Senate Bill 499
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.
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Introduced, passed
Oct 16, 2023
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. No public hearing was held.
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Senate vote, not reached
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Assembly vote, not reached
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Governor, not reached
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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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Terms on this page
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. 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
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 Show less
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
6 senators are its . All 6 are Democrats.
16 more lawmakers .
See all 22 names Hide the names
Authors (6)
- Melissa Agard · Democrat, Senate
- Dianne Hesselbein · Democrat, Senate
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Kelda Roys · Democrat, Senate
- Jeff Smith · Democrat, Senate
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
Signed on in support (16)
- Samba Baldeh · Democrat, Assembly
- Jill Billings · Democrat, Assembly
- Clint Anderson · Democrat, Assembly
- Ryan Clancy · Democrat, Assembly
- Dave Considine · Democrat, Assembly
- Jodi Emerson · Democrat, Assembly
- Francesca Hong · Democrat, Assembly
- Jimmy Anderson · Democrat, Assembly
- Jenna Jacobson · Democrat, Assembly
- Alex Joers · Democrat, Assembly
- Darrin Madison · Democrat, Assembly
- Greta Neubauer · Democrat, Assembly
- Melissa Ratcliff · Democrat, Senate
- Kristina Shelton · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Lisa Subeck · Democrat, Assembly
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
What happened
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Apr 15, 2024
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Feb 13, 2024 to Feb 21, 2024
2 more representatives signed on in support.
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Nov 9, 2023
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Oct 19, 2023 to Oct 27, 2023
2 more representatives signed on in support.
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Oct 16, 2023
Sent to the Senate Committee on Education.
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Oct 16, 2023
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Oct 16, 2023 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Larson, Smith, Roys, Hesselbein, Agard and Spreitzer; cosponsored by Representatives Shelton, Clancy, Hong, C. Anderson, Considine, Baldeh, Joers, Subeck, Sinicki, Ratcliff, J. Anderson and Neubauer
- Oct 16, 2023 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Education
- Oct 19, 2023 · Senate
Representative Billings added as a cosponsor
- Oct 27, 2023 · Senate
Representative Jacobson added as a cosponsor
- Nov 9, 2023 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Feb 13, 2024 · Senate
Representative Madison added as a cosponsor
- Feb 21, 2024 · Senate
Representative Emerson added as a cosponsor
- 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.
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. 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
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