Skip to content
Bills from the 2023–24 session

Senate Bill 699

Prohibiting sending unsolicited obscene or sexually explicit images by electronic means, establishing a private civil cause of action for sending unsolicited obscene or sexually explicit images by electronic means, and providing a penalty

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

    Nov 21, 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 Judiciary and Public Safety. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.

Read the bill

Following saves it on this device. New actions show on your Following page. You can also get updates in a feed reader.

Embed this on your site

Paste this code into your page. The card shows the latest record each time it loads. Preview the card

What it would have done

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

This bill establishes a penalty for knowingly sending an unsolicited obscene or sexually explicit image by electronic means, specifically any image depicting a person engaging in an act of sexual intercourse or masturbation or depicting the exposed genitals or anus of any person. Under the bill, a person who violates this prohibition is subject to a forfeiture not to exceed $250 for a first violation, and a forfeiture not to exceed $500 for any subsequent violation. If the person is under 18 years of age, however, the person is subject to a written warning for a first violation, and for any subsequent violation before the person is 18 years of age, a forfeiture not to exceed $250.

The bill also establishes a private cause of action against a person who knowingly sends by electronic means an image depicting a person engaging in an act of sexual intercourse or masturbation or depicting the exposed genitals or anus of any person that the person who sends the image knows or reasonably should know is unsolicited.

Read the full summary

Neither the prohibition resulting in a forfeiture nor the private civil action established under the bill applies to 1) an Internet service provider, mobile data provider, or operator of an online or mobile application, to the extent that the entity is transmitting, routing, or providing connections for electronic communications initiated by or at the direction of another person; 2) any service that transmits images or audiovisual works, including an on-demand, subscription, or advertising-supported service; or 3) a health care provider transmitting an image for a legitimate medical purpose.

Who's behind it

8 senators are its ⁠. All 8 are Democrats.

16 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 24 names

Authors (8)

Signed on in support (16)

What happened

  1. Apr 15, 2024

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Dec 7, 2023

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  3. Nov 21, 2023

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.

  4. Nov 21, 2023

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Nov 21, 2023 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Agard, Roys, Hesselbein, L. Johnson, Larson, Pfaff, Smith and Taylor; cosponsored by Representatives Snodgrass, Shelton, J. Anderson, Conley, Considine, Drake, Emerson, Joers, Madison, Ohnstad, Palmeri, Ratcliff, Shankland, Sinicki and Stubbs

  2. Nov 21, 2023 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety

  3. Dec 7, 2023 · Senate

    Representative Subeck added as a cosponsor

  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

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