Relating to: public financing of campaigns for the offices of justice of the supreme court, court of appeals judge, and circuit court judge, and making an appropriation. (FE)
This bill establishes a public financing system for judicial campaigns in Wisconsin, allowing candidates for supreme court justice, court of appeals judge, and circuit court judge positions to receive state funding if they meet specific contribution requirements. To qualify, candidates must collect at least 1,000 qualifying contributions totaling between $5,000 and $50,000 during a designated period, and they must file detailed receipts showing each contributor's name and address. The bill also limits anonymous contributions to $5 for public financing candidates and $10 for others, requiring any excess to be donated to schools or charities. Additionally, it creates a mechanism for transferring unspent public funds to replacement candidates when a vacancy occurs, with funds reverting to the state if no replacement is filed within seven days.
Bill status
failed
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Mar 13, 2026
Last action May 1, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
6
Key actions
0
Committee
0
Mar 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced by Representatives Bare, Sinicki and Udell;
cosponsored by Senators Roys, Dassler-Alfheim and Ratcliff
lower
3 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Christine Sinicki
DDemocratic
P
Mike Bare
DDemocratic
P
Randy Udell
DDemocratic
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