Rep. Sequanna Taylor

Maddy summaryAB 942 requires municipalities to mail notice to all residents in an area if a polling place is discontinued after an election. Specifically, the municipal clerk must send this notice by mail at least 30 days before the next election. The bill directly affects voters in communities that change polling locations and ensures they receive timely notification. It modifies existing election procedures to add this mandatory notice requirement after a public hearing process for discontinuing polling places. This is a procedural change focused on improving voter communication, not altering voting rights or eligibility.

Maddy summaryAB 971 creates a state program to reimburse community paramedics and community emergency medical services practitioners for tuition and materials costs incurred in completing approved training programs. It covers individuals who paid for their own training or employers who paid for their employees' training. To qualify, applicants must complete a state-approved training program and receive department approval. Reimbursement requires applying through the state board and meeting specific training completion criteria.

Maddy summaryAB 970 allocates $600,000 in state funding for two programs: (1) grants to six municipal emergency medical services programs (prioritizing two rural, two suburban, and two urban programs) to hire full-time community paramedics or practitioners, and (2) $200,000 annually for the Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging to run statewide falls prevention initiatives. The bill creates a pilot program requiring grantees to report on cost savings and service impact within one year. It directly affects local EMS providers and aging services organizations by funding community-based health support. The funding is appropriated for fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27, with a 12-month deadline for grant awards.

Maddy summaryAB 972 allows banks and credit unions to refuse or delay specific financial transactions and decline to accept a power of attorney for vulnerable adults when they reasonably suspect financial exploitation. Financial institutions must report suspected exploitation to adult-at-risk agencies and notify authorized account holders (excluding suspected perpetrators), while maintaining legal immunity for good-faith actions. This law directly affects vulnerable adults (elderly or disabled individuals at risk of exploitation), financial institutions, and the agencies that handle exploitation reports. It creates clear procedures for institutions to act preventively without facing liability, focusing on concrete safeguards rather than new penalties or funding.

Maddy summaryAB 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.

Maddy summaryAB 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.

Maddy summaryAB 989 creates annual grants of up to $50,000 per year to community health organizations serving economically disadvantaged minority groups. The bill requires recipients to provide 50% in matching funds (cash or in-kind) and prioritizes non-federally qualified health centers and providers offering maternal/child health services. These grants, funded from a specific state appropriation account, aim to improve health outcomes for underserved minority populations through direct community health programs. The legislation directly affects community health providers and minority-serving organizations eligible to apply for these state-funded grants.

Maddy summaryAB 976 clarifies how tax credits for low-income housing projects are claimed by business entities. It modifies rules so partnerships, limited liability companies, and tax-option corporations cannot claim the credit directly; instead, their members or shareholders (including insurers who are part of such entities) may claim it based on the entity's eligible costs. The bill requires entities to calculate and distribute credit amounts to members/shareholders, with specific allocation rules for ownership interests or written agreements. It directly affects housing developers, investors, and insurers involved in low-income housing projects financed through tax-exempt bonds in the state. The changes standardize credit allocation across multiple tax code sections without altering eligibility or credit amounts.

Maddy summaryAB 960 requires most social media platforms operating in the state to display a clear, prominent mental health warning each time a user in the state accesses the platform. The warning must inform users about potential negative mental health effects and provide access to crisis resources like the 988 suicide hotline. It applies to platforms defined as user-generated content services (excluding search engines, email, business communication tools, and streaming services), and prohibits hiding warnings in terms of service or allowing users to disable them without specific conditions. Violations may result in fines up to $5,000 per incident, enforced by state departments.

Maddy summaryAB 730 mandates that inmates in state correctional facilities and county jails must be allowed at least two in-person visiting periods per week, with limited exceptions for lockdowns (up to 10 days). It requires facilities to allow inmates to designate up to 25 visitors, permits physical embraces for 20 seconds at the start and end of visits, and provides visitors with paper and writing supplies upon request. Inmates may keep original artwork or notes created during visits using facility-provided materials. The bill directly affects incarcerated individuals and their visitors, while setting clear operational requirements for correctional departments and sheriffs.