Assembly Bill 642
Legal action against certain private postsecondary schools
Topics: Colleges and universities, Court: Procedure, Fraud
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
Nov 7, 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 Colleges and Universities. The committee's chair at the time was Dave Murphy. 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 629. 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.
This bill creates for students a statutory cause of action for fraud against private for-profit colleges.
Under current law, before a private for-profit postsecondary institution (proprietary school) may operate in this state, it must obtain approval from the Department of Safety and Professional Services. A proprietary school that violates this requirement is subject to a forfeiture of $500 for each violating day of operation. In addition, a student who attends a violating proprietary school may bring a civil action to recover fees paid to the school along with costs and reasonable attorney fees.
Read the full summary Show less
The bill allows a student to bring an action against a proprietary school on the basis that the proprietary school provided materially false, fraudulent, or misleading information to the student. A prevailing student may recover fees paid to the school along with costs and reasonable attorney fees.
Who's behind it
11 representatives are its . All 11 are Democrats.
7 more lawmakers .
See all 18 names Hide the names
Authors (11)
- Margaret Arney · Democrat, Assembly
- Mike Bare · Democrat, Assembly
- Ryan Clancy · Democrat, Assembly
- Ben DeSmidt · Democrat, Assembly
- Darrin Madison · Democrat, Assembly
- Vinnie Miresse · Democrat, Assembly
- Christian Phelps · Democrat, Assembly
- Joe Sheehan · Democrat, Assembly
- Angela Stroud · Democrat, Assembly
- Shelia Stubbs · Democrat, Assembly
- Angelito Tenorio · Democrat, Assembly
Signed on in support (7)
- Dianne Hesselbein · Democrat, Senate
- LaTonya Johnson · Democrat, Senate
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Kelda Roys · Democrat, Senate
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
- Lisa Subeck · Democrat, Assembly
- Robyn Vining · Democrat, Assembly
What happened
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Mar 23, 2026
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Nov 21, 2025 to Dec 17, 2025
2 more representatives signed on in support.
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Nov 7, 2025
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities.
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Nov 7, 2025
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Nov 7, 2025 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Clancy, Tenorio, DeSmidt, Arney, Bare, Madison, Miresse, Phelps, Sheehan, Stroud and Stubbs; cosponsored by Senators Larson, Hesselbein, L. Johnson, Roys and Spreitzer
- Nov 7, 2025 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Colleges and Universities
- Nov 21, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Subeck added as a coauthor
- Dec 17, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Vining 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