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Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SB 25

Vetoed Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: court-issued criminal complaints in officer-involved deaths.

Court — Procedure Death Defibrillator District attorney Evidence Police

  1. Introduced, completed
  2. Passes Senate, completed
  3. Passes Assembly, stopped here
  4. Governor signs, not reached
  5. Law, not reached

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, a district attorney has the discretion as to whether or not to issue a complaint to charge a person with a crime. Current law also provides that, if a district attorney refuses to issue a complaint against a person, a judge may conduct a hearing to determine if there is probable cause to believe that the person committed a crime and, if so, issue a complaint.

Under this bill, when there is an officer-involved death, which is a death that results directly from an action or an omission of a law enforcement officer, and the district attorney determined there was no basis to prosecute the officer, a court may not issue a complaint against the involved officer unless there is new or unused evidence presented.

Sponsors

Introduced by: Bradley (R) , Feyen (R) , Hutton (R) , Nass (R) , Testin (R) , Tomczyk (R) , Wanggaard (R)

17 cosponsors

Armstrong (R) , B. Jacobson (R) , Behnke (R) , Brooks (R) , Dittrich (R) , Donovan (R) , Duchow (R) , James (R) , Maxey (R) , Moses (R) , Murphy (R) , O'Connor (R) , Penterman (R) , Piwowarczyk (R) , Swearingen (R) , Tucker (R) , Wichgers (R)

Registered lobbying interests · 8

Organizations that registered lobbying activity on this bill with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Registration means interest, not a position for or against. Official record

Votes

Senate: Report passage without recommendation, pursuant to Senate Rule 27 (4)(a), by Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, Ayes 4, Noes 4

Failed 4–4 Feb 18, 2025 official source full page

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

Senate: PASSAGE

Passed 19–13 Mar 18, 2025 official source full page

Not voting · 1

Full history

  1. Feb 5, 2025 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Hutton, Bradley, Wanggaard, Feyen, Nass, Tomczyk and Testin; cosponsored by Representatives Moses, Duchow, Dittrich, Piwowarczyk, Armstrong, Brooks, Donovan, B. Jacobson, Penterman, Murphy, Tucker, Wichgers and Behnke

  2. Feb 5, 2025 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety

  3. Feb 5, 2025 · Senate

    Representative Swearingen added as a cosponsor

  4. Feb 6, 2025 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  5. Feb 10, 2025 · Senate

    Senator James added as a coauthor

  6. Feb 18, 2025 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  7. Feb 18, 2025 · Senate

    Report passage without recommendation, pursuant to Senate Rule 27 (4)(a), by Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, Ayes 4, Noes 4

  8. Feb 18, 2025 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  9. Mar 14, 2025 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 3-18-2025 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  10. Mar 18, 2025 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  11. Mar 18, 2025 · Senate

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  12. Mar 18, 2025 · Senate

    Read a third time and passed, Ayes 19, Noes 13

  13. Mar 18, 2025 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  14. Mar 18, 2025 · Senate

    Read a second time

  15. Mar 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Received from Senate

  16. Apr 24, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Maxey added as a cosponsor

  17. May 20, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative O'Connor added as a cosponsor

  18. May 27, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to committee on Rules

  19. Oct 9, 2025 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 10-14-2025 by Committee on Rules

  20. Oct 14, 2025 · Assembly

    Rules suspended to withdraw from calendar and take up

  21. Oct 14, 2025 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  22. Oct 14, 2025 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  23. Oct 14, 2025 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  24. Oct 14, 2025 · Assembly

    Read a third time and concurred in

  25. Oct 14, 2025 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  26. Oct 15, 2025 · Senate

    Received from Assembly concurred in

  27. Oct 15, 2025 · Senate

    Report correctly enrolled

  28. Oct 30, 2025 · Senate

    Presented to the Governor on 10-30-2025

  29. Nov 3, 2025 · Senate

    Report vetoed by the Governor on 10-31-2025

  30. May 12, 2026 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 5-12-2026 pursuant to Joint Rule 82 (2)(a)

  31. May 13, 2026 · Senate

    Failed to pass notwithstanding the objections of the Governor pursuant to Joint Rule 82