Relating to: court-issued criminal complaints in officer-involved deaths.
SB 25 would require courts to defer to a district attorney's determination that there is no basis to prosecute a law enforcement officer involved in a death. Specifically, it prohibits judges from issuing criminal complaints against such officers unless new or unused evidence is presented, after the district attorney has already concluded there is no case to pursue. The bill directly affects officers in officer-involved death cases defined under Wisconsin law (s. 175.47 (1) (c)). This change shifts authority from courts to district attorneys in determining whether charges proceed, streamlining the process for cases where prosecutors have already declined to file.
Bill status
vetoed
4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Oct 2025
Senate Passage
Mar 2025
Assembly Passage
Oct 2025
Vetoed
Nov 2025
Introduced Feb 5, 2025
Vetoed Nov 3, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Bill Text
→
Text as Enrolled
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill was finalized and enacted into law, transitioning from a draft proposal to an official statute. The core policy remains unchanged: it restricts courts from issuing criminal complaints against law enforcement officers involved in officer-involved deaths if the district attorney has already determined there is no basis to prosecute, unless new or unused evidence is presented.
Scope change
The scope of applicability is now fixed to the 2025-2026 legislative session, with the law taking effect immediately upon enactment.
TIMELINE
Added the official enactment date and publication details, confirming the bill became law.
TECHNICAL
Replaced the draft committee referral and sponsor lists with the final statutory text and official legislative headers.
ENFORCEMENT
Formalized the restriction on judges issuing complaints against officers in officer-involved death cases when the district attorney declines prosecution, contingent on the lack of new evidence.
Floor votes
How they voted
This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
31
Key actions
4
Committee
2
Nov 3, 2025
Vetoed
Report vetoed by the Governor on 10-31-2025
upper
Oct 14, 2025
Lower · Passed
Read a third time and concurred in
lower
Oct 9, 2025
Lower · Passed
Placed on calendar 10-14-2025 by Committee on Rules
lower
Mar 18, 2025
Upper · Passed
Read a third time and passed, Ayes 19, Noes 13
upper
Feb 18, 2025
Upper · Passed
Report passage without recommendation, pursuant to Senate Rule 27 (4)(a), by Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, Ayes 4, Noes 4
upper
Feb 5, 2025
Introduced
Introduced by Senators Hutton, Bradley, Wanggaard, Feyen, Nass, Tomczyk and Testin;
cosponsored by Representatives Moses, Duchow, Dittrich, Piwowarczyk, Armstrong, Brooks, Donovan, B. Jacobson, Penterman, Murphy, Tucker, Wichgers and Behnke
upper
7 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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