SB 460 creates a new legal claim for employees who experience an "abusive work environment" defined as repeated verbal abuse, threats, undermining work, or exploiting disabilities (excluding single severe acts). It directly affects employees harmed by such conduct and employers/co-workers who create or fail to stop it. The bill allows affected employees to sue within one year for remedies like back pay or medical expenses, while prohibiting retaliation for reporting abuse or participating in investigations. Employers must reimburse workers' compensation for awarded damages, and the law explicitly prohibits retaliating against employees who oppose abusive practices.
SB 83 creates exceptions to prior authorization requirements for antipsychotic drugs under the state's Medical Assistance program (Medicaid). It specifies four situations where prior approval isn't needed for recipients aged 18+: if the drug was previously approved at a different dose, the recipient was recently enrolled after 30 days of continuous use, prior authorization expired after 60 days of continuous use, or the recipient was stabilized on the drug after a recent hospital discharge. The bill does not override federal Medicaid rules. It directly affects Medicaid recipients prescribed antipsychotic medications who meet these specific criteria.
SB 515 adjusts Wisconsin's unemployment insurance benefit amounts and wage limits. It sets a new maximum weekly benefit of $370 for claims starting before January 4, 2026, increasing to $497 for claims starting January 4, 2026, through January 2, 2027. The bill also establishes an annual inflation adjustment mechanism using the Consumer Price Index, starting January 3, 2027, to update both the maximum benefit and the $500 wage limit threshold (raised to $672 for 2026-2027). These changes directly affect unemployed workers receiving state unemployment benefits and those earning income while claiming benefits.
SB 633 allows the ethics commission and elections commission to hold closed sessions specifically to discuss information technology security issues affecting their systems. The bill requires these commissions to periodically publish a public summary of such discussions, removing confidential or proprietary details to protect sensitive information. It also restricts access to IT security records, permitting disclosure only to two legislative committees (the joint committee on information policy and technology, and the joint legislative audit committee) for oversight. Additionally, the commissions must specify the exact reason for each closed session before convening. This legislation balances private discussions on security threats with transparency requirements for public accountability.
SB 632 expands the legal scope of practice for naturopathic doctors in Wisconsin. It grants them the authority to prescribe, dispense, and administer prescription drugs (under specific rules) and allows them to provide expedited partner therapy for sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia and gonorrhea. The bill also requires naturopathic doctors to maintain malpractice insurance coverage (with limited exceptions for government employees) and formally includes them in the definition of "health care practitioner" for regulatory purposes. This legislation directly affects licensed naturopathic doctors by changing their legal practice boundaries and responsibilities.
SB 269 establishes a state-funded loan program for graduate students pursuing school psychology careers at Wisconsin universities. Eligible students (in-state residents enrolled full-time in school psychology programs with a 3.0+ GPA) can receive up to $10,000 annually ($30,000 total) with 5% interest. Borrowers earn 25% loan forgiveness each year they work full-time as school psychologists in public or private schools located in rural counties or urbanized areas. All loan repayments and interest flow into the state general fund.
AB 51 clarifies that interscholastic athletic associations (nonprofits coordinating high school sports) may choose to follow public records and open meetings laws. If they elect to be governed by these laws, they can withhold records about individual referees and student participants. The bill also requires school districts to join such associations only if the association has elected to follow these public records rules. This creates a clear framework for how athletic associations handle transparency while maintaining operational flexibility.
This bill would require Wisconsin state highway maps to specifically identify the Brooklyn Area Veterans Memorial in Brooklyn, Green County. It creates a new statutory reference (84.02 (5) (d) 2. r.) to ensure the memorial's location appears on official state highway maps. The bill directly affects state transportation mapping practices but does not alter veterans' benefits, funding, or other policies. This is a procedural change to improve map accuracy for the memorial's location.
SB 438 requires large retailers to clearly show the total tariff cost (import tax) on each sales invoice or receipt for consumer goods. It applies to businesses that sold $3 million or more in consumer goods during the previous calendar year. The law mandates that these documents must list the tariff cost separately from the product price, making it visible to shoppers. This affects major retailers selling consumer goods, not small businesses or services. The bill aims to increase transparency about how import taxes impact final product pricing.
AB 10 creates a sales and use tax exemption for gun safes specifically designed to store firearms, excluding general gun storage items like locking cabinets or racks. This exemption applies to buyers purchasing qualifying safes, meaning they won’t pay state sales or use tax on these items. The bill amends tax statutes to explicitly list gun safes under exempt categories, ensuring retailers don’t need to collect tax for these purchases. It directly affects consumers and retailers selling purpose-built gun safes, with no impact on other firearm-related products or tax policies.
AB 493 authorizes community solar programs where multiple households share power generated from a single solar facility. It requires municipalities to approve new community solar projects with a two-thirds vote of their governing body (unless zoning allows it automatically), limits facility size to 5 megawatts (or 20 megawatts on previously developed sites like parking lots), and ensures no single subscriber controls more than 40% of the facility’s output. This directly affects local governments (through zoning rules), solar developers ("subscriber organizations"), and residents who join these programs. The bill defines key terms like "community solar facility" and "subscriber" to standardize program rules and interconnection with utilities.
SJR 98 proposes adding a new constitutional amendment (Section 27) to guarantee equal rights under state law, prohibiting discrimination by state or local governments based on sex, gender identity, race, color, sexual orientation, disability, religion, national origin, marital status, family status, age, ancestry, or other immutable characteristics. It would allow any individual harmed by a violation to sue the state or local government entity responsible in court. The amendment would require all state and local governments to actively protect these guaranteed rights. This is a constitutional amendment proposal, not a law, and it is currently in the early stages of review after introduction in October 2025.
