---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to: the administration of the office of county sheriff and the appointment of county medical examiners. (FE)"
description: "Relating to: the administration of the office of county sheriff and the appointment of county medical examiners. (FE)"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wi"
legislature: "Wisconsin Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "AB 866"
citation: "Wisconsin AB 866 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Behnke", "Brill", "Green", "Knodl", "Kurtz", "Melotik", "Novak", "Penterman", "Piwowarczyk", "Tusler", "Wichgers"]
version_count: 2
action_count: 38
vote_count: 4
first_action: "2026-01-16T06:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2026-04-03T05:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/443d03d1-30a1-48e9-8ea6-9906ad2dce7e"
source_url: "https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/reg/asm/bill/ab866"
source_hash: "cda704bde3ab5ea6feb2ce2ae107ee291da5800be8f3096fb20203958029247b"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-wi"]
---

# Wisconsin AB 866 (2025) — Relating to: the administration of the office of county sheriff and the appointment of county medical examiners. (FE)

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Assembly Amendment 1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/amends/2025/REG/AB866-AA1)
2. **Bill Text** (committee substitute) — [source](https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/proposaltext/2025/REG/AB866)

## Votes

- Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Local Government, Ayes 9, Noes 1 — **9–1** (pass) · lower
- Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Transportation and Local Government, Ayes 5, Noes 0 — **5–0** (pass) · upper
- Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2 — **3–2** (pass) · upper
- Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on Local Government, Ayes 10, Noes 0 — **10–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Behnke — primary (person)
- Brill — primary (person)
- Green — primary (person)
- Knodl — primary (person)
- Kurtz — primary (person)
- Melotik — primary (person)
- Novak — primary (person)
- Penterman — primary (person)
- Piwowarczyk — primary (person)
- Tusler — primary (person)
- Wichgers — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2026-01-16T06:00:00+00:00** Introduced by Representatives Tusler, Behnke, Green, Knodl, Kurtz, Melotik, Novak, Penterman, Piwowarczyk, Wichgers and Brill; cosponsored by Senators Wanggaard, Testin and Feyen `introduction`
- **2026-01-16T06:00:00+00:00** Read first time and referred to Committee on Local Government `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2026-01-21T06:00:00+00:00** Public hearing held
- **2026-01-30T06:00:00+00:00** LRB correction
- **2026-02-03T06:00:00+00:00** Fiscal estimate received `receipt`
- **2026-02-03T06:00:00+00:00** Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative Tusler
- **2026-02-04T06:00:00+00:00** Executive action taken
- **2026-02-05T06:00:00+00:00** Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on Local Government, Ayes 10, Noes 0 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-02-05T06:00:00+00:00** Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Local Government, Ayes 9, Noes 1 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-02-05T06:00:00+00:00** Referred to committee on Rules `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-18T06:00:00+00:00** Made a special order of business at 11:37 AM on 2-19-2026 pursuant to Assembly Resolution 14
- **2026-02-19T06:00:00+00:00** Read a second time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-19T06:00:00+00:00** Assembly Amendment 1 adopted `amendment-passage`
- **2026-02-19T06:00:00+00:00** Ordered to a third reading `reading-3`
- **2026-02-19T06:00:00+00:00** Rules suspended
- **2026-02-19T06:00:00+00:00** Read a third time and passed `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-02-19T06:00:00+00:00** Ordered immediately messaged
- **2026-02-23T06:00:00+00:00** Received from Assembly `receipt`
- **2026-02-25T06:00:00+00:00** Read first time and referred to committee on Transportation and Local Government `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-02T06:00:00+00:00** Executive action taken
- **2026-03-02T06:00:00+00:00** Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Transportation and Local Government, Ayes 5, Noes 0 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-03-02T06:00:00+00:00** Available for scheduling
- **2026-03-06T06:00:00+00:00** Representative Brown added as a coauthor
- **2026-03-16T05:00:00+00:00** Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2
- **2026-03-16T05:00:00+00:00** Placed on calendar 3-17-2026 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)
- **2026-03-17T05:00:00+00:00** Read a second time `reading-2`
- **2026-03-17T05:00:00+00:00** Ordered to a third reading `reading-3`
- **2026-03-17T05:00:00+00:00** Rules suspended to give bill its third reading
- **2026-03-17T05:00:00+00:00** Read a third time and concurred in `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-03-17T05:00:00+00:00** Senator Smith added as a cosponsor
- **2026-03-17T05:00:00+00:00** Ordered immediately messaged
- **2026-03-18T05:00:00+00:00** Received from Senate concurred in `receipt`
- **2026-03-19T05:00:00+00:00** Representative Emerson added as a coauthor
- **2026-03-23T05:00:00+00:00** LRB correction
- **2026-03-23T05:00:00+00:00** Report correctly enrolled on 3-23-2026 `enrolled`
- **2026-04-02T05:00:00+00:00** Presented to the Governor on 4-2-2026 `executive-receipt`
- **2026-04-03T05:00:00+00:00** Report approved by the Governor on 4-3-2026. 2025 Wisconsin Act 196 `executive-signature`
- **2026-04-03T05:00:00+00:00** Published 4-4-2026 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/443d03d1-30a1-48e9-8ea6-9906ad2dce7e`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Wisconsin legislature records).