Assembly Bill 1207
Creating a Civic Information Consortium Board and a grant program administered by a nonprofit corporation to support local journalism and media projects and making an appropriation. (FE)
Topics: Newspaper and magazine, Organization, Miscellaneous, University of Wisconsin
Stopped in committee
It never got a , so it never came up for a vote. The last day for votes this session was Mar 19, 2026. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.
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Introduced, passed
Mar 19, 2026
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. No public hearing was held.
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Assembly vote, not reached
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Senate vote, not reached
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Governor, not reached
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Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Apr 17, 2026: “Fiscal estimate received”
It never got a hearing in the Assembly Committee on State Affairs. The committee's chair at the time was Rob Swearingen. Chairs decide which bills get a hearing. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.
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The same bill was also filed in the Senate as SB 1183. That version died when the session ended.
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 creates a Civic Information Consortium Board attached to the University of Wisconsin System consisting of the following members: 1) four representatives of the UW System, each with experience or expertise in journalism, media, technology, or American civic culture, appointed by the president of the UW System; 2) five representatives of Wisconsin local media, appointed by a majority of the members described in item 1, which must include members who work in traditional print media, online or new media, radio, and television and work for nonprofit and for-profit news providers; and 3) two public members, appointed by a majority of the members described in items 1 and 2.
The bill requires the board to form a nonprofit corporation, called the Wisconsin Civic Information Consortium, Inc., for the purpose of administering the grant program described below. The corporation’s members are the board members identified in item 1, above, and the board manages the affairs of the corporation, including selecting a director to manage the day-to-day operation of the corporation. The board also provides funding to the corporation, through a new general fund appropriation to the board.
Read the full summary Show less
The bill requires the corporation to award grants to support Wisconsin local journalism and media projects. A grant application must include an explanation of how the proposed project benefits the state’s civic information needs and provides media literacy skills or local journalism access to currently underserved residents of this state. A grant recipient must agree to remain independent, and the corporation must ensure that at least 30 percent of the total amount of all grants awarded are distributed to off-campus partners in rural communities. The corporation must also collect data on populations and communities in this state that are underserved by local news and prioritize directing its funding toward these populations and communities. The board may not take any action or make any funding decision based on the reporting of a grant recipient.
The bill requires the board to annually submit a report to the governor and the legislature detailing how the corporation’s funding was spent and how it advanced the mission of fostering a more informed and engaged public. The report must also include a summary of the collected data on underserved populations or communities.
Who's behind it
9 representatives are its . All 9 are Democrats.
4 more lawmakers .
See all 13 names Hide the names
Authors (9)
- Clint Anderson · Democrat, Assembly
- Brienne Brown · Democrat, Assembly
- Ryan Clancy · Democrat, Assembly
- Jodi Emerson · Democrat, Assembly
- Tara Johnson · Democrat, Assembly
- Maureen McCarville · Democrat, Assembly
- Lori Palmeri · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Randy Udell · Democrat, Assembly
Signed on in support (4)
- Brad Pfaff · Democrat, Senate
- Melissa Ratcliff · Democrat, Senate
- Kelda Roys · Democrat, Senate
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
What happened
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Apr 17, 2026
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Mar 23, 2026
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Mar 19, 2026
Sent to the Assembly Committee on State Affairs.
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Mar 19, 2026
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Mar 19, 2026 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Johnson, Emerson, Brown, Anderson, Clancy, McCarville, Palmeri, Sinicki and Udell; cosponsored by Senators Spreitzer, Pfaff, Ratcliff and Roys
- Mar 19, 2026 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs
- Mar 23, 2026 · Assembly
Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1
- Apr 17, 2026 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
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