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Bills from the 2025–26 session

Senate Bill 579

Collective bargaining for employees of the University of Wisconsin System, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. (FE)

Topics: Collective bargaining, University of Wisconsin: Employee, University of Wisconsin: Faculty

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.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Oct 24, 2025

  2. Committee, stopped here

    Stopped here. No public hearing was held.

  3. Senate vote, not reached

  4. Assembly vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. 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 Universities and Technical Colleges. The committee's chair at the time was Rob Hutton. 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 593. That version died when the session ended.

What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

This bill allows most University of Wisconsin System employees to collectively bargain over wages, hours, and conditions of employment. The bill also allows faculty and academic staff of the UW System to organize and to collectively bargain over wages, hours, and conditions of employment. Under current law, public employers and employees are prohibited from bargaining collectively except as expressly provided in the statutes.

Who's behind it

15 senators are its ⁠. All 15 are Democrats.

43 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 58 names

Authors (15)

Signed on in support (43)

What it would cost

State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

What happened

  1. Mar 23, 2026

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Nov 13, 2025

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  3. Nov 7, 2025

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  4. Nov 3, 2025

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  5. Oct 24, 2025

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges.

  6. Oct 24, 2025

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Oct 24, 2025 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Larson, Carpenter, Dassler-Alfheim, Drake, Habush Sinykin, Hesselbein, L. Johnson, Keyeski, Pfaff, Ratcliff, Roys, Smith, Spreitzer, Wall and Wirch; cosponsored by Representatives Emerson, Billings, Anderson, Andraca, Arney, Bare, Brown, Clancy, Cruz, DeSanto, DeSmidt, Doyle, Fitzgerald, Goodwin, Haywood, Hong, Hysell, J. Jacobson, Joers, Johnson, Kirsch, Madison, Mayadev, McCarville, McGuire, Miresse, Moore Omokunde, Neubauer, Palmeri, Phelps, Prado, Rivera-Wagner, Roe, Sheehan, Sinicki, Snodgrass, Spaude, Stroud, Stubbs, Subeck, Taylor, Tenorio and Udell

  2. Oct 24, 2025 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges

  3. Nov 3, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Nov 7, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  5. Nov 13, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  6. 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.

More in the glossary

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

More in the glossary

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

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate. 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.

More in the glossary

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

More in the glossary

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

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate

More in the glossary