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Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

AB 188

Died at session end Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: reduction of penalty surcharge when certain fines or forfeitures reduced. (FE)

Court — Fee Fines Forfeiture

  1. Introduced, stopped here
  2. Passes Assembly, not reached
  3. Passes Senate, not reached
  4. Governor signs, not reached
  5. Law, not reached

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, when a court imposes a fine or forfeiture for certain violations of state law or municipal or county ordinances, a penalty surcharge in the amount of 26 percent of the amount of the fine or forfeiture is also imposed. Current law provides that when a fine or forfeiture is suspended in whole or in part, the penalty surcharge must be reduced in proportion to the suspension. This bill requires the same rule to be applied for reduction of a fine or forfeiture. Under the bill, when a fine or forfeiture to which the penalty surcharge applies is reduced, the penalty surcharge must also be reduced in proportion to the reduction.

What it would cost

Fiscal estimates filed by state agencies, as official PDFs

Sponsors

Introduced by: Behnke (R) , Brooks (R) , Knodl (R) , Moses (R) , Mursau (R) , Novak (R) , O'Connor (R) , Sinicki (D) , Wichgers (R)

3 cosponsors

Feyen (R) , Madison, Phelps and Clancy , Ratcliff (D)

Registered lobbying interests · 1

Organizations that registered lobbying activity on this bill with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Registration means interest, not a position for or against. Official record

Votes

Assembly: Report passage recommended by Committee on Local Government, Ayes 9, Noes 0

Passed 9–0 Jan 14, 2026 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Full history

  1. Apr 15, 2025 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Brooks, Knodl, Behnke, Moses, Mursau, Novak, Sinicki, Wichgers and O'Connor; cosponsored by Senator Feyen

  2. Apr 15, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Local Government

  3. May 7, 2025 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  4. Nov 18, 2025 · Assembly

    Senator Ratcliff added as a cosponsor

  5. Jan 7, 2026 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  6. Jan 14, 2026 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Local Government, Ayes 9, Noes 0

  7. Jan 14, 2026 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  8. Jan 14, 2026 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 1-20-2026 by Committee on Rules

  9. Jan 16, 2026 · Assembly

    Representatives Madison, Phelps and Clancy added as coauthors

  10. Jan 20, 2026 · Assembly

    Laid on the table

  11. Jan 20, 2026 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  12. Mar 23, 2026 · Assembly

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1