Wisconsin Bills

passed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 973: Relating to: grants for economic support specialists and making an appropriation. (FE)

AB 973 allocates $1 million for fiscal year 2025-26 to fund economic support specialist positions in county resource centers. The Department of Health Services will award grants to 10 counties, prioritizing 2 rural, 2 suburban, and 2 urban counties for the first six grants, with up to four additional grants possible. Each grant funds one specialist position to assist individuals in resource centers, requiring grantees to submit annual effectiveness reports. The bill creates a new funding mechanism (20.435(7)(f)) to replace an existing section, with the appropriation effective immediately and the repeal of the old section taking effect July 1, 2027. This is a funding bill focused on resource center staffing, not a new policy.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

Maureen McCarville (D) Dan Knodl (R) Alex Joers (D) Rick Gundrum (R) Dave Armstrong (R)

failed · Wisconsin · Senate Mar 23, 2026

SB 862: Relating to: the administration of the office of county sheriff and the appointment of county medical examiners. (FE)

SB 862 revises Wisconsin statutes governing county sheriff offices and medical examiner appointments. It primarily updates rules for appointing and removing undersheriffs (including civil service considerations), clarifies who acts as sheriff during vacancies or incapacity (requiring county board petitions for incapacity declarations), and adds new provisions for service of process when the sheriff is a party. The bill directly affects county sheriffs, undersheriffs, county clerks, and circuit courts in administering local law enforcement duties. It focuses on procedural changes to sheriff office operations rather than new policy initiatives.

failed · Wisconsin · Senate Mar 23, 2026

SB 819: Relating to: administration of town road improvements under the local roads improvement program. (FE)

SB 819 modifies Wisconsin's local roads improvement program to streamline road project administration. It directly affects towns, counties, and the Department of Transportation by removing the requirement for registered engineer certification on projects costing $65,000 or less, and preventing counties from both preparing project cost estimates and contracting for road work in the same town. Key provisions establish new application deadlines for towns (November 15 for project submissions, January 15 for committee reviews), create a statewide committee to set funding criteria, and require competitive bidding for road construction projects. The bill also adds safeguards, such as prohibiting counties from contracting with towns for projects they estimated, and mandates a 10-day window for bidders to challenge cost estimates. These changes aim to simplify funding access while ensuring transparency in road improvement projects.

passed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 974: Relating to: a public affairs network trust fund, grants to the WisconsinEye Public Affairs Network, and making an appropriation. (FE)

AB 974 establishes a permanent "public affairs network fund" to provide annual grants to WisconsinEye, the public affairs network broadcasting state government proceedings. The bill creates a new trust fund using state appropriations, donations, and interest earnings, which will fund WisconsinEye’s operating costs for live broadcasts, civic events, and free online archives of unedited government proceedings. WisconsinEye must meet specific requirements, including appointing legislative designees to its board, focusing coverage on official government business, and providing continuous free public access to broadcasts and archives. If WisconsinEye ceases operations, it must repay all grant funds to the state and transfer its archives to the state historical society.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 982: Relating to: health care providers providing excused absences under the compulsory school attendance law.

AB 982 expands the types of healthcare providers whose written notes can excuse a student's absence due to illness under Wisconsin's school attendance law. It allows parents to use documentation from providers like naturopathic doctors, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists, psychologists, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, and Christian Science practitioners (listed in the Christian Science Journal), instead of only requiring a physician's note. This directly affects parents/guardians needing to provide absence documentation and school staff verifying those absences. The bill maintains the existing 30-day maximum absence period for excused absences but broadens the acceptable providers who can issue the required written proof.

Topics ✓ Education

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 987: Relating to: the purpose statement for the statutory grant of local zoning authority.

AB 987 amends a state statute to update the purpose statement that local governments must follow when creating zoning regulations. The bill adds specific goals including promoting solar/wind energy access, protecting groundwater, encouraging diverse housing types, advancing "complete streets" for all users, and preserving burial sites. These changes require cities to consider these factors when developing zoning rules that affect land use, housing, transportation, and environmental protection. The bill directly impacts local zoning authorities and the communities they serve by shaping how land development is regulated.

Topics ✓ Energy ✓ Environment ✓ Housing ✓ Transportation

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 990: Relating to: personal financial literacy high school graduation requirement.

AB 990 would require Wisconsin high school students to earn at least 0.5 credits in personal financial literacy to graduate. The bill specifies that this course must cover topics like money management, saving/investing, credit/debt, and risk management. Schools could award credit for approved programs offered by financial institutions through school-based branches, as determined by the school board. This requirement would apply to students in high school grades once the law is enacted.

Topics ✓ Education

passed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 995: Relating to: the effective date of administrative rules and the effective period of emergency rules.

AB 995 modifies state law governing when administrative rules and emergency rules take effect. It changes the default effective date for administrative rules to the first day of the 7th month after publication (previously 6 months) and extends the maximum duration for emergency rules from 150 to 180 days. These changes directly affect state agencies creating rules and the public subject to those regulations. The bill provides clearer timelines for when rules become enforceable and how long emergency rules may remain in effect without further legislative action.

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 977: Relating to: registration requirements for nonmotorized boats. (FE)

AB 977 modifies registration requirements for nonmotorized boats that aren't sailboats. It creates a new rule requiring registration for such boats operated within "vehicle admission areas" (areas requiring vehicle entry fees, like some public parks). The bill also removes specific registration fees for non-sail nonmotorized boats from certain fee calculations. This directly affects recreational boaters using non-sail, nonmotorized boats in designated public water areas with vehicle admission fees.

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 985: Relating to: levy increase limits in political subdivisions with qualifying parking lot redevelopment. (FE)

AB 985 adjusts how cities and towns calculate property tax increases when redeveloping parking lots into commercial or residential buildings. It specifically applies to political subdivisions (like cities) that convert at least 40% of a parcel's paved parking area into new construction, such as buildings. The key change adds a 50% boost (multiplying by 1.5) to the property tax value increase from these parking lot redevelopments when calculating annual tax growth limits. This adjustment applies to all qualifying projects, with separate rules for certain tax increment districts (TIDs) created after 2024.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 978: Relating to: hiking permits, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. (FE)

AB 978 creates a mandatory hiking permit system for hikers using groomed trails on state-owned land (excluding vehicle admission areas). It requires adults to pay a $20 annual fee, youth aged 12+ pay $10, and children under 12 hike for free, with additional 75-cent processing fees. The bill grants the department rule-making authority to manage permit issuance, agents, and a statewide automated system, while allowing exemptions for activities incidental to other approvals, organized events, or existing trail passes. Fees collected fund the permit system and are managed through specific appropriation accounts.

passed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 994: Relating to: review by state agencies of administrative rules and enactments; an expedited process for repealing rules an agency no longer has the authority to promulgate; and the rule-making authority of certain agencies. (FE)

AB 994 creates an expedited process for state agencies to repeal outdated regulations they no longer have legal authority to enforce. It defines "restricted agencies" as those inactive for 10+ years or delinquent in required reporting, requiring them to submit reports before proposing new rules. The bill establishes a new petition process where agencies can request the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules to approve rule repeals, bypassing standard rulemaking steps for "unauthorized" rules. This directly affects state agencies managing obsolete regulations, streamlining removal of outdated rules without full legislative review. The change aims to reduce regulatory clutter by making it easier to eliminate rules no longer legally supported.

Bill results