Assembly Bill 396
Appointment of legal counsel by the legislature
Topics: Attorney, Justice, Department of, Legislature
Stopped in committee
It never got a , so it never came up for a vote. 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
Aug 29, 2025
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. No public hearing was held.
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Assembly vote, not reached
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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 ”
It never got a hearing in the Assembly Committee on State Affairs. The committee's chair at the time was Rob Swearingen. Chairs decide which bills get a hearing. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.
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The same bill was also filed in the Senate as SB 397. 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.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
Current law authorizes the speaker of the assembly, the senate majority leader, and the cochairpersons of the Joint Committee on Legislative Organization to retain legal counsel for a number of purposes. These purposes include retention of legal counsel for matters affecting the interests of the assembly, senate, or legislature. Also, by longstanding practice and constitutional authority, each house, or the houses jointly, may retain legal counsel by action of the full body or bodies or by action of the Committee on Assembly Organization, the Committee on Senate Organization, or JCLO.
This bill provides that the assembly, the senate, and the houses jointly, and any legislator or legislative committee, may not obtain legal counsel other than from the Department of Justice unless that action is submitted to the full house, or houses in the case of a joint appointment, and the appointment of legal counsel is approved by a majority of the members present and voting of the house or houses.
Who's behind it
19 representatives are its . All 19 are Democrats.
5 more lawmakers .
See all 24 names Hide the names
Authors (19)
- Deb Andraca · Democrat, Assembly
- Mike Bare · Democrat, Assembly
- Ryan Clancy · Democrat, Assembly
- Joan Fitzgerald · Democrat, Assembly
- Russell Goodwin · Democrat, Assembly
- Andrew Hysell · Democrat, Assembly
- Alex Joers · Democrat, Assembly
- Karen Kirsch · Democrat, Assembly
- Darrin Madison · Democrat, Assembly
- Vinnie Miresse · Democrat, Assembly
- Supreme Moore Omokunde · Democrat, Assembly
- Christian Phelps · Democrat, Assembly
- Amaad Rivera-Wagner · Democrat, Assembly
- Ann Roe · Democrat, Assembly
- Joe Sheehan · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Angela Stroud · Democrat, Assembly
- Shelia Stubbs · Democrat, Assembly
- Angelito Tenorio · Democrat, Assembly
Signed on in support (5)
- Margaret Arney · Democrat, Assembly
- LaTonya Johnson · Democrat, Senate
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Melissa Ratcliff · Democrat, Senate
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
What happened
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Mar 23, 2026
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Sep 9, 2025
1 more representative signed on in support.
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Aug 29, 2025
Sent to the Assembly Committee on State Affairs.
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Aug 29, 2025
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Aug 29, 2025 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Rivera-Wagner, Andraca, Bare, Clancy, Fitzgerald, Goodwin, Hysell, Joers, Kirsch, Madison, Miresse, Moore Omokunde, Phelps, Roe, Sheehan, Sinicki, Stroud, Stubbs and Tenorio; cosponsored by Senators Larson, L. Johnson, Ratcliff and Spreitzer
- Aug 29, 2025 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs
- Sep 9, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Arney 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.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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
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.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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