Senate Bill 837
Grants for alternatives to prosecution and incarceration programs for persons with mental illness and making an appropriation. (FE)
Topics: Corrections, Department of, Health Services, Department of: Health, Justice, Department of, Mental health, Prison
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.
-
Introduced, passed
Jan 15, 2026
-
Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. No public hearing was held.
-
Senate vote, not reached
-
Assembly vote, not reached
-
Governor, not reached
-
Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Apr 15, 2026: “Fiscal estimate received”
It never got a hearing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety. The committee's chair at the time was Van Wanggaard. Chairs decide which bills get a hearing. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.
Following saves it on this device. New actions show on your Following page. You can also get updates in a feed reader.
Embed this on your site
Paste this code into your page. The card shows the latest record each time it loads. Preview the card
The same bill was also filed in the Assembly as AB 847. 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
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
Under current law, the Department of Justice, in collaboration with the Department of Corrections and the Department of Health Services, awards grants to counties and tribes that have established qualifying treatment alternatives and diversion (TAD) programs that offer alcohol or drug treatment services as alternatives to prosecution or incarceration in order to reduce recidivism, promote public safety, and reduce prison and jail populations.
This bill creates a similar grant program under which DOJ, in collaboration with DOC and DHS, awards grants to counties and tribes to establish or expand programs that provide alternatives to prosecution and incarceration for criminal offenders who are low to medium risk and who have a mental illness that is a contributing factor to their interaction with the criminal justice system. Under the bill, the grant program is established as a pilot program so that no grants may be awarded after five years. At the close of the pilot program, DOJ must prepare a summary outcome report and include an opinion as to whether to continue, modify, or expand the program.
Who's behind it
8 senators are its . All 8 are Democrats.
23 more lawmakers .
See all 31 names Hide the names
Authors (8)
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- Kristin Dassler-Alfheim · Democrat, Senate
- LaTonya Johnson · Democrat, Senate
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Brad Pfaff · Democrat, Senate
- Melissa Ratcliff · Democrat, Senate
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
- Jamie Wall · Democrat, Senate
Signed on in support (23)
- Clint Anderson · Democrat, Assembly
- Mike Bare · Democrat, Assembly
- Angelina Cruz · Democrat, Assembly
- Karen DeSanto · Democrat, Assembly
- Ben DeSmidt · Democrat, Assembly
- Jodi Emerson · Democrat, Assembly
- Russell Goodwin · Democrat, Assembly
- Andrew Hysell · Democrat, Assembly
- Alex Joers · Democrat, Assembly
- Tara Johnson · Democrat, Assembly
- Sarah Keyeski · Democrat, Senate
- Vinnie Miresse · Democrat, Assembly
- Supreme Moore Omokunde · Democrat, Assembly
- Greta Neubauer · Democrat, Assembly
- Sylvia Ortiz-Velez · Democrat, Assembly
- Lori Palmeri · Democrat, Assembly
- Amaad Rivera-Wagner · Democrat, Assembly
- Joe Sheehan · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Ryan Spaude · Democrat, Assembly
- Angela Stroud · Democrat, Assembly
- Lisa Subeck · Democrat, Assembly
- Randy Udell · Democrat, Assembly
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
What happened
-
Apr 15, 2026
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
-
Mar 23, 2026
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
-
Jan 30, 2026
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
-
Jan 16, 2026 to Jan 26, 2026
2 more representatives and 1 senator signed on in support.
-
Jan 15, 2026
Sent to the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.
-
Jan 15, 2026
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Jan 15, 2026 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Spreitzer, Wall, Carpenter, Dassler-Alfheim, L. Johnson, Larson, Pfaff and Ratcliff; cosponsored by Representatives Spaude, Bare, Cruz, DeSanto, DeSmidt, Emerson, Goodwin, Hysell, Joers, Johnson, Miresse, Moore Omokunde, Neubauer, Ortiz-Velez, Rivera-Wagner, Sheehan, Sinicki, Stroud, Subeck and Udell
- Jan 15, 2026 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety
- Jan 16, 2026 · Senate
Senator Keyeski added as a coauthor
- Jan 20, 2026 · Senate
Representative Palmeri added as a cosponsor
- Jan 26, 2026 · Senate
Representative Anderson added as a cosponsor
- Jan 30, 2026 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Mar 23, 2026 · Senate
Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1
- Apr 15, 2026 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
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
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.
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
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate