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Bills from the 2023–24 session

Senate Bill 10

Pupil or minor access to harmful material in public libraries and to harmful material or offensive material in public schools. (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

    Jan 27, 2023

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

It never got a hearing in the Senate Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families. 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 requires public libraries and public schools, including charter schools, to take steps to prevent pupils and minors from accessing harmful material on computers. Under the bill, “harmful material” is defined as 1) any picture, photograph, drawing, sculpture, motion picture film, or similar visual representation or image of a person or portion of the human body that depicts nudity, sexually explicit conduct, sadomasochistic abuse, physical torture, or brutality and that is harmful to children; or 2) any book, pamphlet, magazine, printed matter however reproduced or recording that contains matter described in item 1, or explicit and detailed verbal descriptions or narrative accounts of sexual excitement, sexually explicit conduct, sadomasochistic abuse, physical torture, or brutality and that, taken as a whole, is harmful to children.

The bill requires any public library that provides a public access computer and any school board or independent charter school to do at least one of the following with respect to the public access computer or school computer to which pupils and minors have access: 1) equip the computer with software that will limit a pupil's or minor's ability to gain access to harmful material; 2) purchase Internet connectivity from an Internet service provider that provides filter services to limit access to harmful material; or 3) develop and implement a policy that establishes measures to keep pupils and minors from gaining access to harmful material. Under the bill, a public library or public school may allow a pupil or minor to access harmful material on the Internet if the parent or guardian of the pupil or minor consents to that access.

Read the full summary

Beginning in the 2024-25 school year, the bill requires each school board and operator of an independent charter school to adopt a policy that specifies criteria for determining whether certain material is offensive material, which, under the bill, means the material is offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community with respect to what is suitable for children. Under the bill, if a public school pupil will view or otherwise have access to offensive material as part of classroom instruction, the school must provide the parent or guardian of the pupil with an outline of the curriculum and a summary of the instructional materials that contain the offensive material, information regarding how the parent or guardian may inspect the complete curriculum and instructional materials, and an explanation of the exemption available to parents and guardians under the bill. The bill requires each public school to make the complete curriculum and all instructional materials available for inspection by parents or guardians upon request. Under the bill, no pupil may be required to take any such instruction if the pupil's parent or guardian files with the teacher or school principal a written request that the pupil be exempted. Finally, the bill provides that no public school or public school employee may show or provide to any pupil offensive material for which the school did not follow the requirements under the bill regarding parental notice and opportunity to exempt pupil participation.

Who's behind it

3 senators are its ⁠. All 3 are Republicans.

14 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 17 names

Authors (3)

Signed on in support (14)

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 21, 2023

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  3. Jan 27, 2023

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families.

  4. Jan 27, 2023

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Jan 27, 2023 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Jacque, Quinn and Tomczyk; cosponsored by Representatives Tittl, Sortwell, Allen, Binsfeld, Goeben, Green, Gundrum, Magnafici, Murphy, Penterman, Schraa, Tusler, Wichgers and Bodden

  2. Jan 27, 2023 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families

  3. Feb 21, 2023 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Apr 15, 2024 · 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.

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