Senate Bill 397
Appointment of legal counsel by the legislature
Topics: Attorney, Justice, Department of, Legislature
Stopped in committee
It never got a , 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
Aug 25, 2025
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. No public hearing was held.
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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 never got a hearing in the Senate Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development. The committee's chair at the time was Dan Feyen. Chairs decide which bills get a hearing. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.
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The same bill was also filed in the Assembly as AB 396. 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.
Current law authorizes the speaker of the assembly, the senate majority leader, and the cochairpersons of the Joint Committee on Legislative Organization to retain legal counsel for a number of purposes. These purposes include retention of legal counsel for matters affecting the interests of the assembly, senate, or legislature. Also, by longstanding practice and constitutional authority, each house, or the houses jointly, may retain legal counsel by action of the full body or bodies or by action of the Committee on Assembly Organization, the Committee on Senate Organization, or JCLO.
This bill provides that the assembly, the senate, and the houses jointly, and any legislator or legislative committee, may not obtain legal counsel other than from the Department of Justice unless that action is submitted to the full house, or houses in the case of a joint appointment, and the appointment of legal counsel is approved by a majority of the members present and voting of the house or houses.
Who's behind it
5 senators are its . All 5 are Democrats.
18 more lawmakers .
See all 23 names Hide the names
Authors (5)
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- LaTonya Johnson · Democrat, Senate
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Melissa Ratcliff · Democrat, Senate
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
Signed on in support (18)
- Deb Andraca · Democrat, Assembly
- Margaret Arney · Democrat, Assembly
- Mike Bare · Democrat, Assembly
- Ryan Clancy · Democrat, Assembly
- Joan Fitzgerald · Democrat, Assembly
- Andrew Hysell · Democrat, Assembly
- Alex Joers · Democrat, Assembly
- Karen Kirsch · Democrat, Assembly
- Darrin Madison · Democrat, Assembly
- Supreme Moore Omokunde · Democrat, Assembly
- Christian Phelps · Democrat, Assembly
- Amaad Rivera-Wagner · Democrat, Assembly
- Ann Roe · Democrat, Assembly
- Joe Sheehan · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Angela Stroud · Democrat, Assembly
- Shelia Stubbs · Democrat, Assembly
- Angelito Tenorio · Democrat, Assembly
What happened
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Mar 23, 2026
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Sep 9, 2025
1 more representative signed on in support.
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Aug 25, 2025
Sent to the Senate Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development.
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Aug 25, 2025
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Aug 25, 2025 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Larson, L. Johnson, Ratcliff, Spreitzer and Carpenter; cosponsored by Representatives Rivera-Wagner, Andraca, Bare, Clancy, Fitzgerald, Hysell, Joers, Kirsch, Madison, Moore Omokunde, Phelps, Roe, Sheehan, Sinicki, Stroud, Stubbs and Tenorio
- Aug 25, 2025 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development
- Sep 9, 2025 · Senate
Representative Arney added as a cosponsor
- 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