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Bills from the 2023–24 session

Assembly Bill 533

Phasing out the Special Needs Scholarship Program and limiting enrollment in parental choice programs. (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 18, 2023

  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, Apr 15, 2024: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

It never got a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Education. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.

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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 phases out the Special Needs Scholarship Program and caps the total number of pupils who may participate in a parental choice program.

Under current law, a child with a disability who meets certain eligibility criteria may receive a scholarship to attend a private school participating in the SNSP. The bill provides that, beginning in the 2024-25 school year, the Department of Public Instruction may not provide an SNSP scholarship to a child to attend a private school unless the child was attending a private school under the SNSP in the 2023-24 school year. In addition, if the child does not attend a private school under an SNSP scholarship in any school year after the 2023-24 school year, DPI may not provide an SNSP scholarship to the child for any subsequent school year.

Read the full summary

The bill caps the total number of pupils who may participate in a parental choice program — the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the Racine Parental Choice Program, or the statewide parental choice program — at the number of pupils who attended a private school under that parental choice program in the 2023-24 school year. Under the bill, beginning in the 2024-25 school year, if the number of applications to participate in a parental choice program exceeds the program cap, DPI must determine which applications to accept on a random basis, subject to certain admission preferences that exist under current law.

Under current law, pupils may submit applications to attend a private school under the statewide parental choice program for the following school year from the first weekday in February to the third Thursday in April, and a private school that receives applications must, no later than the first weekday in May immediately following the application period, report the number of applicants to DPI so that DPI may determine whether a pupil participation limitation has been exceeded. The bill provides that, beginning with applications for the 2024-25 school year, DPI must establish one or more application periods during which pupils may submit applications to attend a private school under the MPCP or RPCP. The bill provides that a private school that receives applications during an application period must, no later than 10 days after the application period ends, report the number of applicants to DPI so that DPI may determine whether a program cap has been exceeded. The bill does not change the application period for the statewide parental choice program and requires DPI to use the information required to be reported under current law to determine whether the program cap for the statewide parental choice program has been exceeded.

The bill also requires DPI to establish a waiting list for a parental choice program if the program cap for the parental choice program has been exceeded.

Who's behind it

12 lawmakers are its ⁠. All 12 are Democrats.

10 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 22 names

Authors (12)

Signed on in support (10)

What it would cost

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

What happened

  1. Apr 15, 2024

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Feb 13, 2024 to Feb 20, 2024

    2 more representatives signed on in support.

  3. Nov 9, 2023

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  4. Oct 19, 2023 to Oct 26, 2023

    2 more representatives signed on in support.

  5. Oct 18, 2023

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Education.

  6. Oct 18, 2023

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Oct 18, 2023 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Shelton, Clancy, Hong, C. Anderson, Considine, J. Anderson, Baldeh, Joers, Neubauer, Ratcliff, Sinicki and Subeck; cosponsored by Senators Larson, Smith, Roys, Hesselbein, Agard and Spreitzer

  2. Oct 18, 2023 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Education

  3. Oct 19, 2023 · Assembly

    Representative Billings added as a coauthor

  4. Oct 26, 2023 · Assembly

    Representative Jacobson added as a coauthor

  5. Nov 9, 2023 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  6. Feb 13, 2024 · Assembly

    Representative Madison added as a coauthor

  7. Feb 20, 2024 · Assembly

    Representative Emerson added as a coauthor

  8. Apr 15, 2024 · 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.

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