote

More in the glossary