Assembly Bill 231
Creating a tax credit for expenses related to film production services and for capital investments made by a film production company, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. (FE)
Topics: Amusement, Corporation: Taxation, Franchise: Taxation, Income tax: Credit, Legislative Audit Bureau, Tourism, Department of
Stopped before the full Assembly voted
The recommended passing it, but the full Assembly never voted on it. 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
May 2, 2025
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Committee, passed
Approved
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Assembly vote, stopped here
Stopped here. The full Assembly never voted on it.
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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, Mar 23, 2026: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
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The same bill was also filed in the Senate as SB 231. 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.
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
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote. 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 income and franchise tax credits for film production companies and creates the State Film Office, attached to the Department of Tourism, to implement the tax credit accreditations and allocations. Under the bill, a film production company may claim a credit in an amount that is equal to 30 percent of the salary or wages paid to the company’s employees in the taxable year for services rendered in this state to produce a film, video, broadcast advertisement, or television production, as approved by the State Film Office, and paid to employees who were residents of this state at the time that they were paid. The total amount of the credits that may be claimed by a taxpayer may not exceed an amount that is equal to the first $250,000 of salary or wages paid to each of the taxpayer’s employees in the taxable year, not including the salary or wages paid to the taxpayer’s two highest-paid employees in the taxable year, for a production with budgeted expenditures of $1,000,000 or more. If the total amount of the credits claimed by a taxpayer exceeds the taxpayer’s tax liability, the state will not issue a refund, but the taxpayer may carry forward any remaining credit to subsequent taxable years.
Under the bill, a film production company may claim an income and franchise tax credit in an amount that is equal to 30 percent of the production expenditures paid by the company in the taxable year to produce a film, video, broadcast advertisement, or television production. If the total amount of the credits claimed by the company exceeds the company’s tax liability, the state will issue a refund.
Read the full summary Show less
The bill also allows a film production company to claim an income and franchise tax credit, for the first three taxable years that the company is doing business in this state, in an amount that is equal to 30 percent of the amount that the claimant paid in the taxable year to purchase depreciable tangible personal property or to acquire, construct, rehabilitate, remodel, or repair real property.
Under the bill, a film production company may claim an income and franchise tax credit in an amount that is equal to the amount of sales and use taxes that the claimant paid for tangible personal property and taxable services that are used to produce a film, video, broadcast advertisement, or television production in this state.
The bill provides that the State Film Office may not allocate more than $10,000,000 in film production and investment tax credits in each fiscal year. The bill also requires the State Film Office to annually submit a report to the legislature that specifies the number of persons who submitted credit applications in the previous year and the amount of the credits allocated to each such applicant and to make recommendations on improving the efficiency of the program. Finally, the bill requires the Legislative Audit Bureau to biennially prepare a performance evaluation audit of the accreditation program implemented by the State Film Office.
Who's behind it
24 representatives are its . 17 are Republicans and 7 are Democrats.
17 more lawmakers .
See all 41 names Hide the names
Authors (24)
- Dave Armstrong · Republican, Assembly
- Brienne Brown · Democrat, Assembly
- Calvin Callahan · Republican, Assembly
- Steve Doyle · Democrat, Assembly
- Jodi Emerson · Democrat, Assembly
- Russell Goodwin · Democrat, Assembly
- Chanz Green · Republican, Assembly
- Karen Hurd · Republican, Assembly
- Tara Johnson · Democrat, Assembly
- Joel Kitchens · Republican, Assembly
- Rob Kreibich · Republican, Assembly
- Dave Maxey · Republican, Assembly
- Paul Melotik · Republican, Assembly
- Vinnie Miresse · Democrat, Assembly
- Clint Moses · Republican, Assembly
- Jeff Mursau · Republican, Assembly
- Jerry O'Connor · Republican, Assembly
- Priscilla Prado · Democrat, Assembly
- Pat Snyder · Republican, Assembly
- David Steffen · Republican, Assembly
- Rob Swearingen · Republican, Assembly
- Paul Tittl · Republican, Assembly
- Chuck Wichgers · Republican, Assembly
- Shannon Zimmerman · Republican, Assembly
Signed on in support (17)
- Anderson and Stroud
- Mike Bare · Democrat, Assembly
- Julian Bradley · Republican, Senate
- Dora Drake · Democrat, Senate
- Dan Feyen · Republican, Senate
- Joan Fitzgerald · Democrat, Assembly
- Jodi Habush Sinykin · Democrat, Senate
- Jesse James · Republican, Senate
- Alex Joers · Democrat, Assembly
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Brad Pfaff · Democrat, Senate
- Romaine Quinn · Republican, Senate
- Melissa Ratcliff · Democrat, Senate
- Ryan Spaude · Democrat, Assembly
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
- Patrick Testin · Republican, Senate
- Udell and Subeck
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
Versions and amendments
Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.
How lawmakers voted
There were 2 votes on this bill.
Assembly Committee on Ways and Means vote on an amendment
Passed, 9 to 0 · May 29, 2025
No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.
Official motion: “Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on Ways and Means, Ayes 9, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page
Assembly Committee on Ways and Means vote to recommend it
Passed, 10 to 0 · May 29, 2025
No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.
Official motion: “Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Ways and Means, Ayes 10, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page
What happened
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Mar 23, 2026
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Jun 2, 2025 to Jun 10, 2025
1 more representative and 2 senators signed on in support.
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May 29, 2025
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.
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May 29, 2025
The committee voted to recommend passing it, 10 to 0.
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May 19, 2025 to May 28, 2025
6 more representatives and 1 senator signed on in support.
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May 8, 2025
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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May 7, 2025
1 more representative signed on in support.
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May 7, 2025
The committee held a public hearing.
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May 7, 2025
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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May 2, 2025
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means.
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May 2, 2025
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- May 2, 2025 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Armstrong, Callahan, Hurd, Brown, Doyle, Emerson, Goodwin, Green, Johnson, Kitchens, Kreibich, Maxey, Melotik, Miresse, Moses, Mursau, O'Connor, Prado, Snyder, Steffen, Swearingen, Tittl, Wichgers and Zimmerman; cosponsored by Senators Bradley, Testin, Drake, Feyen, Larson, Pfaff, Quinn and Spreitzer
- May 2, 2025 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Ways and Means
- May 7, 2025 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- May 7, 2025 · Assembly
Public hearing held
- May 7, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Fitzgerald added as a coauthor
- May 8, 2025 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- May 13, 2025 · Assembly
Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative Armstrong
- May 14, 2025 · Assembly
Executive action taken
- May 19, 2025 · Assembly
Senator Habush Sinykin added as a cosponsor
- May 19, 2025 · Assembly
Representatives Anderson and Stroud added as coauthors
- May 20, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Spaude added as a coauthor
- May 21, 2025 · Assembly
- May 28, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Joers added as a coauthor
- May 29, 2025 · Assembly
Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on Ways and Means, Ayes 9, Noes 0
- May 29, 2025 · Assembly
Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Ways and Means, Ayes 10, Noes 0
- May 29, 2025 · Assembly
Referred to committee on Rules
- Jun 2, 2025 · Assembly
Senator James added as a cosponsor
- Jun 5, 2025 · Assembly
Senator Ratcliff added as a cosponsor
- Jun 10, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Bare added as a coauthor
- Mar 23, 2026 · Assembly
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.
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
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote. 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.
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
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote