Wisconsin Bills

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 336: Relating to: funding for University of Wisconsin System student health services and making an appropriation. (FE)

AB 336 would allocate $11 million annually for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 fiscal years to fund additional mental and behavioral health services at the University of Wisconsin System. The bill specifically directs these funds toward improving student health services through enhanced staffing, training, prevention programs, and assessment tools. It directly affects all University of Wisconsin System campuses and their students by expanding access to mental health support. The funding mechanism is a direct state appropriation with no additional requirements for institutions.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education ✓ Healthcare

Alex Joers (D) Francesca Hong (D) Tara Johnson (D) Mike Bare (D) Christine Sinicki (D)

failed · Wisconsin · Senate Mar 23, 2026

SB 351: Relating to: funding for University of Wisconsin System student health services and making an appropriation. (FE)

SB 351 allocates $11 million annually for improved student mental and behavioral health services at the University of Wisconsin System. It directly affects UW System students by funding additional staffing, training, operations, assessment, and prevention programs in this area. The bill creates a new funding line (20.285(1)(cm)) in the state budget, specifying these funds must support mental and behavioral health services. The appropriation applies to the 2025-26 and 2026-27 fiscal years.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education ✓ Healthcare

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 174: Relating to: transmission facilities; installation of large wind energy, large solar energy, and battery energy storage systems; installation of light-mitigating technology systems; and prioritizing nuclear energy resources. (FE)

AB 174 amends energy statutes to redefine "renewable resources" for reporting purposes, explicitly including nuclear energy starting in 2026. It establishes new definitions for large-scale wind/solar systems (100+ megawatts) and battery storage, while clarifying that local governments cannot restrict energy installations more strictly than state rules. The bill affects energy developers, utilities, and local governments by changing how transmission contracts are audited and how renewable/nuclear projects are categorized. It does not create new project requirements but updates existing reporting frameworks for the state legislature and governor. The bill is pending in the Energy and Utilities Committee after being introduced in April 2025.

Topics ✓ Energy ✓ Environment

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 335: Relating to: stipend payments for school social worker interns and making an appropriation. (FE)

AB 335 creates a new $2 million annual appropriation to provide monthly stipends for school social worker interns. It directly affects interns enrolled in graduate programs leading to school social work licensure who are placed in public schools by school boards. The bill establishes that funds from the Public Instruction budget will cover these stipends starting in the 2026-27 school year. This is a concrete funding mechanism with no additional requirements or policy changes beyond the stipend payments.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education ✓ Labor & Employment

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 341: Relating to: grants for prospective school social workers, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. (FE)

AB 341 creates a $5 million annual grant program to help prospective school social workers cover education costs for licensure. It specifically targets individuals who are members of racial minority groups (including Black Americans, American Indians, Hispanic individuals, Asian/Pacific Islanders, or multiracial people) and are either school employees or enrolled in relevant graduate programs. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction will administer the grants and establish rules to implement the program. The bill allocates funding for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 fiscal years, with implementation starting after the 2025 budget act is published.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 342: Relating to: grants to hire school mental health professionals who are members of a racial minority group, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. (FE)

AB 342 creates a $5 million annual grant program for school districts to hire mental health professionals who are members of racial minority groups. The bill defines "racial minority group" to include Black Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Hispanic individuals, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and multiracial people. School districts receiving grants must use funds specifically to hire qualified professionals from these groups. The Department of Public Instruction will administer the program and establish rules for implementation, with funding allocated for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 fiscal years.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education ✓ Healthcare

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 359: Relating to: prohibiting conversion therapy.

AB 359 prohibits licensed mental health professionals from providing conversion therapy to individuals under 18 years old. The bill defines conversion therapy as any attempt to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, while explicitly excluding supportive counseling for gender transition, general acceptance, or safety-focused interventions. Violations could lead to disciplinary actions by licensing boards, including license suspension, revocation, or limitations on practice. This law directly affects minors under 18 and mental health professionals licensed under chapters 448, 455, or 457 of the statutes.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

failed · Wisconsin · Senate Mar 23, 2026

SB 380: Relating to: eliminating criminal defenses of adequate provocation, self-defense, or not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect if the claim is based on the victim’s gender identity or sexual orientation.

SB 380 eliminates three specific criminal defenses (adequate provocation, self-defense, and not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect) when a defendant claims the defense was based on the victim’s actual or perceived gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation. Key provisions explicitly bar these defenses in cases involving romantic advances without force, past relationships, or disclosures of the victim’s identity. The bill directly affects criminal defendants who attempt to justify violence using prejudice against LGBTQ+ identities as a legal argument. It applies to offenses committed on or after the bill’s effective date, removing these defenses from Wisconsin’s criminal code without altering the underlying crimes.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 361: Relating to: eliminating criminal defenses of adequate provocation, self-defense, or not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect if the claim is based on the victim’s gender identity or sexual orientation.

AB 361 eliminates specific criminal defenses in cases where a defendant claims they acted due to the victim's gender identity or sexual orientation. The bill amends statutes to prevent defendants from using "adequate provocation," "self-defense," or "not guilty by reason of mental disease" as justifications if the claim relates to the victim's actual or perceived gender identity, expression, or sexual orientation. This specifically blocks defenses in situations like when the victim made a romantic advance without force or when the defendant and victim dated. The law applies to offenses committed on its effective date and directly affects defendants in criminal cases involving these specific circumstances.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 364: Relating to: a virtual reality technology pilot program for school districts. (FE)

AB 364 establishes a three-year pilot program to test virtual reality (VR) learning technology in three public school districts (one rural, one suburban, and one urban). The program requires a VR platform aligned with state math and science standards for grades 6-12, proven through third-party research to improve Algebra 1 outcomes and use 3D models to teach abstract concepts. The state education department will select districts via competitive bidding, fund at least 16,000 students to use the technology, and provide 3,200 VR headsets, along with teacher training and monthly progress reports to legislators. The pilot aims to evaluate if this VR approach enhances student engagement and learning in STEM fields.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Technology

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 365: Relating to: local and private regulation of accessory dwelling units. (FE)

AB 365 requires cities, towns, and homeowners' associations to allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) - small secondary homes on existing properties - as a "permitted use" without special permits on eligible parcels. It prohibits local governments and HOAs from charging extra fees (beyond standard building permits), imposing stricter design rules than for main homes, requiring separate utilities or parking, or banning ADUs via deed restrictions. The bill permits size limits (capping ADUs at 75% of the main home's square footage on single-family parcels) but bans all other restrictive rules. It directly affects local zoning authorities, municipal ordinances, and HOA covenants governing residential properties.

Topics ✓ Housing

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AJR 79: Relating to: recognizing June 2025 as LGBTQ Pride Month.

AJR 79 is a ceremonial joint resolution recognizing June 2025 as LGBTQ Pride Month in Wisconsin. It formally acknowledges the state’s historical support for LGBTQ rights - including being the first to pass anti-discrimination laws in 1982 - and highlights ongoing community efforts, though it does not create new policies or affect specific groups. As a symbolic resolution, it has no legal force or binding requirements.

Bill results