Wisconsin Bills

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 633: Relating to: the rights of Devil’s Lake State Park and providing a penalty. (FE)

AB 633 grants Devil’s Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin, specific legal rights, including the right to clean water, natural ecosystems, and freedom from harmful activities. The bill prohibits state agencies, businesses, and government entities from infringing these rights, requiring agencies to review and adjust policies within one year and complete full park restoration within five years. Violations carry $1,000 fines per offense, and damages must fund park restoration via the conservation fund. It also allows individuals to sue to enforce these rights, with courts prioritizing ecological restoration over scientific uncertainty.

Topics ✓ Environment

Francesca Hong (D) Tara Johnson (D) Karen DeSanto (D) Lee Snodgrass (D) Shelia Stubbs (D)

failed · Wisconsin · Senate Mar 23, 2026

SB 614: Relating to: pay for performance grant requirements. (FE)

SB 614 requires state agencies to withhold 10-50% of certain homelessness grant funds for at least 9 months before releasing them. It directly affects organizations receiving grants under statutes related to housing services (e.g., programs for homeless individuals), including shelters and service providers. Funds are only released if grantees meet specific performance goals, such as increasing housing retention, employment, or reducing homelessness recurrence compared to a base year. Grantees must also submit detailed reports including client data, program locations, and outcomes using standardized federal identifiers. The bill aims to tie funding to measurable results in homelessness services while ensuring accountability through mandatory reporting.

Topics ✓ Housing

failed · Wisconsin · Senate Mar 23, 2026

SB 604: Relating to: teacher and administrator licensure in parental choice programs and in the Special Needs Scholarship Program and granting rule-making authority. (FE)

SB 604 requires teachers and administrators in private schools participating in Wisconsin’s parental choice programs (like voucher programs) and the Special Needs Scholarship Program to hold state-issued teaching licenses starting July 1, 2027. It creates a 5-year temporary waiver for current staff with at least five years of experience who don’t yet meet licensing requirements, valid until July 1, 2032. The bill exempts teachers of rabbinical studies from the license requirement. It amends existing laws to enforce these standards while granting the state education department rule-making authority to implement the changes.

Topics ✓ Education

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 627: Relating to: fees related to animal markets, animal dealers, animal truckers, and animal transport vehicles. (FE)

AB 627 modifies licensing fees for animal-related businesses in Wisconsin. It creates three new market license classes: Class A ($420 annual fee) for markets selling livestock and wild animals, Class B ($220) for livestock-only sales with limited auctions, and Class E ($280) for equine-only sales (no wild animals or non-equine livestock). The bill also establishes a $20 annual fee for each animal transport vehicle and clarifies a $150 reinspection fee for violations. These changes directly affect animal market operators, dealers, truckers, and transport vehicle owners by adjusting their required annual fees and reinspection costs.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 621: Relating to: prohibiting a virtual school from participating in a parental choice program.

AB 621 prohibits virtual schools from participating in parental choice education programs. It directly affects virtual schools (defined under Section 118.076(4)(a)) that would otherwise qualify for these programs. The bill adds new requirements to statutes governing parental choice, explicitly stating that participating schools cannot be virtual schools. This change takes effect for the 2026-27 school year.

Topics ✗ Education

failed · Wisconsin · Senate Mar 23, 2026

SB 613: Relating to: the rights of Devil’s Lake State Park and providing a penalty. (FE)

SB 613 grants Devil’s Lake State Park (in Baraboo, Sauk County) legal rights to exist, flourish, and maintain a healthy environment, including clean water, natural ecosystems, and biodiversity. It prohibits state agencies, businesses, and government entities from activities that infringe on these rights, requiring agencies to review all relevant policies within one year and complete full park restoration within five years. Violations carry $1,000 fines per offense and require court-ordered damages paid to a conservation fund for park restoration. The bill directly affects state agencies, businesses operating near the park, and the park itself as a legal entity, with enforcement by the attorney general or private citizens. It explicitly preserves tribal rights and does not impose liabilities on the park.

Topics ✓ Environment

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AJR 114: Relating to: recognizing the inherent rights of nature and Wisconsin’s commitment to environmental stewardship.

AJR 114 is a non-binding resolution recognizing nature's inherent rights - including the right to exist, flourish, and regenerate - and affirming Wisconsin's duty to protect these rights as part of its conservation legacy. It calls for exploring policies to implement "rights of nature" principles, engaging Indigenous communities and experts, and encourages local governments and agencies to adopt such approaches. The resolution does not create new laws but urges future legislative action and collaboration to address environmental challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss.

Topics ✓ Environment

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 624: Relating to: increasing the maximum penalty for certain controlled substances offenses if the violation occurs near a homeless shelter and providing a penalty.

AB 624 increases penalties for distributing methamphetamine or similar drugs near homeless shelters. If someone distributes these substances within 1,000 feet of a homeless shelter (and knows or should know the location), the maximum prison sentence for that offense rises by 5 years. The bill defines "near a homeless shelter" as being on or within 1,000 feet of the shelter premises, including when the shelter is readily recognizable. This directly affects individuals convicted of drug distribution offenses in these specific locations. The policy change modifies existing sentencing rules without altering the core definition of drug offenses.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 327: Relating to: the weight limit for utility terrain vehicles.

AB 327 increases the empty weight limit for utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) from 3,000 pounds to 3,500 pounds under Wisconsin law. This change directly affects UTV operators and manufacturers by expanding the regulatory threshold for vehicles classified as UTVs (excluding golf carts, dune buggies, and tracked vehicles). The bill amends two sections of statutes to reflect this updated weight limit, which applies to vehicles originally manufactured with that weight capacity and designed primarily for off-highway use. The bill passed committee recommendations in November 2025 and is currently pending further legislative action.

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 222: Relating to: a sustainable aviation fuel production tax credit. (FE)

AB 222 establishes a $1.50 per gallon tax credit for producers of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the state. The credit applies to SAF meeting a 90% renewable source requirement (from synthetic, renewable, and nonpetroleum sources like energy crops grown in the U.S.) and is available for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2027. Producers can claim the credit against state tax liability, but partnerships and similar entities cannot claim it directly - they must distribute credit eligibility to owners based on ownership shares. The bill also clarifies administrative rules and integrates the credit into existing tax code sections for consistency.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Energy ✓ Environment ✓ Transportation

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 322: Relating to: designating the monarch butterfly as the state butterfly.

AB 322 designates the monarch butterfly as Wisconsin's official state butterfly. The bill adds a specific statutory provision (1.10(3)(w)) stating "The monarch butterfly is the state butterfly" and amends another section to include "butterfly" in the list of symbols featured in the Wisconsin Blue Book. This symbolic designation directly affects all Wisconsin residents by formally recognizing the monarch butterfly as a state emblem. The bill does not create new regulations or impact any policies - its sole purpose is to establish a ceremonial state symbol.

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 126: Relating to: school bus back-up lamps.

AB 126 amends Wisconsin vehicle safety rules to allow school buses to have two additional back-up lamps - one mounted on each side of the bus - specifically designed to illuminate the rear wheels when the bus is backing up. This change directly affects school bus manufacturers, operators, and school districts that maintain school bus fleets. The bill adds a new provision (347.26(4)(am)) to the statutes, permitting these side-mounted lamps to project white or amber light, while existing limits on standard back-up lamps (max two, illuminating up to 75 feet rearward) remain unchanged for other vehicles. The law updates safety requirements for school buses to improve visibility during backing maneuvers without altering general vehicle lamp regulations.

Topics ✓ Transportation

Bill results