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Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SB 277

Vetoed Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: the expiration of administrative rules. (FE)

Administrative code Joint legislative council Legislature — Review of administrative rules joint committee for Sunset Supreme court

  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

This bill provides for the expiration of each chapter of the Wisconsin Administrative Code after seven years, unless the chapter is readopted by the agency through the readoption process established under the bill.

Under current law, an agency may promulgate administrative rules when it is granted rule-making authority under the statutes. Once promulgated, administrative rules remain in effect indefinitely unless repealed or amended by the agency or suspended by the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules.

This bill provides that each chapter of the code expires seven years after a rule that creates, or repeals and recreates, the chapter takes effect or after the chapter is readopted. The bill requires JCRAR to establish a schedule for the expiration of all existing code chapters that are in effect on the effective date of the bill. Under the bill, in the year before a code chapter is set to expire, an agency may send to JCRAR and the appropriate standing committees a notice of its intention to readopt the chapter. If no member of JCRAR or the standing committees objects to the readoption notice, the chapter is considered readopted without further action. If any member of JCRAR or either standing committee objects to readoption of the chapter, the chapter expires on its expiration date unless the agency promulgates a rule to readopt the chapter using the standard rule-making process. Under the bill, JCRAR may extend the effective date of the chapter that is set to expire for up to one year to accommodate readoption of the chapter through the standard rule-making process. The bill also requires agencies to avoid in rules the use of words and phrases that are outdated or that are now understood to be derogatory or offensive.

What it would cost

Fiscal estimates filed by state agencies, as official PDFs

Sponsors

Introduced by: Bradley (R) , Cabral-Guevara (R) , Feyen (R) , Hutton (R) , Kapenga (R) , Nass (R) , Quinn (R) , Stafsholt (R) , Tomczyk (R)

32 cosponsors

Allen (R) , Armstrong (R) , B. Jacobson (R) , Behnke (R) , Brooks (R) , Callahan (R) , Dallman (R) , Dittrich (R) , Donovan (R) , Duchow (R) , Goeben (R) , Green (R) , Gustafson (R) , Knodl (R) , Kreibich (R) , Maxey (R) , Melotik (R) , Moses (R) , Murphy (R) , Mursau (R) , Nedweski (R) , Neylon (R) , O'Connor (R) , Piwowarczyk (R) , Rodriguez (R) , Sortwell (R) , Steffen (R) , Tittl (R) , Tranel (R) , Tusler (R) , Wichgers (R) , Wittke (R)

Registered lobbying interests · 19

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 adoption of Senate Substitute Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Licensing, Regulatory Reform, State and Federal Affairs, Ayes 3, Noes 2

Passed 3–2 Nov 7, 2025 official source full page

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

Senate: Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Licensing, Regulatory Reform, State and Federal Affairs, Ayes 3, Noes 2

Passed 3–2 Nov 7, 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 18–15 Feb 11, 2026 official source full page

Assembly: CONCURRENCE AS AMENDED

Passed 53–45 Feb 12, 2026 official source full page

Aye · 53

Nay · 45

Not voting · 1

Full history

  1. May 21, 2025 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Nass, Bradley, Quinn, Kapenga, Tomczyk, Hutton, Stafsholt, Cabral-Guevara and Feyen; cosponsored by Representatives Neylon, Tusler, Armstrong, Behnke, Brooks, Callahan, Dallman, Dittrich, Donovan, Duchow, Goeben, Green, Gustafson, B. Jacobson, Knodl, Kreibich, Maxey, Melotik, Moses, Murphy, Mursau, Nedweski, O'Connor, Piwowarczyk, Rodriguez, Sortwell, Tittl, Tranel, Wichgers and Wittke

  2. May 21, 2025 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Licensing, Regulatory Reform, State and Federal Affairs

  3. Jun 3, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Jun 4, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  5. Jun 4, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  6. Jun 5, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  7. Jun 10, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  8. Jun 18, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  9. Jun 20, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  10. Jun 23, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  11. Jun 30, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  12. Aug 15, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  13. Oct 9, 2025 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  14. Oct 9, 2025 · Senate

    Representative Steffen added as a cosponsor

  15. Oct 15, 2025 · Senate

    Representative Allen added as a cosponsor

  16. Nov 3, 2025 · Senate

    Senate Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Senator Nass

  17. Nov 7, 2025 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  18. Nov 7, 2025 · Senate

    Report adoption of Senate Substitute Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Licensing, Regulatory Reform, State and Federal Affairs, Ayes 3, Noes 2

  19. Nov 7, 2025 · Senate

    Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Licensing, Regulatory Reform, State and Federal Affairs, Ayes 3, Noes 2

  20. Nov 7, 2025 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  21. Nov 25, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  22. Jan 6, 2026 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  23. Feb 9, 2026 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 2-11-2026 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  24. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Read a second time

  25. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Senate Substitute Amendment 1 adopted

  26. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  27. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  28. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Read a third time and passed, Ayes 18, Noes 15

  29. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  30. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative Subeck

  31. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 2 offered by Representative Subeck

  32. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Received from Senate

  33. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Read

  34. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Rules suspended to withdraw from Senate message and take up

  35. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  36. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 3 offered by Representative Neylon

  37. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 3 adopted

  38. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  39. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  40. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Read a third time and concurred in as amended, Ayes 53, Noes 45

  41. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  42. Feb 13, 2026 · Senate

    Received from Assembly amended and concurred in as amended, Assembly Substitute Amendment 3 adopted

  43. Feb 17, 2026 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 2-18-2026 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  44. Feb 18, 2026 · Senate

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 3 concurred in

  45. Feb 18, 2026 · Senate

    Action ordered immediately messaged

  46. Feb 24, 2026 · Senate

    Report correctly enrolled

  47. Mar 18, 2026 · Senate

    Presented to the Governor on 3-18-2026

  48. Mar 20, 2026 · Senate

    Report vetoed by the Governor on 3-20-2026

  49. May 12, 2026 · Senate

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

  50. May 13, 2026 · Senate

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