Wisconsin Bills

failed · Wisconsin · Senate Mar 23, 2026

SB 579: Relating to: collective bargaining for employees of the University of Wisconsin System, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. (FE)

SB 579 standardizes collective bargaining processes for employees of the University of Wisconsin (UW) System, directly affecting faculty, staff, and other workers covered by existing union contracts. The bill requires that pay increases align with approved compensation plans or collective bargaining agreements, and it establishes funding mechanisms to cover costs for grievance arbitrations and training related to bargaining disputes. Key provisions update statutes to clarify that bargaining agreements govern pay decisions and define "governmental body" to exclude bargaining committees. The bill also creates new appropriation accounts to fund administrative functions of the state's employment relations system, including mediation and arbitration services.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education ✓ Labor & Employment

failed · Wisconsin · Senate Mar 23, 2026

SB 596: Relating to: providing written notice of tax assessor entry upon property. (FE)

SB 596 requires tax assessors to provide property owners with written notice at least seven days before entering their property for tax assessments. This law directly affects property owners by mandating advance notice of assessment visits. The key provision specifies that the tax district must deliver written notice to the owner prior to entry, ensuring clear communication about assessment activities.

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 599: Relating to: allowing voters to automatically receive absentee ballots for every election, eliminating the indefinitely confined voter status for receiving absentee ballots, and providing a penalty. (FE)

AB 599 simplifies absentee ballot access in Wisconsin by allowing voters to automatically receive absentee ballots for all elections after one application, eliminating the need to reapply annually. It removes the "indefinitely confined" voter status (previously requiring annual reapplication for voters confined in facilities) and establishes a new system where municipal clerks retain voter ID electronically until the voter opts out or ID expires. Voters must submit ID verification once, and clerks must notify them if ID expires. The bill also adds penalties for non-compliance with ID requirements, though specifics are not detailed in the provided text. This affects all Wisconsin voters who choose automatic absentee ballot delivery.

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 584: Relating to: a property tax exemption for prefabricated recreational structures. (FE)

AB 584 creates a property tax exemption for prefabricated recreational structures (like temporary RVs or camping trailers) used primarily for recreation, camping, or seasonal living when located in licensed campgrounds on land not owned by the structure's owner. This exemption applies to property tax assessments starting January 1, 2026, and specifically excludes these structures from taxation under the new definition in statute 70.11(49). Local governments that would have collected taxes on these structures will be reimbursed by the state department of administration for the 2025 assessment year, with payments made annually by July 1. The bill directly affects owners of such recreational structures and local taxing jurisdictions that manage campground properties.

Topics ✗ Budget & Taxes

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 417: Relating to: emergency testing of a criminal defendant for certain diseases. (FE)

AB 417 creates a process for testing criminal defendants for certain communicable diseases (like HIV or sexually transmitted infections) without their consent in specific cases. It applies when defendants are charged with crimes involving bodily fluids (such as blood, semen, or saliva) that could transmit disease to victims, public safety workers, prosecutors, or correctional staff. The district attorney must seek a court order for testing, but can request an emergency order without a hearing if delaying testing risks immediate harm to those workers. Test results cannot reveal the defendant's identity, cannot be used in court, and cannot be added to the defendant's permanent medical records.

failed · Wisconsin · Senate Mar 23, 2026

SB 406: Relating to: reporting of sex and fetal anomaly following induced abortion.

SB 406 requires healthcare providers performing induced abortions to report the sex of the fetus (if determinable by visual inspection) and whether a fetal anomaly existed, including its nature. This bill directly affects abortion providers in Wisconsin who must submit this data to the state health department. The reporting requirements integrate with an existing fetal anomaly registry that tracks diagnoses of birth defects in infants and children. The bill amends statutes to mandate these specific data points for inclusion in the state's registry system and related reports.

failed · Wisconsin · Senate Mar 23, 2026

SB 486: Relating to: various changes to the unemployment insurance and worker’s compensation laws. (FE)

SB 486 would revise unemployment insurance eligibility rules for workers terminated due to "misconduct" or who refuse suitable work. It defines "misconduct" more narrowly (e.g., excluding unexcused absences without prior written policy notice) and requires workers who lose benefits for misconduct to earn wages equal to 14 times their weekly benefit rate before requalifying. For refusing suitable work, it lowers the required earnings threshold from 6 times to 6 times the weekly benefit rate. These changes affect unemployed workers seeking benefits and employers responsible for paying unemployment insurance contributions.

Topics ✗ Budget & Taxes ✓ Labor & Employment

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 563: Relating to: requiring hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to implement policies to prevent exposure to surgical smoke in operating rooms. (FE)

AB 563 requires hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to implement policies preventing exposure to surgical smoke during procedures. It mandates the use of smoke evacuation systems (equipment capturing smoke at the source) in operating rooms for any surgery likely to generate surgical smoke - defined as gaseous byproducts from tools like lasers or scalpels. Exceptions allow providers to skip the system if they determine it's unnecessary for a specific procedure. The bill directly affects healthcare facilities and surgical staff by establishing a concrete safety standard for smoke exposure.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

failed · Wisconsin · Senate Mar 23, 2026

SJR 11: Relating to: restricting the governor’s partial veto authority to only rejecting entire bill sections of an appropriation bill that are capable of separate enactment and reducing appropriations in a bill (first consideration).

SJR 11 proposes a constitutional amendment to limit a governor's partial veto power over appropriation bills. It would restrict the governor to only rejecting entire bill sections that can stand alone as complete, workable laws, rather than allowing them to modify individual words or combine parts of sentences within a section. This change specifically affects how governors can amend or reject budget-related legislation during the approval process. The amendment aims to prevent governors from creating "new words" or "new sentences" by picking and choosing parts of existing bill language.

failed · Wisconsin · Senate Mar 23, 2026

SB 15: Relating to: increased penalties for crimes against adults at risk; restraining orders for adults at risk; freezing assets of a defendant charged with financial exploitation of an adult at risk; sexual assault of an adult at risk; and providing a penalty.

SB 15 modifies penalty rules for crimes against vulnerable adults by distinguishing between "elder persons" (typically age 60+) and "adults at risk" (vulnerable due to disability or other factors). For elder victims, it eliminates the defense that a defendant didn’t know the victim’s age, automatically applying enhanced penalties. For "adults at risk," penalties only increase if the defendant actually knew the victim’s vulnerable status. The bill applies to crimes like assault, financial exploitation, and sexual assault, changing how courts assess penalties based on victim classification. It does not create new penalties but adjusts existing sentencing rules for these specific victim categories.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 173: Relating to: regulation of pharmacy benefit managers, fiduciary and disclosure requirements on pharmacy benefit managers, and application of prescription drug payments to health insurance cost-sharing requirements. (FE)

AB 173 regulates pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) by requiring them to disclose formulary details and drug costs to health plans and patients before enrollment. It prohibits PBMs or insurers from penalizing patients for choosing specific pharmacies within a network or charging different fees for the same pharmacy services. The bill also mandates advance written notice (at least 90 days) to patients when drugs are removed from formularies or moved to higher-cost tiers, including exception request procedures. These changes directly affect PBMs, health insurance plans, and patients covered by those plans, aiming to increase transparency and choice in prescription drug coverage.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AJR 108: Relating to: equality of rights on the basis of sex, gender identity, race, color, sexual orientation, disability, religion, national origin, marital status, family status, age, ancestry, or any other immutable characteristic and creating a private cause of action for violations of those rights by state actors (first consideration).

AJR 108 proposes adding a constitutional amendment to guarantee equality of rights under state law, prohibiting discrimination by state or local government based on characteristics like sex, gender identity, race, disability, religion, or other immutable traits. It would create a new right for individuals to directly sue the state or local government in court if their rights under this amendment are violated. This amendment, if approved, would establish a constitutional standard for equality and provide a legal path for people to seek remedies when state actors deny them equal treatment.

Topics ✓ Immigration ✓ Labor & Employment

Bill results