SB 635 creates a refundable tax credit for married couples who complete premarital counseling before their wedding. It allows couples filing jointly to claim $600 in their first married year, $300 in the second, and $100 in the third, with reduced amounts for separate returns. To qualify, couples must obtain written certification from a licensed therapist, psychiatrist, or clergy member confirming the counseling occurred before marriage. The credit is funded through a new state appropriation and must be claimed within specific time limits after the marriage year.
SB 110 creates a new state program under the Medical Assistance program to coordinate behavioral health services for youth under 21 with complex needs. It requires collaboration between health, children’s services, education, and county agencies to provide specific services like mobile crisis response, home-based treatment, and residential care, with the goal of keeping families supported in communities and avoiding institutional care. The state can develop rules for the program and must secure federal approval to fund these services. This directly affects young people under 21 and their families seeking these coordinated behavioral health supports.
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 304 provides $1 million in state funding to Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan for renovating an existing facility in Chippewa Falls to create a 50-bed treatment center specifically for men with substance use disorders. The grant will cover costs for purchasing and remodeling the Libertas Treatment Center to provide recovery services. This bill directly affects men in Chippewa Falls seeking treatment for substance use disorders and the organization operating the facility. The legislation authorizes the Department of Administration to disburse the funds in the 2025-26 fiscal year.
AB 660 creates a refundable tax credit for married couples who complete premarital counseling before marriage. It provides up to $600 annually for joint filers (reducing to $300 in year two and $100 in year three) or $300 for separate filers (reducing to $150 and $50), with the credit tied to the couple's first three years of marriage. To claim the credit, couples must submit written certification from a qualified counselor (including licensed therapists, psychologists, or clergy) verifying premarital counseling was completed before marriage. The credit is refundable, meaning it can be paid even if no tax is owed, and cannot be claimed by divorced couples, nonresidents, or those filing for partial tax years.
AB 657 exempts sales and use taxes for specific equipment and materials used exclusively in qualified nuclear fusion technology projects. It covers over 70 listed items, including plasma heating systems, superconductors, diagnostic tools, specialized materials like lithium and tungsten, and safety equipment. The exemption applies to businesses conducting fusion projects focused on energy generation, medical isotope production, research, or other fusion-related applications as defined in the bill. This policy directly reduces costs for companies developing nuclear fusion technology by eliminating taxes on qualifying purchases.
This bill allocates $2 million annually for two years to fund LGBTQIA+ rights training for school counselors and social workers in Wisconsin public schools. It requires school boards to provide department-approved training on LGBTQIA+ rights, defined as including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and other nonheterosexual or noncisgender identities. The training must be developed or approved by the state Department of Public Instruction. School counselors and social workers employed by participating school boards will directly receive this training through the grant program. The funding is tied to specific statutory provisions creating new grant categories under education budgets.
SB 649 prohibits state-funded medical and research facilities from using genetic software or operational tools developed by foreign adversaries (as defined by federal regulations), and bans storing human genome data of state residents within foreign adversary countries. It directly affects facilities receiving state or federal funds for health services or genetic research, requiring them to keep all genomic data within the state and inaccessible to foreign adversaries. Key provisions include a $10,000 penalty per violation for noncompliance, enforced by the state attorney general, with exceptions for clinical trials under federal guidelines. The bill focuses on restricting data and software access from designated foreign entities to protect genomic information.
SB 281 would allow certified advanced practice nurses who can prescribe medications (under Section 441.16(2)) to also perform radiography, such as taking X-rays. This bill directly affects these nurses by expanding their scope of practice to include radiography without requiring separate certification. The key provision creates a new statutory section (462.02(2)(g)) to explicitly permit this expanded practice. The bill does not change requirements for other radiography professionals or alter existing radiology regulations.
SB 305 creates a new grant program providing up to $300,000 annually for mental health clubhouses, with individual clubhouses eligible for up to $50,000 per year. The bill directly affects nonresidential mental health clubhouses that support individuals diagnosed with or awaiting diagnosis for mental illness (but do not provide medical treatment), requiring them to meet specific criteria like matching grant funds, maintaining separate facilities, and ensuring voluntary membership. Key provisions include annual funding limits, mandatory member diagnosis requirements, and a requirement that clubhouses raise matching funds equal to the requested grant amount. The program expires on June 30, 2030, and is codified under new sections 20.435(5)(bk) and 46.67 of the statutes.
