Environment
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
StateWisconsinTo Governor
AB 385: Relating to: online credit card contributions and providing a penalty.
Dave Murphy
AB 385 status: To Governor — Failed to pass notwithstanding the objections of the Governor pursuant to Joint Rule 82 (updated May 13, 2026).
Source
OpenStates
Confidence
Low
Analysis basis
OpenStates summary
01
What this bill does
Official summary alongside an AI-generated read on where it stands and why.
Overall Score
52OUT OF 100
Score:52/100 civic fit
Risk:Moderate Risk
Impact:Moderate Impact 40/100
Constitutionality70%
Bipartisan25%
Public opinion50%
Bill summary
What changes
The legislation proposed new rules governing how credit card contributions to political campaigns are processed, accompanied by a penalty structure for non-compliance.
Who is affected
State-level political campaigns, campaign treasurers, individual donors, and political fundraising technology providers.
Requirements and enforcement
Adherence to specific, yet to be fully specified in summary, rules for processing online donations.
Costs and funding
Compliance and administrative costs related to updated reporting and transaction security standards.
When it takes effect
The bill failed to pass after a veto override attempt in May 2026.
Potential benefits
Increased transparency and standardization in digital fundraising and oversight of political contributions.
Risks and tradeoffs
Potential for unintended barriers to campaign participation and the risk of penalties for administrative errors in digital donation processing.
What is still unknown
The specific technical requirements for software compliance and the dollar amounts for the proposed penalties were not provided in the summary.
02
Impact analysis
✦ AI analysisModeled effects across six domains, estimated from bill text and comparable legislation.
Economy
Mixed / Neutral
50%
Benefits
- Establishes clearer regulatory standards for online campaign finance
- Reduces potential for fraudulent financial contributions
- Provides standardized processing expectations for digital donations
Risks
- Potential for increased administrative transaction costs
- Higher compliance burden for small or volunteer-run campaigns
- Technological overhead for updating donation processing software
Society
Mixed / Neutral
50%
Benefits
- Standardizes digital participation in the political process
- Enhances consumer protection for individual campaign donors
- Formalizes expectations for digital political participation
Risks
- Potential chilling effect on donor engagement due to new penalties
- Increases friction for individual citizens wanting to donate online
- Risks penalizing technical errors rather than intentional fraud
Technology Industry
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
Civic Accountability
Mixed / Neutral
55%
Benefits
- Increases oversight of online financial transactions in campaigns
- Establishes a concrete penalty structure for non-compliant actors
- Clarifies the rules of conduct for digital political funding
Risks
- Risk of regulatory overreach regarding digital political activity
- Potential for arbitrary enforcement against technical reporting gaps
- Lack of flexible oversight mechanisms for changing digital platforms
Public Health & Safety
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
03
How trustworthy & consequential it is
Sourcing already shown above, this is what the analysis found worth flagging.
Source
OpenStates
Official bill text or data from OpenStates.
Confidence
Low
Information is limited or incomplete.
Analysis basis
OpenStates summary
Source used for this bill's analysis.
Source note
Regulation of digital financial transactions can impose significant compliance costs on small-scale political organizations.
Analysis scope
Source provided is a summary; technical clauses of the legislation are not fully reviewed.
04
Where it stands
Official record- IntroducedComplete
- CommitteeComplete
- Chamber votesComplete
- Final agreementComplete
- GovernorCurrent
- EnactedUpcoming
05
How it affects your district
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06
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