Senate Joint Resolution 139
Slavery or involuntary servitude in punishment of a crime (first consideration)
Topics: Constitutional amendments: First consideration, Crime and criminals
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 proposal.
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Introduced, passed
Mar 12, 2026
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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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Adopted, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Mar 23, 2026: “Failed to adopt pursuant to ”
It never got a hearing in the Senate Committee on Licensing, Regulatory Reform, State and Federal Affairs. The committee's chair at the time was Chris Kapenga. Chairs decide which bills get a hearing. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.
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The same proposal was also filed in the Assembly as AJR 152. 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.
The Wisconsin Constitution prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude, but the constitution includes an exception to that prohibition if the slavery or involuntary servitude is imposed as punishment for a crime for which an individual has been duly convicted. This constitutional amendment, proposed to the 2025 legislature on first consideration, eliminates that exception. Under this constitutional amendment, slavery and involuntary servitude are prohibited without exception.
A proposed constitutional amendment requires adoption by two successive legislatures, and ratification by the people, before it becomes effective.
Who's behind it
8 senators are its . All 8 are Democrats.
22 more lawmakers .
See all 30 names Hide the names
Authors (8)
- Kristin Dassler-Alfheim · Democrat, Senate
- Dora Drake · Democrat, Senate
- LaTonya Johnson · Democrat, Senate
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Melissa Ratcliff · Democrat, Senate
- Kelda Roys · Democrat, Senate
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
- Jamie Wall · Democrat, Senate
Signed on in support (22)
- Margaret Arney · Democrat, Assembly
- Mike Bare · Democrat, Assembly
- Brienne Brown · Democrat, Assembly
- Ryan Clancy · Democrat, Assembly
- Russell Goodwin · Democrat, Assembly
- Kalan Haywood · Democrat, Assembly
- Alex Joers · Democrat, Assembly
- Karen Kirsch · Democrat, Assembly
- Darrin Madison · Democrat, Assembly
- Maureen McCarville · Democrat, Assembly
- Vinnie Miresse · Democrat, Assembly
- Supreme Moore Omokunde · Democrat, Assembly
- Greta Neubauer · Democrat, Assembly
- Lori Palmeri · Democrat, Assembly
- Amaad Rivera-Wagner · Democrat, Assembly
- Ann Roe · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Shelia Stubbs · Democrat, Assembly
- Subeck and Anderson
- Sequanna Taylor · Democrat, Assembly
- Angelito Tenorio · Democrat, Assembly
- Randy Udell · Democrat, Assembly
What happened
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Mar 23, 2026
The session ended, and the proposal died with it.
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Mar 19, 2026
3 more representatives signed on in support.
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Mar 12, 2026
Sent to the Senate Committee on Licensing, Regulatory Reform, State and Federal Affairs.
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Mar 12, 2026
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Mar 12, 2026 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Drake, L. Johnson, Dassler-Alfheim, Larson, Ratcliff, Roys, Spreitzer and Wall; cosponsored by Representatives Madison, Moore Omokunde, Arney, Goodwin, Haywood, Rivera-Wagner, Stubbs, Taylor, Bare, Brown, Clancy, Joers, Kirsch, McCarville, Miresse, Neubauer, Roe, Sinicki, Tenorio and Udell
- Mar 12, 2026 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Licensing, Regulatory Reform, State and Federal Affairs
- Mar 19, 2026 · Senate
Representatives Subeck and Anderson added as cosponsors
- Mar 19, 2026 · Senate
Representative Palmeri added as a cosponsor
- Mar 23, 2026 · Senate
Failed to adopt 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