Skip to content

Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

AB 278

Died at session end Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: grants to law enforcement agencies for data-sharing platforms.

Data processing Justice department of 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

Under current law, the Department of Justice awards grants to cities and law enforcement agencies for various purposes, including to pay for uniformed beat patrol officers and to enable agencies to purchase body cameras. This bill requires DOJ to award grants to law enforcement agencies to acquire data-sharing platforms.

The bill sets forth criteria that data-sharing platforms must meet to be covered by the grant. The criteria include that the platform must be able to integrate data from common law enforcement systems on a real-time basis; eliminate redundant records; restrict access to information by data type, roles, and other parameters; allow for controlled data integration and sharing among law enforcement agencies; be accessed on devices commonly used by law enforcement agencies; and ensure that law enforcement agencies retain rights to agency data.

The bill also provides that the Joint Committee on Finance, upon request by DOJ, may provide up to $2,000,000 in each fiscal year of the 2025-27 biennium to implement the grant program.

Sponsors

Introduced by: Brill (R) , Callahan (R) , Dittrich (R) , Donovan (R) , Knodl (R) , Kreibich (R) , Maxey (R) , Murphy (R) , Mursau (R) , Novak (R) , O'Connor (R) , Piwowarczyk (R) , Sortwell (R) , Spiros (R) , Subeck (D) , Tusler (R) , Wichgers (R)

4 cosponsors

Allen (R) , Bradley (R) , Melotik (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 11, Noes 4

Passed 11–4 Jun 20, 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 30, 2025 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Donovan, Callahan, Brill, Dittrich, Knodl, Kreibich, Maxey, Murphy, Mursau, Novak, O'Connor, Piwowarczyk, Sortwell, Spiros, Subeck, Tusler and Wichgers; cosponsored by Senators Wanggaard and Bradley

  2. May 30, 2025 · Assembly

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

  3. Jun 2, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Melotik added as a coauthor

  4. Jun 3, 2025 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  5. Jun 10, 2025 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative McGuire

  6. Jun 11, 2025 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  7. Jun 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 2 offered by Representative Donovan

  8. Jun 20, 2025 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Ayes 11, Noes 4

  9. Jun 20, 2025 · Assembly

    Referred to calendar of 6-24-2025

  10. Aug 14, 2025 · Assembly

    LRB correction

  11. Oct 14, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Allen added as a coauthor

  12. Oct 14, 2025 · Assembly

    Laid on the table

  13. Mar 23, 2026 · Assembly

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1