Skip to content

Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

AB 229

Died at session end Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: the law enforcement officers’ bill of rights.

Civil right Clergy Police

  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

Current law contains a law enforcement officers’ bill of rights that protects certain law enforcement officers’ rights relating to their engagement or lack of engagement in political activity, the manner in which they may be subject to interrogation, and their candidacy for public office and provides that a law enforcement officer may not be discharged; disciplined; demoted or denied promotion, transfer, or reassignment; or otherwise discriminated against in regard to employment for exercising such rights. Under current law, this bill of rights applies only to law enforcement officers employed by a city, village, town, or county. This bill applies the law enforcement officers’ bill of rights to any person employed by the state or by a city, village, town, or county for the purpose of detecting and preventing crime and enforcing laws or ordinances, who is authorized to make arrests for violations of the laws or ordinances that he or she is employed to enforce.

Sponsors

Introduced by: Armstrong (R) , B. Jacobson (R) , Behnke (R) , Brill (R) , Brooks (R) , Callahan (R) , Dittrich (R) , Duchow (R) , Goeben (R) , Kaufert (R) , O'Connor (R) , Penterman (R) , Piwowarczyk (R)

5 cosponsors

Cabral-Guevara (R) , Jacque (R) , James (R) , Marklein (R) , Wanggaard (R)

Registered lobbying interests · 4

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 Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Ayes 13, Noes 0

Passed 13–0 Oct 8, 2025 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. May 2, 2025 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Goeben, Duchow, O'Connor, Armstrong, B. Jacobson, Dittrich, Brill, Brooks, Callahan, Kaufert, Piwowarczyk, Behnke and Penterman; cosponsored by Senators James, Wanggaard, Jacque, Cabral-Guevara and Marklein

  2. May 2, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety

  3. Sep 10, 2025 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  4. Oct 1, 2025 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  5. Oct 8, 2025 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Ayes 13, Noes 0

  6. Oct 8, 2025 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  7. Mar 23, 2026 · Assembly

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1