Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB367

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 7/17/25
• Refer: 7/17/25
• Report Pass: 9/24/25
• Report Pass: 10/8/25
• Refer: 10/8/25
• Failed: 3/23/26

Caption

An Act to amend 104.09; to create 103.023 and 104.01 (2) (b) 6. of the statutes; Relating to: exemptions from minimum wage, overtime pay, and recordkeeping requirements for minor league baseball players.

Summary

AB367 creates a specific wage-and-hour exemption for certain minor league baseball players in Wisconsin. The bill provides that an individual who has entered into a contract to play baseball at the minor league level and is compensated under a collective bargaining agreement that expressly addresses wages and working conditions would be exempt from state rules governing overtime pay and related recordkeeping requirements. It also amends the state recordkeeping statute so employers would not have to keep hours-of-employment records for those exempt players. The bill also adds these players to the state minimum wage law’s list of individuals excluded from coverage, meaning the general minimum wage requirements would not apply to them under the specified conditions. In practical terms, the Department of Workforce Development would be directed to treat these players as exempt from the overtime and recordkeeping rules that otherwise apply to most employees, and employers of such players would have reduced payroll-record obligations under state law.

Impact

AB367 would amend Wisconsin’s labor statutes by creating a new exemption in ch. 103 and adding a corresponding exemption in ch. 104 for minor league baseball players covered by a collective bargaining agreement. The bill narrows the reach of state minimum wage, overtime, and employment recordkeeping requirements for this specific class of workers, and it would relieve employers of the duty to track hours for those exempt players. It does not broadly change wage-and-hour law for other employees, but it would carve out a sport-specific exception from existing Department of Workforce Development rules and statutory recordkeeping obligations.

Sentiment

The available context suggests the bill was introduced as a targeted labor-law exemption and did not generate recorded committee debate or roll-call votes in the materials provided. Because there are no transcripts or vote tallies, the public sentiment cannot be measured directly from the record here. The bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, indicating it did not complete the legislative process despite being introduced with bipartisan-looking sponsorship.

Contention

The main policy issue is whether minor league baseball players should be treated differently from other workers under Wisconsin wage-and-hour law. Supporters of the bill appear to favor aligning state law with collective bargaining arrangements already governing wages and working conditions for these players, while potential opponents would likely object to creating a special exemption from minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping protections. The bill’s narrow scope may reduce controversy, but it still raises the broader question of whether sport-specific exemptions should be written into labor statutes at all.