Assembly Bill 517
Expressly prohibiting a foreign national from making a contribution to a referendum committee
Topics: Elections: Campaign expense, International relations, Referendum
Stopped in committee
It had a but no committee vote, 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
Oct 15, 2025
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. It had a hearing but no committee vote.
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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 sat with the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections.
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The same bill was also filed in the Senate as SB 520. 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 provides that no person may make or accept a contribution, make a disbursement, make an expenditure, or incur an obligation in violation of the federal law that prohibits a foreign national from making a contribution in connection with any federal, state, or local election. This bill provides, in addition, that no foreign national may make a contribution to a referendum committee and no referendum committee may accept a contribution from a foreign national. A recent decision by the Federal Election Commission allowed a foreign national to make a contribution to a ballot initiative committee because the FEC determined that a ballot initiative is not an “election” for purposes of the federal law prohibiting contributions from foreign nationals.
Who's behind it
21 representatives are its . All 21 are Democrats.
15 more lawmakers .
See all 36 names Hide the names
Authors (21)
- Clint Anderson · Democrat, Assembly
- Deb Andraca · Democrat, Assembly
- Margaret Arney · Democrat, Assembly
- Mike Bare · Democrat, Assembly
- Brienne Brown · Democrat, Assembly
- Ryan Clancy · Democrat, Assembly
- Ben DeSmidt · Democrat, Assembly
- Jodi Emerson · Democrat, Assembly
- Joan Fitzgerald · Democrat, Assembly
- Russell Goodwin · Democrat, Assembly
- Alex Joers · Democrat, Assembly
- Tara Johnson · Democrat, Assembly
- Darrin Madison · Democrat, Assembly
- Vinnie Miresse · Democrat, Assembly
- Sylvia Ortiz-Velez · Democrat, Assembly
- Lori Palmeri · Democrat, Assembly
- Ann Roe · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Lee Snodgrass · Democrat, Assembly
- Angela Stroud · Democrat, Assembly
- Randy Udell · Democrat, Assembly
Signed on in support (15)
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- Kristin Dassler-Alfheim · Democrat, Senate
- Jodi Habush Sinykin · Democrat, Senate
- Dianne Hesselbein · Democrat, Senate
- Jenna Jacobson · Democrat, Assembly
- Sarah Keyeski · Democrat, Senate
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Brad Pfaff · Democrat, Senate
- Melissa Ratcliff · Democrat, Senate
- Kelda Roys · Democrat, Senate
- Jeff Smith · Democrat, Senate
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
- Lisa Subeck · Democrat, Assembly
- Jamie Wall · Democrat, Senate
- Bob Wirch · Democrat, Senate
Versions and amendments
Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.
What happened
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Mar 23, 2026
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Feb 9, 2026
1 more representative signed on in support.
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Jan 28, 2026
The committee held a public hearing.
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Oct 17, 2025 to Jan 22, 2026
1 more representative and 2 senators signed on in support.
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Oct 15, 2025
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections.
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Oct 15, 2025
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Oct 15, 2025 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Anderson, Joers, Andraca, Arney, Bare, Clancy, DeSmidt, Emerson, Fitzgerald, Goodwin, Johnson, Madison, Miresse, Ortiz-Velez, Roe, Sinicki, Snodgrass, Stroud, Udell, Brown and Palmeri; cosponsored by Senators Ratcliff, Larson, Spreitzer, Smith, Carpenter, Keyeski, Pfaff, Roys, Wall, Wirch and Hesselbein
- Oct 15, 2025 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Campaigns and Elections
- Oct 17, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Subeck added as a coauthor
- Jan 20, 2026 · Assembly
Senator Habush Sinykin added as a cosponsor
- Jan 22, 2026 · Assembly
Senator Dassler-Alfheim added as a cosponsor
- Jan 28, 2026 · Assembly
Public hearing held
- Feb 9, 2026 · Assembly
Representative J. Jacobson added as a coauthor
- Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly
Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative Bare
- 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