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Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

AB 938

Became law Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: an optional final hearing by affidavit for the dissolution of a marriage (suggested as remedial legislation by the Office of the Director of State Courts).

Court — Procedure Divorce State courts director of Statutes — Revision

  1. Introduced, completed
  2. Passes Assembly, completed
  3. Passes Senate, completed
  4. Governor signs, completed
  5. Law, completed

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

2025 Wisconsin Act 40

established a process whereby a court may enter a judgment of divorce or legal separation based on an affidavit signed by each party to the action (final hearing by affidavit). For a final hearing by affidavit to be granted, the parties to the divorce or legal separation action must submit a signed affidavit, which must meet a number of requirements, including stating whether the parties were involved in any pending or completed court cases in any jurisdiction where interspousal battery or domestic abuse are indicated.

This bill inserts the correct cross-reference to domestic abuse in the Act 40 provision and updates cross-references to battery to reconcile the provision with

2025 Wisconsin Act 24

, which revised and recodified the battery statutes.

For further information, see the

Notes

provided by the Law Revision Committee of the Joint Legislative Council.

Sponsors

Introduced by: Law Revision Committee

1 cosponsors

Carpenter (D)

Votes

Senate: Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2

Passed 3–2 Mar 16, 2026 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Full history

  1. Jan 28, 2026 · Assembly

    Introduced by Law Revision Committee

  2. Jan 28, 2026 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Rules

  3. Feb 5, 2026 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 2-10-2026 by Committee on Rules

  4. Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  5. Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  6. Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  7. Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed

  8. Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  9. Feb 10, 2026 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  10. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  11. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Senate Organization

  12. Mar 16, 2026 · Senate

    Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2

  13. Mar 16, 2026 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 3-17-2026 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  14. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Read a second time

  15. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  16. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  17. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in

  18. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Senator Carpenter added as a cosponsor

  19. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  20. Mar 18, 2026 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  21. Mar 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled on 3-19-2026

  22. Mar 26, 2026 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 3-26-2026

  23. Mar 27, 2026 · Assembly

    Report approved by the Governor on 3-27-2026. 2025 Wisconsin Act 140

  24. Mar 27, 2026 · Assembly

    Published 3-28-2026