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Bills from the 2023–24 session

Senate Bill 276

Restricting a school district's authority to increase its revenue limit by referendum. (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

    May 15, 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 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.

Current law generally limits the total amount of revenue a school district may receive from general school aids and property taxes in a school year. However, there are several exceptions to the revenue limit. One exception to the revenue limit is an increase for funds needed to service general obligation debt issued by a school district, if the debt was approved by a referendum. This type of referendum is often referred to as a capital referendum.

This bill prohibits a school board from initiating the process for a capital referendum for borrowing other than for maintenance expenses if the school district received lower than a certain score for pupil achievement in reading and mathematics on the most recent school and school district accountability report.

Read the full summary

Specifically, the school board of a school district in which 2,000 or more pupils are enrolled is prohibited from initiating the capital referendum process if its overall pupil achievement score in reading and mathematics was below 60 points, and a school board of a school district in which fewer than 2,000 pupils are enrolled is prohibited from initiating the capital referendum process if its overall pupil achievement score in reading and mathematics was below 50 points. The bill also requires the Department of Public Instruction to use a 100 point scale for certain measures that are required to be included in the school and school district accountability report, including pupil achievement in reading and mathematics.

Who's behind it

2 senators are its ⁠. All 2 are Republicans.

6 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 8 names

Authors (2)

Signed on in support (6)

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. Jun 15, 2023

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  3. May 15, 2023

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Education.

  4. May 15, 2023

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. May 15, 2023 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Tomczyk and Stroebel; cosponsored by Representatives Sortwell, Gustafson, Moses, Murphy, Sapik and Schraa

  2. May 15, 2023 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Education

  3. Jun 15, 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.

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