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Bills from the 2025–26 session

Assembly Bill 514

Authorizing additional circuit court and criminal justice system positions. (FE)

Topics: Circuit court, Court: Reporter, District attorney, Judge, Public defender, State Courts, Director of

Passed the Assembly, then stopped

The Assembly passed it on Feb 19, 2026, 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.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Oct 15, 2025

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Assembly vote, passed

    Passed Feb 19, 2026

  4. Senate vote, stopped here

    Stopped here. The Senate never voted on it.

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 23, 2026: “Failed to concur in pursuant to ⁠”

Read the bill

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The same bill was also filed in the Senate as SB 546. That version died when the session ended.

What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Under current law, Kenosha County has eight circuit court branches, Brown County has eight circuit court branches, and Menominee and Shawano Counties have two circuit court branches. This bill adds four circuit court branches: one in Brown County beginning August 1, 2027, one in Menominee and Shawano Counties beginning August 1, 2027, one in Brown County beginning August 1, 2028, and one in Kenosha County beginning August 1, 2028.

This bill provides position authority for many court and criminal justice system employees in the 2027-29 biennium, as follows:

Read the full summary

1. Beginning August 1, 2027, two judges.

2. Beginning August 1, 2028, two judges.

3. Beginning August 1, 2027, two court reporters.

4. Beginning August 1, 2028, two court reporters.

5. Beginning July 1, 2027, 30.5 assistant district attorneys.

6. Beginning July 1, 2028, 34 assistant district attorneys.

7. Beginning July 1, 2027, 13 assistant state public defenders.

8. Beginning July 1, 2028, nine assistant state public defenders.

9. Beginning July 1, 2027, 23 state public defender support staff positions.

10. Beginning July 1, 2028, 18 state public defender support staff positions.

The bill requires the director of state courts, the district attorneys, and the public defender board to include a request for funding for the positions authorized under this bill in their 2027-29 biennial budget requests.

This bill also requires the director of state courts, the public defender board, and the district attorneys to submit to the legislature by December 31, 2032 a report that analyzes the workload and assesses the personnel needs for their operations.

Who's behind it

18 representatives are its ⁠. All 18 are Republicans.

4 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 22 names

Authors (18)

Signed on in support (4)

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 Judiciary vote on an amendment

Passed, 6 to 2 · Jan 15, 2026

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 Judiciary, Ayes 6, Noes 2”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Assembly Committee on Judiciary vote to recommend it

Passed, 8 to 0 · Jan 15, 2026

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 Judiciary, Ayes 8, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Mar 23, 2026

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Mar 6, 2026

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  3. Feb 25, 2026

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Senate Organization.

  4. Feb 23, 2026

    The Senate received it.

  5. Feb 19, 2026

    The Assembly passed it.

  6. Feb 19, 2026

    The Assembly adopted it.

  7. Jan 21, 2026 to Jan 23, 2026

    3 more representatives signed on in support.

  8. Jan 15, 2026

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  9. Jan 15, 2026

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 8 to 0.

  10. Jan 7, 2026

    The committee held a public hearing.

  11. Dec 1, 2025

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  12. Oct 31, 2025

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  13. Oct 15, 2025

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Judiciary.

  14. Oct 15, 2025

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Oct 15, 2025 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Steffen, Kurtz, Allen, Behnke, Dittrich, Donovan, Franklin, Goeben, Gundrum, B. Jacobson, Kitchens, Kreibich, Melotik, Murphy, Mursau, Neylon, O'Connor and Knodl; cosponsored by Senator Wimberger

  2. Oct 15, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Judiciary

  3. Oct 31, 2025 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Dec 1, 2025 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  5. Dec 5, 2025 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative Steffen

  6. Jan 7, 2026 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  7. Jan 14, 2026 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  8. Jan 15, 2026 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on Judiciary, Ayes 6, Noes 2

  9. Jan 15, 2026 · Assembly

    Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Judiciary, Ayes 8, Noes 0

  10. Jan 15, 2026 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  11. Jan 21, 2026 · Assembly

    Representatives Maxey and Krug added as coauthors

  12. Jan 23, 2026 · Assembly

    Representative Duchow added as a coauthor

  13. Feb 16, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 to Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative Steffen

  14. Feb 18, 2026 · Assembly

    Made a special order of business at 11:25 AM on 2-19-2026 pursuant to Assembly Resolution 14

  15. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  16. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 to Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adopted

  17. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adopted

  18. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  19. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  20. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed

  21. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  22. Feb 23, 2026 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  23. Feb 25, 2026 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Senate Organization

  24. Feb 25, 2026 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  25. Mar 6, 2026 · Senate

    Representative Ortiz-Velez added as a coauthor

  26. 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

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