Wisconsin 2025 Regular Session Status: To Executive 16 R cosponsors

AB 248 — Relating to: vacancies in appointive state offices.

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

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Assembly
  4. ✓
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced May 08, 2025. It awaits signature.

Vetoed by Governor Tony Evers (Democratic) on April 03, 2026.

Next likely step: the executive signs it into law or issues a veto.

Prognosis

Advancing 58% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • To Executive

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 22 sponsors

    1 primary, 21 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (16 R).

  • Mixed recorded votes

    2 passed, 1 failed in recorded votes so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

An Act to create 17.03 (10m) of the statutes;

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

15 added · 32 removed

Plain-language change summary

The changes in Assembly Bill 248 clarify that when an appointed state official's term expires, it will create a vacancy in that office. This means that instead of the official potentially remaining in their position until a successor is appointed, the vacancy will prompt the need for a new appointment right away. This is significant because it ensures that state offices are filled promptly and reduces the likelihood of prolonged unfilled positions, leading to more efficient governance.

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- 2026 LEGISLATURE LRB-0302/1 MPG:amn&skw ASSEMBLY BILL 248 May 8, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives A LLEN , MAXEY , BEHNKE , BRILL, BROOKS , GOEBEN , REEN , GUNDRUM , KNODL , REIBICH , MURPHY, O'CONNOR , PENTERMAN , IWOWARCZYK , TEFFEN and W ICHGERS, cosponsored by Senators BRADLEY , UINN , ABRAL -GUEVARA , FEYEN, MARKLEIN and N ASS.
Date of enactment:
Referred to Committee on State Affairs.
Assembly Bill 248 Date of publication*:
A N A CT to create 17.03 (10m) of the statutes;
WISCONSIN ACT A N A CT to create 17.03 (10m) of the statutes;
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau Under current law, vacancies in public office may occur in a number of ways, including when the incumbent resigns, dies, or is removed from office, or, in the case of elected office, when the incumbent’s term expires.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in sen- pointive office of any department, agency, board, office, commission, authority, or other body in state govern- ate and assembly, do enact as follows:
However, as the Wisconsin Supreme Court held in State ex rel.
Kaul v.
Prehn, 2022 WI 50, expiration of an incumbent’s term of office does not create a vacancy if the office is filled by appointment for a fixed term.
Absent a vacancy or removal for cause, these incumbents may remain in office until their successors are appointed and qualified.
Under this bill, a vacancy in public office is created if the office is an appointive state office for a fixed term and the incumbent’s term expires.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
17.03 (10m) of the statutes is created to read:
17.03 (10m) of the statutes is created to ment created or authorized to be created by the constitu- read:
17.03 (10m) If the office is an appointive state office for a fixed term, the incumbent’s term expires.
tion or any law, but not including the legislature and the courts.
In this subsection, “appointive state office” means an - 2026 Legislature - 2 - LRB-0302/1 MPG:amn&skw ASSEMBLY BILL 248 S ECTION 1 appointive office of any department, agency, board, office, commission, authority, or other body in state government created or authorized to be created by the constitution or any law, but not including the legislature and the courts.
17.03 (10m) If the office is an appointive state of- SECTION 2.
END )
Initial applicability.
fice for a fixed term, the incumbent’s term expires.
In (1) This act first applies to state officers appointed this subsection, “appointive state office” means an ap- on January 1, 2027.
* Section 991.11, ISCONSINSTATUTES:
Effective date of acts.
“Every act and every portion of an act enacted by the legislature over the gov- ernor's partial veto which does not expressly prescribe the time when it takes effect shall take effect on the day after its date of publication.”
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Action History

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

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

  3. Report vetoed by the Governor on 4-3-2026

  4. Presented to the Governor on 4-2-2026

  5. Report correctly enrolled on 3-24-2026

  6. Received from Senate concurred in

  7. Ordered immediately messaged

  8. Read a third time and concurred in, Ayes 17, Noes 16

  9. Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  10. Ordered to a third reading

  11. Decision of the Chair stands as the judgment of the Senate, Ayes 18, Noes 15

  12. Point of order that Senate Substitute Amendment 1 was not germane well taken

  13. Read a second time

  14. Senate Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Senators Larson, Carpenter, Dassler-Alfheim, Drake, Habush Sinykin, Hesselbein, L. Johnson, Keyeski, Ratcliff, Roys, Smith, Spreitzer and Wirch

  15. Placed on calendar 3-17-2026 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  16. Available for scheduling

  17. Report concurrence by Committee on Licensing, Regulatory Reform, State and Federal Affairs, Ayes 2, Noes 3

  18. Executive action taken

  19. Public hearing held

  20. Read first time and referred to committee on Licensing, Regulatory Reform, State and Federal Affairs

  21. Received from Assembly

  22. Ordered immediately messaged

  23. Read a third time and passed

  24. Rules suspended

  25. Ordered to a third reading

  26. Assembly Substitute Amendment 4 adopted

  27. Assembly Substitute Amendment 4 offered by Representative Allen

  28. Read a second time

  29. Made a special order of business at 11:12 AM on 2-19-2026 pursuant to Assembly Resolution 14

  30. Assembly Substitute Amendment 3 offered by Representative Snodgrass

  31. Assembly Substitute Amendment 2 offered by Representative Neubauer

  32. Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative Bare

  33. Placed on calendar 1-15-2026 by Committee on Rules

  34. Referred to committee on Rules

  35. Report passage recommended by Committee on State Affairs, Ayes 7, Noes 3

  36. Executive action taken

  37. Public hearing held

  38. Read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs

  39. Introduced by Representatives Allen, Maxey, Behnke, Brill, Brooks, Goeben, Green, Gundrum, Knodl, Kreibich, Murphy, O'Connor, Penterman, Piwowarczyk, Steffen and Wichgers; cosponsored by Senators Bradley, Quinn, Cabral-Guevara, Feyen, Marklein and Nass

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 21 co-sponsors · 110 not signed on · 12 voted No

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (21)

Not signed on (110)

110 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 110 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Decision of the Chair stands as the judgment of the Senate

Passed 18 Yea · 15 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 18000
Democrat 01200
Unaffiliated 0300
Total 181500
% of votes cast 55%45%0%0%
How each member voted (33)
Member Party Vote
JOHNSON — Nay
DASSLER-ALFHEI — Nay
HABUSH SINYKIN — Nay
Carpenter, Tim Democrat Nay
Drake, Dora Democrat Nay
Hesselbein, Dianne Democrat Nay
Keyeski, Sarah Democrat Nay
Larson, Chris Democrat Nay
Pfaff, Brad Democrat Nay
Ratcliff, Melissa Democrat Nay
Roys, Kelda Democrat Nay
Smith, Jeff Democrat Nay
Spreitzer, Mark Democrat Nay
Wall, Jamie Democrat Nay
Wirch, Robert Democrat Nay
Bradley, Julian Republican Yea
Cabral-Guevara, Rachael Republican Yea
Felzkowski, Mary Republican Yea
Feyen, Dan Republican Yea
Hutton, Rob Republican Yea
Jacque, André Republican Yea
Jagler, John Republican Yea
James, Jesse Republican Yea
Kapenga, Chris Republican Yea
LeMahieu, Devin Republican Yea
Marklein, Howard Republican Yea
Nass, Steve Republican Yea
Quinn, Romaine Republican Yea
Stafsholt, Rob Republican Yea
Testin, Patrick Republican Yea
Tomczyk, Cory Republican Yea
Wanggaard, Van Republican Yea
Wimberger, Eric Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety elections
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does AB 248 do?
An Act to create 17.03 (10m) of the statutes;
Who sponsors AB 248?
AB 248 is sponsored by Bradley, Quinn, Cabral-Guevara, Feyen, Marklein, Nass, Allen, Scott (Republican), Maxey, Dave (Republican), Behnke, Elijah (Republican), Brill, Lindee (Republican), Brooks, Robert (Republican), Goeben, Joy (Republican), Green, Chanz (Republican), Gundrum, Rick (Republican), Knodl, Daniel (Republican), Kreibich, Rob (Republican), Murphy, David (Republican), O'Connor, Jerry (Republican), Penterman, William (Republican), Piwowarczyk, Jim (Republican), Steffen, David (Republican), and Wichgers, Chuck (Republican).
What is the current status of AB 248?
This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced May 08, 2025. It awaits signature.
Where can I track AB 248?
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