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Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

AB 211

Vetoed Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: exempting tobacco bars from the public smoking ban.

Alcohol beverage — Regulation Tobacco Town Youth Zoning

  1. Introduced, completed
  2. Passes Assembly, completed
  3. Passes Senate, stopped here
  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

This bill exempts tobacco bars from the general prohibition under current law against smoking in indoor locations if the tobacco bar satisfies all of the following: 1) the tobacco bar came into existence on or after June 4, 2009; 2) only the smoking of cigars and pipes is allowed in the tobacco bar; and 3) the tobacco bar is not a retail food establishment. Current law defines a “tobacco bar” as a tavern that generates 15 percent or more of its annual gross income from the sale on the tavern premises, other than from a vending machine, of cigars and pipe tobacco. Also, under current law, tobacco bars that existed on June 3, 2009, are exempt from the general prohibition against smoking in indoor locations.

Sponsors

Introduced by: Armstrong (R) , B. Jacobson (R) , Behnke (R) , Brill (R) , Callahan (R) , Dallman (R) , Donovan (R) , Goeben (R) , Green (R) , Gundrum (R) , Gustafson (R) , Kirsch (D) , Kitchens (R) , Knodl (R) , Krug (R) , Melotik (R) , Miresse (D) , Murphy (R) , Mursau (R) , Neylon (R) , Ortiz-Velez (D) , Penterman (R) , Piwowarczyk (R) , Pronschinske (R) , Rodriguez (R) , Sinicki (D) , Tittl (R) , Tucker (R) , Wichgers (R) , Wittke (R) , Zimmerman (R)

6 cosponsors

Cabral-Guevara (R) , Feyen (R) , Nass (R) , Stubbs (D) , Testin (R) , Tomczyk (R)

Registered lobbying interests · 19

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 State Affairs, Ayes 7, Noes 1

Passed 7–1 Jul 8, 2025 official source full page

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

Assembly: PASSAGE

Passed 57–37 Sep 11, 2025 official source full page

Aye · 57

Not voting · 3

Senate: Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development, Ayes 3, Noes 2

Passed 3–2 Nov 12, 2025 official source full page

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

Senate: CONCURRENCE

Passed 18–15 Nov 18, 2025 official source full page

Full history

  1. Apr 23, 2025 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Gustafson, Ortiz-Velez, Callahan, Gundrum, Armstrong, Zimmerman, Melotik, Brill, Krug, Kitchens, Goeben, Knodl, Tittl, Donovan, Penterman, Wichgers, Pronschinske, Mursau, Murphy, Green, Tucker, B. Jacobson, Behnke, Dallman, Neylon, Wittke, Sinicki, Piwowarczyk, Rodriguez, Miresse and Kirsch; cosponsored by Senators Tomczyk, Feyen, Nass, Testin and Cabral-Guevara

  2. Apr 23, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs

  3. Jun 17, 2025 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  4. Jun 25, 2025 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  5. Jul 8, 2025 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on State Affairs, Ayes 7, Noes 1

  6. Jul 8, 2025 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  7. Sep 9, 2025 · Assembly

    Withdrawn from Committee on Rules and referred to calendar of 9-11-2025

  8. Sep 10, 2025 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative Gustafson

  9. Sep 11, 2025 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  10. Sep 11, 2025 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  11. Sep 11, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Stubbs added as a coauthor

  12. Sep 11, 2025 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed, Ayes 57, Noes 37, Paired 2

  13. Sep 11, 2025 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  14. Sep 11, 2025 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  15. Sep 11, 2025 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  16. Sep 11, 2025 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 adopted

  17. Sep 12, 2025 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development

  18. Oct 29, 2025 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  19. Nov 11, 2025 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  20. Nov 12, 2025 · Senate

    Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development, Ayes 3, Noes 2

  21. Nov 12, 2025 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  22. Nov 14, 2025 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 11-18-2025 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  23. Nov 18, 2025 · Senate

    Read a second time

  24. Nov 18, 2025 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  25. Nov 18, 2025 · Senate

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  26. Nov 18, 2025 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in, Ayes 18, Noes 15

  27. Nov 18, 2025 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  28. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  29. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled on 11-19-2025

  30. Dec 4, 2025 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 12-4-2025

  31. Dec 5, 2025 · Assembly

    Report vetoed by the Governor on 12-5-2025

  32. May 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 5-12-2026 pursuant to Joint Rule 82 (2)(a)

  33. May 13, 2026 · Assembly

    Failed to pass notwithstanding the objections of the Governor pursuant to Joint Rule 82