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Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SB 126

Became law Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: the effective date of certain provisions contained in 2023 Wisconsin Act 126.

Elections — Campaign expense Elections — Officials Ethics commission Privacy Public record

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

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

2023 Wisconsin Act 126

included all of the following provisions relating to campaigns and elections:

1. Prohibits public access to records that contain the personally identifiable information of election officials or election registration officials other than the official’s name and city and state of residence.

2. Makes it a Class I felony to intentionally cause bodily harm to an election official, election registration official, county clerk, or municipal clerk who is acting in his or her official capacity.

3. Provides whistleblower protection for municipal clerks, county clerks, and election officials who witness and report election fraud or irregularities.

4. Prohibits employment discrimination against a municipal clerk, county clerk, or election official because the clerk or election official lawfully reported, or is believed to have reported, witnessing what the clerk or election official reasonably believed to be election fraud or irregularities.

5. Requires all committees, political parties, and conduits to register with, and submit campaign finance reports to, the Ethics Commission through the commission’s campaign finance information system (CFIS).

Act 126 is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2025. This bill changes the effective date to December 1, 2027, with respect filings with the Ethics Commission through CFIS. All other provisions contained in Act 126 remain effective July 1, 2025.

Sponsors

Introduced by: Marklein (R) , Nass (R) , Tomczyk (R)

9 cosponsors

Anderson (D) , Brill (R) , Gundrum (R) , Knodl (R) , Mursau (R) , O'Connor (R) , Spreitzer (D) , Steffen (R) , Subeck (D)

Votes

Senate: Report passage recommended by Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development, Ayes 5, Noes 0

Passed 5–0 Apr 16, 2025 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. Mar 14, 2025 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Tomczyk, Marklein and Nass; cosponsored by Representatives Gundrum, Knodl, Steffen, Brill, Subeck, Mursau and O'Connor

  2. Mar 14, 2025 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development

  3. Apr 4, 2025 · Senate

    LRB correction

  4. Apr 16, 2025 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  5. Apr 16, 2025 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  6. Apr 16, 2025 · Senate

    Senator Spreitzer added as a coauthor

  7. Apr 16, 2025 · Senate

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  8. Apr 16, 2025 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  9. Apr 18, 2025 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 4-22-2025 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  10. Apr 22, 2025 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  11. Apr 22, 2025 · Senate

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  12. Apr 22, 2025 · Senate

    Read a third time and passed

  13. Apr 22, 2025 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  14. Apr 22, 2025 · Assembly

    Received from Senate

  15. Apr 22, 2025 · Senate

    Read a second time

  16. May 7, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to committee on Rules

  17. May 8, 2025 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative Krug

  18. May 9, 2025 · Assembly

    Withdrawn from committee on Rules and referred to calendar of 5-13-2025

  19. May 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Rules suspended to withdraw from calendar and take up

  20. May 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  21. May 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 adopted

  22. May 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  23. May 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  24. May 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Read a third time and concurred in as amended

  25. May 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Anderson added as a cosponsor

  26. May 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  27. May 13, 2025 · Senate

    Received from Assembly amended and concurred in as amended, Assembly Amendment 1 adopted

  28. May 15, 2025 · Senate

    Assembly Amendment 1 concurred in

  29. May 15, 2025 · Senate

    Action ordered immediately messaged

  30. May 16, 2025 · Senate

    LRB correction

  31. May 16, 2025 · Senate

    Report correctly enrolled

  32. Jun 4, 2025 · Senate

    Attempted to present to the Governor on 6-4-2025 by directive of the Majority Leader

  33. Jun 5, 2025 · Senate

    Presented to the Governor on 6-5-2025 by directive of the Majority Leader

  34. Jun 10, 2025 · Senate

    Report approved by the Governor on 6-9-2025. 2025 Wisconsin Act 7

  35. Jun 10, 2025 · Senate

    Published 6-10-2025