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Bill > SB999
WI SB999
WI SB999The voluntary surrender of a license issued by the Department of Public Instruction during an investigation of immoral conduct, prohibited agreements related to information related to an investigation of immoral conduct, and records related to an investigation of immoral conduct.
summary
Introduced
02/12/2026
02/12/2026
In Committee
02/12/2026
02/12/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2025-2026 Regular Session
Bill Summary
Under this bill, if the Department of Public Instruction investigates an individual who holds a license issued by DPI 1) for immoral conduct or 2) because DPI receives a report that the licensee has been dismissed or their employment contract has not been renewed based in whole or in part on evidence that the licensee engaged in immoral conduct, DPI is prohibited from ending the investigation without a determination about whether to proceed with revocation or terminating a subsequent revocation hearing unless the licensee permanently surrenders the license and waives the licensee’s appeal rights related to the investigation and revocation hearing. Additionally, if a licensee surrenders a license under these circumstances, DPI must post on its website the name of the licensee, that the license is surrendered permanently, and that the surrender LRB-6268/1 FFK:wlj 2025 - 2026 Legislature SENATE BILL 999 occurred during an investigation related to immoral conduct. With regard to a license, the bill defines “surrender” as voluntarily relinquishing a license for an amount of time. Under current law, during an investigation of a licensee, DPI must keep all information related to the investigation confidential, except DPI must post on its website the name of the individual who is being investigated. Upon completion of the investigation, DPI’s records related to the investigation are subject to open records laws. Under the bill, if the result of a completed investigation of a licensee for immoral conduct is revocation or permanent surrender, DPI must provide records related to the investigation by no later than 14 days after receiving an open records request for the records. Additionally, the bill expressly states that the open records exception for certain information in an individual’s personnel file does not apply to a request made to DPI for these records. Lastly, the bill prohibits the state superintendent of public instruction from entering into any agreement that 1) has the effect of suppressing or destroying information related to an investigation of immoral conduct by a licensee or 2) requires the state superintendent or DPI to expunge or keep confidential information about substantiated allegations or findings of immoral conduct by a licensee.
AI Summary
This bill modifies how the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), which issues licenses to educators, handles investigations into a licensee's immoral conduct. If the DPI investigates a licensee for immoral conduct, or if they receive a report that a licensee was dismissed or not rehired due to evidence of immoral conduct, the DPI generally cannot close the investigation without making a decision on whether to revoke the license, unless the licensee permanently surrenders their license and gives up their right to appeal the investigation or any subsequent revocation hearing. When a license is surrendered under these circumstances, the DPI must publicly post the licensee's name, confirm the surrender is permanent, and state that it occurred during an immoral conduct investigation. The bill also defines "surrender" as voluntarily giving up a license for a specific period. Furthermore, the bill restricts the state superintendent of public instruction from making agreements that would hide or destroy information about immoral conduct investigations or require the expungement or confidentiality of substantiated allegations of immoral conduct. Finally, if an investigation results in license revocation or surrender due to immoral conduct, the DPI must provide records related to that investigation within 14 days of an open records request, and certain exceptions that normally protect personnel file information will not apply to these requests.
Committee Categories
Education
Sponsors (15)
André Jacque (R)*,
Jesse James (R)*,
Steve Nass (R)*,
Elijah Behnke (R),
Barbara Dittrich (R),
Joy Goeben (R),
Rick Gundrum (R),
Dan Knodl (R),
Dave Murphy (R),
Amanda Nedweski (R),
Jerry O'Connor (R),
Jim Piwowarczyk (R),
David Steffen (R),
Ron Tusler (R),
Chuck Wichgers (R),
Last Action
LRB correction (on 02/16/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/reg/sen/bill/sb999 |
| BillText | https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/proposaltext/2025/REG/SB999.pdf |
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