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Read. Follow. Verify.Wisconsin SB 1068 requires 60-day advance notice for permanent closures of pharmacies and large grocery stores
Last action · March 23, 2026: Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1Sponsors: Dora Drake and 17 others
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What This Bill Proposed
This bill requires operators of full-service pharmacies and s to provide at least 60 days of advance written notice to employees, unions, municipal officials, and county board chairpersons before a permanent business closure, regardless of the business's total staff size. Businesses that fail to provide timely notice face daily forfeitures ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, potential alcohol license suspension, and sales permit revocation.
The measure establishes specific closure-notification duties and financial penalties for retail pharmacies and grocery stores regardless of staff size, affecting workers' recovery of unpaid wages and benefits during sudden shutdowns.
- Under existing state law, general plant-closing and mass layoff notification requirements under statute section 109.07 apply primarily to employers with 50 or more employees meeting specific layoff thresholds. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
affected employee
Employees receive mandatory advance notice of permanent closures, contact information for workforce resources, and the right to recover up to 60 days of pay and benefits if notice is late.
employer
Operators of full-service pharmacies and major grocery stores must provide 60 days written notice before permanent closures and face financial penalties and permit revocations for non-compliance.
collective bargaining representative
Unions representing affected employees must receive written notification of the business closing at least 60 days prior to the closure.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which businesses are covered under this advance notice requirement?
What are the penalties for failing to provide timely notice of a closure?
Are there any exceptions where notice is not required?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Failed in the Senate.
Procedural history
5 actions- Mar 23, 2026SenateFailed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1
- Mar 19, 2026SenateFiscal estimate received
- Mar 19, 2026SenateRepresentative Subeck added as a cosponsor
- Feb 26, 2026SenateIntroducedRead first time and referred to Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development
- Feb 26, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced by Senators Drake, L. Johnson, Carpenter, Larson, Ratcliff, Spreitzer and Dassler-Alfheim; cosponsored by Representatives Arney, Taylor, Haywood, Moore Omokunde, Goodwin, Madison, Miresse, Palmeri, Prado, Roe and Sinicki
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 13 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Removal of Minimum Employee Thresholds
Unlike standard plant-closing laws that apply only to employers with 50 or more workers, this bill explicitly applies closure notice requirements to pharmacies and major grocery stores regardless of staff size.
Connected Entities
Sources
docs.legis.wisconsin.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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