One-Hundred and Seventh Regular Session
MONDAY, November 3, 2025
The Chief Clerk made the following entries under the above date.
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Chief Clerk's Entries
Amendments Offered
hist212535Senate Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 211 offered by Senator Tomczyk. hist212536Senate Substitute Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 277 offered by Senator Nass. hist212604Senate Amendment 2 to Senate Bill 313 offered by Senator Jacque. hist212590Senate Amendment 1 to Senate Substitute Amendment 1 to Assembly Bill 453 offered by Senator Jagler. hist212588Senate Substitute Amendment 1 to Assembly Bill 453 offered by Senator Jagler. _____________
Petitions and Communications
hist212591Pursuant to Senate Rule 17 (5), Representative VanderMeer added as a cosponsor of Senate Bill 489. _____________
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
November 3, 2025
The Honorable, the Senate:
The following bill(s), originating in the Senate, have been approved, signed and deposited in the office of the Secretary of State:
Bill Number Act Number Date Approved
Sincerely,
TONY EVERS
Governor
Pursuant to s. 35.095 (1)(b), Wisconsin Statutes, the following 2025 Act(s) have been published: Act Number Bill Number Publication Date
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State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
October 31, 2025
To the Honorable Members of the Senate:
hist212561I am vetoing Senate Bill 25 in its entirety. This bill would, unless there is new or unused evidence presented, prohibit a court from permitting the filing of a complaint, or issuing a complaint in a John Doe proceeding, against a law enforcement officer who is involved in an officer-involved death if the district attorney determines that there is no basis to prosecute the officer.
I appreciate that the bill's authors have attempted to adapt this proposal based on the objections in my veto message for 2023 Senate Bill 517, which would have similarly limited a court's authority to issue complaints and restricted John Doe proceedings. However, because the proposed changes do not overcome many of those previous objections and, unfortunately, raise new concerns beyond those I previously raised, I am vetoing this bill in its entirety.
I am vetoing this bill because I object to restricting a court's authority to issue criminal complaints in a process designed to hold individuals accountable. The bill would restrict the admissibility of certain types of evidence and impose a heightened evidentiary burden on the court to be able to issue a complaint against an officer involved in an officer-involved death. For example, under the bill, a judge may be prohibited from filing or issuing a complaint, even if the judge finds ample probable cause, solely because the judge is unable to identify any specific "new" or "unused" evidence.
I am also vetoing this bill because I object to legislation that is inconsistent with its purported intent. According to the authors, the bill is intended to prevent courts from conducting "repetitive" or "redundant" hearings where a district attorney has declined to issue a complaint. The bill, however, does not address the frequency of these hearings or their availability. Cumulatively, this bill would make it more difficult for crime victims and their families to exercise their rights and receive the justice to which they are constitutionally entitled.
Respectfully submitted,
TONY EVERS
Governor
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State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
October 31, 2025
To the Honorable Members of the Senate:
hist212562I am vetoing Senate Bill 76 in its entirety. This bill would require that prosecutors get judicial approval prior to dismissing or amending charges for certain covered crimes, which would be defined by the bill. Under the bill, the court may only approve the prosecutor's application to dismiss or amend a charge involving a covered crime under limited circumstances.
I am vetoing this bill in its entirety for several reasons, including those reasons I previously outlined in my veto message for a prior version of the bill, 2023 Assembly Bill 57. As I indicated then and note again today, I have heard from victim witness professionals, district attorneys, and the defense bar about the negative ramifications of the changes included in this bill.
First, I am vetoing this bill because I object to restricting the discretion of prosecutors and judges to address pending charges and, further, subjecting prosecutorial discretion to judicial review. As the U.S. Supreme Court has observed, the concept of prosecutorial discretion rests on the recognition that the strength of the case, deterrence, enforcement priorities, and the allocation of finite resources, among others, are factors rendering prosecutorial decisions ill-suited for judicial review.
I am also vetoing this bill because I object to restricting the availability of evidence-based deferred prosecution agreements that have been shown to have better outcomes and be more cost-effective than traditional incarceration. Further, I am equally concerned about the implications this legislation would have on crime victims and survivors across our state. By way of example, as was pointed out to me by several district attorneys in requesting that I veto 2023 Assembly Bill 57, prohibiting deferred prosecution agreements in certain sexual assault cases "would result in prosecutor[s] becoming much more selective on charging sexual assault cases, and thus more victims of serious crimes receiving no level of justice." Similarly, the Wisconsin Victim Witness Professionals also identified restricting the availability of deferred prosecution agreements as having a "negative impact" on "crime victims and communities we serve."
I am further vetoing this bill because I object to making appropriations unworkable. Under current law, two appropriations, ss. 20.410(1)(gL) and 20.437(1)(hh), include cross references to s. 971.37. This bill would repeals. 971.37. When this bill was introduced, and curiously, when it was presented to me as 2023 Assembly Bill 57, it would have amended the appropriations to remove the references to the repealed statute. However, during the legislative process, the bill was amended to retain the appropriations' cross references to the repealed section. I am concerned that the bill would obstruct the workability of those appropriations and prevent the Department of Corrections from administering the global positioning system tracking program and prevent the Department of Children and Families from providing grants to domestic abuse services organizations. For these reasons, I must veto this bill. I again welcome the Legislature to seriously and meaningfully consider supporting evidence-based solutions that respect and protect victims and survivors, reduce recidivism and improve community safety, bolster our justice system workforce, and ensure our communities have the resources they need to invest in public safety services across our state.
Respectfully submitted,
TONY EVERS
Governor
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State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
October 31, 2025
To the Honorable Members of the Senate:
hist212563I am vetoing Senate Bill 184 in its entirety. This bill would prohibit state agencies and local units of government from restricting the use or sale of motor vehicles and other devices based on the energy source used to power the device and motor vehicle, including use for propulsion or use for powering other functions of the motor vehicle.
I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I continue to object to the Legislature permanently preventing state agencies and local units of government from taking steps to limit certain types of devices based on energy source.
In the 2023 session, the Legislature passed two bills, Assembly Bill 141 and Assembly Bill 142, respectively, based on the apparent fear that there could be a groundswell of arbitrary restrictions placed on certain vehicles and other devices that has, as of this writing, still has not meaningfully materialized now two years later. I vetoed those bills then for the same reasons that I am vetoing this bill now.
