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Bills from the 2023–24 session

Senate Bill 520

Inclusion of like-kin as an option for with whom children may be placed out of their home under certain circumstances and who may receive kinship care payments

Became law

The governor signed it on Mar 14, 2024. It's ⁠.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Oct 16, 2023

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Senate vote, passed

    Passed Nov 14, 2023

  4. Assembly vote, passed

    Passed Feb 15, 2024

  5. Governor, passed

    Signed

  6. Law, here now

    2023 Wisconsin Act 119

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 14, 2024: “Published 3-15-2024”

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What it does

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Under current law, a juvenile court may place a child in certain placements that provide out-of-home care under the Children's Code and the Juvenile Justice Code.

Under current law, those placements include specific types of licensed facilities, a licensed foster home, or the home of a relative other than a parent. Under current law, a relative other than a parent does not typically need to acquire a license in order to receive a relative child. This bill allows a juvenile court to similarly place a child with unlicensed individuals who qualify as “like-kin” under the Children's Code and the Juvenile Justice Code.

Read the full summary

The bill defines “like-kin” for the purposes of such a placement to be an individual who has a significant emotional relationship with a child or the child's family that is similar to a familial relationship and, for an Indian child, includes an individual who is identified by the child's tribe as kin or like-kin according to tribal tradition, custom or resolution, code, or law. Under the bill, “like-kin” does not include a current or former foster parent of a child for placement purposes.

Under current law, a relative other than a parent who is providing care and maintenance for a child under a court order may receive monthly kinship care payments from the Department of Children and Families or a county department of human or social services. The bill includes as those who may receive kinship care payments first cousins once removed and like-kin persons and changes the term used to refer to these persons from “kinship care relatives” to “kinship care providers.” Under current law, for the purposes of permanency planning, a family permanency team may include like-kin. The current law definition of “like-kin,” for the purpose of determining the family permanency team, is similar to the definition of “like-kin” for placement purposes in the bill, except that the current law definition 1) does not exclude a current or former foster parent and 2) does not include individuals identified by the child's tribe if the child is an Indian child. Under the bill, the definition of “like-kin” for determining a family permanency team does not exclude a current or former foster parent but does include individuals identified by the child's tribe if the child is an Indian child.

Who's behind it

10 senators are its ⁠. 7 are Democrats and 3 are Republicans.

40 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 50 names

Authors (10)

Signed on in support (40)

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 2 votes on this bill.

Senate Committee on Mental Health vote on an amendment

Passed, 5 to 0 · Nov 8, 2023

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

Official motion: “Report adoption of Senate Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families, Ayes 5, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Senate Committee on Mental Health vote to recommend it

Passed, 5 to 0 · Nov 8, 2023

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

Official motion: “Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families, Ayes 5, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Mar 14, 2024

    The new law was published.

  2. Mar 14, 2024

    The governor signed it. It became 2023 Wisconsin Act 119.

  3. Mar 11, 2024

    Sent to the governor.

  4. Feb 15, 2024

    The Assembly passed it too.

  5. Feb 14, 2024

    2 more representatives signed on in support.

  6. Feb 12, 2024

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  7. Jan 2, 2024

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  8. Nov 14, 2023

    The Assembly received it.

  9. Nov 14, 2023

    The Senate passed it.

  10. Nov 14, 2023

    The Senate adopted it.

  11. Nov 14, 2023

    “Placed on the foot of the 14th order of business on the calendar of 11-14-2023” (the official wording)

  12. Nov 8, 2023 to Nov 10, 2023

    3 more representatives signed on in support.

  13. Nov 8, 2023

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 5 to 0.

  14. Nov 8, 2023

    “Report adoption of Senate Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families, Ayes 5, Noes 0” (the official wording)

  15. Nov 2, 2023 to Nov 7, 2023

    3 more representatives signed on in support.

  16. Nov 1, 2023

    The committee held a public hearing.

  17. Oct 18, 2023 to Oct 27, 2023

    6 more representatives and 2 senators signed on in support.

  18. Oct 16, 2023

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

  19. Oct 16, 2023

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Oct 16, 2023 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Ballweg, James, Carpenter, Hesselbein, L. Johnson, Larson, Roys, Smith, Spreitzer and Tomczyk; cosponsored by Representatives Snyder, Armstrong, Baldeh, Behnke, Billings, Callahan, Conley, Considine, Dittrich, Donovan, Doyle, Goeben, Gustafson, Hong, Joers, Kitchens, Mursau, Novak, O'Connor, Ohnstad, Palmeri, Ratcliff, Rettinger, Rozar, Sapik, Snodgrass, Stubbs and Subeck

  2. Oct 16, 2023 · Senate

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

  3. Oct 18, 2023 · Senate

    Senator Agard added as a coauthor

  4. Oct 18, 2023 · Senate

    Representative Plumer added as a cosponsor

  5. Oct 19, 2023 · Senate

    Representatives Sinicki, Vining and Zimmerman added as cosponsors

  6. Oct 24, 2023 · Senate

    Representative Clancy added as a cosponsor

  7. Oct 27, 2023 · Senate

    Representative Jacobson added as a cosponsor

  8. Oct 27, 2023 · Senate

    Senator Cabral-Guevara added as a coauthor

  9. Nov 1, 2023 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  10. Nov 2, 2023 · Senate

    Representative Steffen added as a cosponsor

  11. Nov 7, 2023 · Senate

    Representatives Andraca and Shelton added as cosponsors

  12. Nov 7, 2023 · Senate

    Senate Amendment 1 offered by Senator Ballweg

  13. Nov 8, 2023 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  14. Nov 8, 2023 · Senate

    Report adoption of Senate Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  15. Nov 8, 2023 · Senate

    Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  16. Nov 8, 2023 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  17. Nov 8, 2023 · Senate

    Representatives Emerson and Madison added as cosponsors

  18. Nov 10, 2023 · Senate

    Representative Bare added as a cosponsor

  19. Nov 13, 2023 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 11-14-2023 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  20. Nov 14, 2023 · Senate

    Placed on the foot of the 14th order of business on the calendar of 11-14-2023

  21. Nov 14, 2023 · Senate

    Read a second time

  22. Nov 14, 2023 · Senate

    Senate Amendment 1 adopted

  23. Nov 14, 2023 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  24. Nov 14, 2023 · Senate

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  25. Nov 14, 2023 · Senate

    Read a third time and passed

  26. Nov 14, 2023 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  27. Nov 14, 2023 · Assembly

    Received from Senate

  28. Jan 2, 2024 · Assembly

    Representative Allen added as a cosponsor

  29. Feb 12, 2024 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to committee on Rules

  30. Feb 13, 2024 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 2-15-2024 by Committee on Rules

  31. Feb 14, 2024 · Assembly

    Representatives C. Anderson and Michalski added as cosponsors

  32. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Rules suspended to withdraw from calendar and take up

  33. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  34. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  35. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  36. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Read a third time and concurred in

  37. Feb 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  38. Feb 15, 2024 · Senate

    Received from Assembly concurred in

  39. Feb 19, 2024 · Senate

    Report correctly enrolled

  40. Mar 11, 2024 · Senate

    Presented to the Governor on 3-11-2024

  41. Mar 14, 2024 · Senate

    Report approved by the Governor on 3-14-2024. 2023 Wisconsin Act 119

  42. Mar 14, 2024 · Senate

    Published 3-15-2024

Terms on this page

Wisconsin Act

The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.

Official term: Act. 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

Wisconsin Act

The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.

Official term: Act

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