SB 300 Wisconsin Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Relating to: eliminating the 13-week limit on the garnishment of earnings of certain debtors.

SB 300 eliminates a 13-week cap on wage garnishment for certain debtors, meaning creditors can continue taking a portion of a debtor's wages indefinitely after the initial garnishment period. The bill directly affects individuals who owe debts (like unpaid taxes or court judgments) and have had their wages garnished. Key changes include removing the 13-week limit and establishing that the first notice of garnishment occurs when a debtor is served under specific procedures, with garnishment starting on the next payroll date. This alters the timing and duration of wage deductions without changing the underlying debt collection process.
Bill status vetoed 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
May 2025
Committee Review
Jan 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Assembly Passage
Feb 2026
Vetoed
Apr 2026
Introduced May 30, 2025 Vetoed Apr 6, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill Text Text as Enrolled · 4 edits
MODERATE
This bill removes the 13-week limit on garnishing a debtor's earnings, allowing creditors to collect unpaid judgments over a longer period. It establishes a new priority rule where criminal restitution orders take precedence over other garnishments but remain secondary to family law support orders. The law also requires creditors to provide additional notices if a garnishment extends beyond the original 13-week timeframe.
Scope change
The bill expands the scope of earnings garnishment by eliminating the previous 13-week time cap, thereby increasing the duration for which a creditor can collect funds from a debtor's wages.
REQUIREMENT

Removed the statutory limit that restricted earnings garnishment to a maximum of 13 weeks.

Added a priority rule stating that garnishments for criminal restitution now supersede other garnishments but do not override family law support assignments.

Mandated that creditors provide additional notices to debtors if a garnishment continues beyond the initial 13-week period.

Created a new provision requiring garnishees to notify creditors and courts if the amount assigned for family support is less than 25% of disposable earnings, ensuring the remaining balance can be garnished for restitution.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
35
Key actions
9
Committee
2
Amendments
6
Apr 6, 2026
Vetoed
Report vetoed by the Governor on 4-3-2026
upper
Mar 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
Assembly Amendment 1 concurred in
upper
Feb 23, 2026
Upper · Passed
Received from Assembly amended and concurred in as amended, Assembly Amendment 1 adopted
upper
Feb 19, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read a third time and concurred in as amended
lower
Feb 19, 2026
Lower · Passed
Assembly Amendment 1 adopted
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Introduced
Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative Tusler
lower
Jan 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
Placed on calendar 1-15-2026 by Committee on Rules
lower
Oct 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Read a third time and passed
upper
Oct 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Senate Amendment 1 adopted
upper
Sep 17, 2025
Upper · Passed
Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, Ayes 5, Noes 3
upper
Sep 17, 2025
Upper · Passed
Report adoption of Senate Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, Ayes 5, Noes 3
upper
Sep 5, 2025
Introduced
Senate Amendment 1 offered by Senator Hutton
upper
May 30, 2025
Introduced
Introduced by Senators Hutton and Wanggaard; cosponsored by Representatives Tusler, Dittrich, Gundrum, Kaufert, Kitchens, Knodl, Maxey, Melotik, Murphy, O'Connor, Piwowarczyk, Steffen and Wichgers
upper
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors