Senate Bill 1072
The assignment of child support orders and arrears to the state when a child enters foster care and the role of the Department of Children and Families, county departments of human and social services, and juvenile courts in referring, collecting, and ordering child support. (FE)
Topics: Children, Children and Families, Department of, County: Human services, Family: Support, Juvenile court
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
Feb 26, 2026
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. It had a hearing but no committee vote.
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Senate vote, not reached
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Assembly 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 Senate Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families.
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The same bill was also filed in the Assembly as AB 1115. 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 removes the mandatory assignment to the state of child support orders and arrears existing at the time a child enters foster care. With one exception, the bill removes the role of the Department of Children and Families and a county department of social services or human services (county department) in providing child support referrals and collecting child support for families with children in out-of-home care. Specifically, the bill allows DCF or a county department to provide child support referrals if the parent’s or parents’ income exceeds 400 percent of the federal poverty line or the parent or parents are receiving adoption assistance for the child. In either case, under the bill, any child support ordered is assigned to the state.
The bill eliminates from the Juvenile Justice Code requirements that the juvenile court order child support, except for modification of existing orders, and order the parents of a juvenile under DCF supervision to contribute towards the costs of certain sanctions, dispositions, or placements.
Read the full summary Show less
The bill also adds language to the “best interests of the child” factor that under current law must be used by the family court when modifying a child support order. The bill specifies that, for a child in out-of-home care under the Children’s Code or the Juvenile Justice Code, this factor includes the impact on the child of family expenditures to improve any conditions in the home that would facilitate the reunification of the child with the child’s family, if appropriate, and the importance of a placement that is the least restrictive of the rights of the child and the parents and the most appropriate for meeting the needs of the child and the family.
Who's behind it
Jesse James, a Republican, is its .
2 more lawmakers .
See all 3 names Hide the names
Author (1)
- Jesse James · Republican, Senate
Signed on in support (2)
- Karen Hurd · Republican, Assembly
- Dan Knodl · Republican, Assembly
What happened
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Mar 23, 2026
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Mar 3, 2026
The committee held a public hearing.
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Feb 26, 2026
Sent to the Senate Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families.
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Feb 26, 2026
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Feb 26, 2026 · Senate
Introduced by Senator James; cosponsored by Representatives Hurd and Knodl
- Feb 26, 2026 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families
- Mar 3, 2026 · Senate
Public hearing held
- Mar 23, 2026 · Senate
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