Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB1202

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/19/26
• Refer: 3/19/26
• Failed: 3/23/26

Caption

An Act to amend 11.0204 (1) (a) 3., 11.0304 (1) (a) 3., 11.0404 (1) (a) 3., 11.0504 (1) (a) 3., 11.0604 (1) (a) 3., 11.0704 (1) (b) 2., 11.0804 (1) (a) 2. and 11.0904 (1) (a) 3. of the statutes; Relating to: reporting a contributor’s place of employment.

Summary

AB1202 would lower the campaign finance disclosure threshold for individual contributors from more than $200 cumulatively in a calendar year to more than $100 for a range of Wisconsin political committees and entities. For contributors above that threshold, the bill requires reporting not only the contributor’s occupation, if any, but also the name and address of the contributor’s principal place of employment, if any. The change applies to candidate committees, political parties, legislative campaign committees, political action committees, independent expenditure committees, recipients, referendum committees, and recall committees. In practical terms, the bill expands public reporting requirements in Wisconsin’s campaign finance law by capturing employer information for smaller-dollar donors than current law does. It does not change contribution limits or prohibit contributions; instead, it increases the amount of identifying information that must be disclosed to the public and filed with the appropriate reporting system under Chapter 11 of the statutes.

Impact

The bill would amend multiple sections of Wisconsin’s campaign finance reporting statutes, including ss. 11.0204, 11.0304, 11.0404, 11.0504, 11.0604, 11.0704, 11.0804, and 11.0904. The principal legal effect is to reduce the disclosure threshold for reporting a contributor’s occupation and principal place of employment from $200 to $100 in cumulative annual contributions, thereby broadening the set of donors whose employment information must be reported. The affected parties are committees and other political entities required to file campaign finance reports, as well as individual contributors whose employer information would become publicly reportable at a lower contribution level.

Sentiment

The available record suggests the bill was introduced as a transparency and disclosure measure, with no committee transcript or vote record provided to show organized opposition or support. Its framing indicates a policy preference for greater visibility into the sources of political money, especially by requiring employer information for more donors. The bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, so while it appears to have been a straightforward disclosure proposal, it did not advance to enactment.

Contention

The main point of contention likely concerns the balance between campaign finance transparency and donor privacy. Supporters would view the bill as strengthening public disclosure and helping voters understand who is financially supporting political activity, while critics may argue that lowering the threshold to $100 imposes additional reporting burdens and exposes more small donors to public scrutiny. Because no committee discussion or vote details are provided, the record does not identify specific legislators or stakeholder groups taking either side, but the issue itself typically pits transparency advocates against privacy and administrative-burden concerns.