SB 1027 gives mobile home residents the right to collectively purchase their community if 51% of adult residents approve, requiring owners to provide 60-day notice before selling or closing. The bill creates tax incentives for owners who sell to resident groups, homeowner associations, or nonprofits, and defines "maintenance costs" to exclude capital improvements. It also mandates annual inspections, evacuation plans for emergencies, and requires owners to notify residents of sales offers or foreclosure. These changes directly affect mobile home community owners and residents in Wisconsin, aiming to increase resident control and transparency.
SB 1001 establishes a state-run family and medical leave insurance program requiring employers with 50+ employees to provide up to 14 weeks of paid leave annually for qualifying reasons like caring for a newborn, a seriously ill family member, or a family member on active military duty. The bill creates a dedicated trust fund financed through employee and employer contributions to cover leave benefits and amends statutes to define key terms like "family member" and "serious health condition." It also allows local governments to adopt stricter leave requirements and exempts the program from standard rule-making procedures. This policy directly affects employees seeking leave for family or medical needs and employers meeting the 50-employee threshold.
AB 500 bans corporal punishment in all public and private schools, defining it as intentional physical pain used for discipline (e.g., paddling or slapping). The bill prohibits school staff from using such punishment on students but allows reasonable force for safety under new school policies. Schools must adopt policies clarifying when force is permitted, excluding individualized education programs and athletic training. This directly affects all public and private schools and their staff in the state.
SB 268 prohibits corporal punishment in all public and private K-12 schools across the state. It defines corporal punishment as intentional physical pain used for discipline (excluding individualized education plans and athletic training) and bans school staff from using it, except in limited circumstances like preventing harm or during safety-related activities. Schools must adopt policies allowing "reasonable and necessary force" for specific safety purposes, while clarifying that this does not create new liability for proper force use. The bill directly affects schools, staff, and students by replacing existing rules with this clear prohibition and defined exceptions.
AB 1012 establishes a family and medical leave insurance program that would allow eligible workers to take up to 14 weeks of leave per year to care for a newborn, newly adopted child, or family member with a serious health condition, or to address certain family military needs. The bill would require employers with 50 or more employees to provide this leave, funded through a new family and medical leave insurance trust fund. It defines "family member" broadly to include spouses, domestic partners, parents, children, siblings, and other close relatives or people in close association with the employee. The legislation also sets specific limits on leave availability, including a maximum of 6 weeks for certain family situations and 8-14 weeks for combined reasons within a 12-month period.
SB 929 allows Wisconsin residents who are members of the National Guard or U.S. military Reserves to exclude certain military pay from their state income tax. Specifically, it creates a new tax subtraction for basic pay received under federal law (37 USC 204(a)(2)) and inactive-duty training compensation (37 USC 206/206a), provided this income isn't already excluded under other rules. The policy applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025, directly benefiting eligible service members by reducing their state tax liability. This is a concrete tax policy change, not a procedural or commemorative measure.
This bill prohibits retail sellers from using artificial intelligence or other computational systems to set personalized prices for individual consumers when selling packaged consumer goods. It defines "dynamic price gouging" as using consumer data, such as information from data brokers or surveillance technology, to create customized prices for specific buyers. Retailers who violate this rule could face warnings, civil penalties of up to $10,000, or legal injunctions preventing them from continuing the practice. The law applies to goods intended for personal or household use and takes effect four months after publication.
SB 719 allocates $1.887 million for fiscal year 2025-26 and $3.132 million for 2026-27 to purchase and maintain a new cloud-based grant administration system for veterans benefits programs. This system will manage how grants are distributed and tracked for veterans' services. The bill directly affects the Department of Veterans Affairs by funding this technology upgrade to improve the administration of benefits. It does not change eligibility or benefit amounts but aims to streamline the grant process for veterans.
SB 773 increases funding by $5 million for the University of Wisconsin System's freshwater collaborative for fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27. This appropriation directly supports the collaborative's work, which focuses on freshwater research and solutions within the UW System. The bill modifies existing budget allocations to provide this specific, dedicated funding for two consecutive fiscal years. It does not change program requirements or create new policies, only adjusting the financial allocation.
SB 717 designates the week of November containing November 11 (Veterans Day) as "Veterans Benefits Education Week" in state law. The bill requires the governor to issue an annual proclamation during this week highlighting veterans' entitled benefits. It directly affects veterans by providing a dedicated period to learn about available benefits through state-led awareness efforts. The measure creates no new benefits or programs, only establishing a recurring observance to improve information access for veterans.
SB 294 prohibits retailers and plant providers from labeling plants as "beneficial to pollinators" if the plants were treated with systemic insecticides that carry specific pollinator warnings on their product labels (such as a "pollinator protection box" or bee/honeybee precautionary statements). The bill directly affects nurseries, garden centers, and other businesses selling plants at retail. It creates a clear requirement: if an insecticide label warns about pollinator harm, the plant cannot be marketed as pollinator-friendly. This policy change aims to prevent misleading marketing by aligning product claims with actual pollinator safety.
SB 297 creates a special "Protect Pollinators" vehicle registration plate requiring a voluntary $25 annual or $50 biennial fee for vehicle owners who choose it. Excess funds from these fees, after covering plate production costs, are deposited into the conservation fund to support pollinator protection programs. The plate must display "Protect Pollinators" and cover the entire plate, with the design approved by the Department of Natural Resources. This affects only drivers who opt for this specific plate, with no mandatory participation.
