Assembly Bill 3
Incorporating cursive writing into the state model English language arts standards and requiring cursive writing in elementary grades. (FE)
Topics: English language, School: Curriculum, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Passed the Assembly, then stopped
The Assembly passed it on Feb 19, 2025, but the Senate never voted on it. A bill has to . 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
Feb 3, 2025
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Committee, passed
Approved
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Assembly vote, passed
Passed 51 to 46
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Senate vote, stopped here
Stopped here. The Senate never voted on it.
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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 concur in pursuant to ”
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The same bill was also filed in the Senate as SB 13. That version died when the session ended.
Terms on this page
Second chamber's vote
A bill has to pass both the Assembly and the Senate in the same form before it goes to the governor.
Official term: Concurrence. More in the glossary
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 requires the state superintendent of public instruction to incorporate cursive writing into the model academic standards for English language arts. The bill also requires all school boards, independent charter schools, and private schools participating in a parental choice program to include cursive writing in its respective curriculum for the elementary grades. Specifically, each elementary school curriculum must include the objective that pupils be able to write legibly in cursive by the end of fifth grade.
Who's behind it
14 representatives are its . All 14 are Republicans.
4 more lawmakers .
See all 18 names Hide the names
Authors (14)
- Elijah Behnke · Republican, Assembly
- Lindee Brill · Republican, Assembly
- Barbara Dittrich · Republican, Assembly
- Bob Donovan · Republican, Assembly
- Rick Gundrum · Republican, Assembly
- Dan Knodl · Republican, Assembly
- Rob Kreibich · Republican, Assembly
- Paul Melotik · Republican, Assembly
- Dave Murphy · Republican, Assembly
- Jeff Mursau · Republican, Assembly
- Jim Piwowarczyk · Republican, Assembly
- Ron Tusler · Republican, Assembly
- Robin Vos · Republican, Assembly
- Chuck Wichgers · Republican, Assembly
Signed on in support (4)
- Rachael Cabral-Guevara · Republican, Senate
- Steve Nass · Republican, Senate
- Jerry O'Connor · Republican, Assembly
- Van Wanggaard · Republican, Senate
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
How lawmakers voted
There were 2 votes on this bill.
Assembly Committee on Education vote to recommend it
Passed, 8 to 5 · Feb 17, 2025
No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.
Official motion: “Report passage recommended by Committee on Education, Ayes 8, Noes 5”. Official record · This vote on its own page
Assembly vote to pass it
Passed, 51 to 46 · Feb 19, 2025 · 2 didn't vote
See how each of the 99 representatives voted Hide the names
D: Democrat, R: Republican
Yes (51)
- Adam Neylon (R, 15)
- Alex Dallman (R, 39)
- Amanda Nedweski (R, 32)
- Barbara Dittrich (R, 99)
- Ben Franklin (R, 88)
- Bob Donovan (R, 61)
- Bob Wittke (R, 63)
- Brent Jacobson (R, 87)
- Calvin Callahan (R, 35)
- Chanz Green (R, 74)
- Chuck Wichgers (R, 84)
- Cindi Duchow (R, 97)
- Clint Moses (R, 92)
- Dan Knodl (R, 24)
- Dave Armstrong (R, 67)
- Dave Maxey (R, 83)
- Dave Murphy (R, 56)
- Dean Kaufert (R, 53)
- Duke Tucker (R, 75)
- Elijah Behnke (R, 6)
- Gus Gustafson (R, 55)
- Jeff Mursau (R, 36)
- Jerry O'Connor (R, 60)
- Jessie Rodriguez (R, 21)
- Jim Piwowarczyk (R, 98)
- Joel Kitchens (R, 1)
- John Spiros (R, 86)
- Karen Hurd (R, 69)
- Kevin Petersen (R, 57)
- Lindee Brill (R, 27)
- Mark Born (R, 37)
- Nancy VanderMeer (R, 70)
- Pat Snyder (R, 85)
- Paul Melotik (R, 22)
- Paul Tittl (R, 25)
- Rick Gundrum (R, 58)
- Rob Brooks (R, 59)
- Rob Kreibich (R, 28)
- Rob Summerfield (R, 68)
- Rob Swearingen (R, 34)
- Robin Vos (R, 33)
- Ron Tusler (R, 3)
- Scott Allen (R, 82)
- Scott Krug (R, 72)
- Shannon Zimmerman (R, 30)
- Todd Novak (R, 51)
- Tony Kurtz (R, 41)
- Travis Tranel (R, 49)
- Treig Pronschinske (R, 29)
- Tyler August (R, 31)
- Will Penterman (R, 38)
No (46)
- Alex Joers (D, 81)
- Amaad Rivera-Wagner (D, 90)
- Andrew Hysell (D, 48)
- Angela Stroud (D, 73)
- Angelina Cruz (D, 62)
- Angelito Tenorio (D, 14)
- Ann Roe (D, 44)
- Ben DeSmidt (D, 65)
- Brienne Brown (D, 43)
- Christian Phelps (D, 93)
- Christine Sinicki (D, 20)
- Clint Anderson (D, 45)
- Darrin Madison (D, 10)
- David Steffen (R, 4)
- Deb Andraca (D, 23)
- Francesca Hong (D, 76)
- Greta Neubauer (D, 66)
- Jenna Jacobson (D, 50)
- Jill Billings (D, 95)
- Joan Fitzgerald (D, 46)
- Jodi Emerson (D, 91)
- Joe Sheehan (D, 26)
- Joy Goeben (R, 5)
- Kalan Haywood (D, 16)
- Karen DeSanto (D, 40)
- Lee Snodgrass (D, 52)
- Lisa Subeck (D, 79)
- Lori Palmeri (D, 54)
- Margaret Arney (D, 18)
- Maureen McCarville (D, 42)
- Mike Bare (D, 80)
- Priscilla Prado (D, 9)
- Randy Udell (D, 47)
- Renuka Mayadev (D, 77)
- Robyn Vining (D, 13)
- Russell Goodwin (D, 12)
- Ryan Clancy (D, 19)
- Ryan Spaude (D, 89)
- Sequanna Taylor (D, 11)
- Shae Sortwell (R, 2)
- Steve Doyle (D, 94)
- Supreme Moore Omokunde (D, 17)
- Sylvia Ortiz-Velez (D, 8)
- Tara Johnson (D, 96)
- Tip McGuire (D, 64)
- Vinnie Miresse (D, 71)
Didn't vote (2)
- Karen Kirsch (D, 7)
- Shelia Stubbs (D, 78)
Official motion: “PASSAGE”. 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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Feb 21, 2025
Sent to the Senate Committee on Education.
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Feb 20, 2025
The Senate received it.
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Feb 19, 2025
The Assembly passed it, 51 to 46.
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Feb 17, 2025
The committee voted to recommend passing it, 8 to 5.
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Feb 17, 2025
1 more representative signed on in support.
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Feb 6, 2025
The committee held a public hearing.
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Feb 6, 2025
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Feb 3, 2025
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Education.
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Feb 3, 2025
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Feb 3, 2025 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Melotik, Behnke, Brill, Dittrich, Donovan, Goodwin, Gundrum, Knodl, Kreibich, Murphy, Mursau, Tusler, Vos, Wichgers and Piwowarczyk; cosponsored by Senators Nass, Cabral-Guevara and Wanggaard
- Feb 3, 2025 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Education
- Feb 6, 2025 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- Feb 6, 2025 · Assembly
Public hearing held
- Feb 13, 2025 · Assembly
Executive action taken
- Feb 17, 2025 · Assembly
Representative O'Connor added as a coauthor
- Feb 17, 2025 · Assembly
Report passage recommended by Committee on Education, Ayes 8, Noes 5
- Feb 17, 2025 · Assembly
Referred to calendar of 2-19-2025 pursuant to Assembly Rule 45 (1)
- Feb 19, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Goodwin withdrawn as a coauthor
- Feb 19, 2025 · Assembly
Read a second time
- Feb 19, 2025 · Assembly
Ordered to a third reading
- Feb 19, 2025 · Assembly
Rules suspended
- Feb 19, 2025 · Assembly
Read a third time and passed, Ayes 51, Noes 46
- Feb 19, 2025 · Assembly
Ordered immediately messaged
- Feb 20, 2025 · Senate
Received from Assembly
- Feb 21, 2025 · Senate
Read first time and referred to committee on Education
- Mar 23, 2026 · Senate
Failed to concur in pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1
Terms on this page
Second chamber's vote
A bill has to pass both the Assembly and the Senate in the same form before it goes to the governor.
Official term: Concurrence. More in the glossary
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
Second chamber's vote
A bill has to pass both the Assembly and the Senate in the same form before it goes to the governor.
Official term: Concurrence
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