Rep. Dan Knodl

Maddy summaryAssembly Bill 134 changes the effective dates for provisions within 2023 Wisconsin Act 126. It establishes July 1, 2025, as the general effective date for most of Act 126. However, the bill specifically delays the implementation of a detailed list of sections from Act 126 until December 1, 2027. This means that certain legal requirements or changes introduced by Act 126 will take effect at a later date than originally planned.

Maddy summaryAssembly Joint Resolution 41 (AJR 41) proclaims May 2025 and May 2026 as Jewish American Heritage Months. This resolution by the Wisconsin Legislature recognizes the over 370-year history of Jewish contributions to the nation's civic, social, economic, and cultural life, and thanks Jewish American citizens for shaping the country's character and strengthening religious freedom.

Maddy summaryAB 228 creates specific provisions for tax incremental financing (TIF) districts that contain qualified data centers, affecting local legislative bodies and data center developers. It exempts these "data center districts" from a 12 percent limit findings requirement when being created or having their project plans amended, provided all project costs are related to the data center. However, a project plan for such an excepted data center district cannot later be amended to include costs unrelated to the data center. Additionally, the value increment from these excepted data center districts cannot be included when calculating the 12 percent limit for other TIF districts.

Maddy summaryAB 262 modifies the legal requirements for courts when determining child physical placement in custody cases, directly affecting parents and children involved in these proceedings. The bill changes the threshold for when a court must provide specific findings of fact regarding its placement decisions. Currently, courts must provide these findings if a parent receives less than 25% of physical placement time. AB 262 increases this to 50%, meaning if a court grants one parent less than half of a child's physical placement, it must enter specific findings explaining why a greater allocation is not in the child's best interest.

Maddy summaryAB 124 prohibits individuals convicted of a violent crime from changing their name, with violations punishable as a Class H felony. The bill amends existing state laws to explicitly block all name change requests - whether through court orders or vital records updates - for people with such convictions. This applies to all name change processes, including those for birth records, marriage records, or court-ordered changes. The law does not affect name changes for individuals without violent crime convictions.

Maddy summaryAB 292 allows courts to use artificial intelligence or machine-assisted translation services instead of or alongside human interpreters in both civil and criminal court proceedings. It also updates rules to permit telephone or live audiovisual interpretation in criminal trials (beyond just non-trial stages) and clarifies that using AI translation does not require a waiver that would normally be needed for alternative interpretation methods. This bill directly affects court proceedings involving language barriers, expanding options for language assistance without mandating AI use. The law amends specific statutes to implement these changes, focusing on procedural flexibility for courts.

Maddy summaryAB 163 requires regular eligibility reviews for the Medical Assistance program (a public health benefits program) every six months, replacing automatic renewals. Recipients must report changes affecting their benefits within 10 days or face a six-month loss of coverage. The bill mandates state agencies to cross-check public benefit databases against death records and other state databases (like employment or prison records) every three months to remove deceased individuals and verify eligibility. It also establishes data-sharing agreements between agencies to confirm applicant information using sources like federal benefit records, with all eligibility reviews required to be completed by January 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryAB 66 restricts prosecutors from dismissing or amending certain criminal charges without court approval. It applies to specific "covered crimes," including domestic abuse violations, certain violent offenses (like those under s. 940.198 or 941.29), and crimes listed in Chapter 948. Prosecutors must seek court approval for any dismissal or amendment, and courts can only approve if the action aligns with deterring these crimes. The bill also prohibits deferred prosecution agreements for individuals charged with covered crimes. This policy change directly affects prosecutors, courts, and defendants facing charges for the listed offenses.

Maddy summaryAB 40 establishes a competitive grant program to fund school safety improvements and security training for school personnel. It allocates $30 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year to public, private, and tribal schools, with a maximum grant of $20,000 per school. The program prioritizes schools that have not previously received similar grants under Section 165.88 and requires annual reports to the Joint Committee on Finance. Grants must be awarded by June 30, 2027, after which no new funding will be issued.

Maddy summaryAB 230 requires physical retail stores to accept cash payments during face-to-face transactions with customers. It directly affects brick-and-mortar businesses selling goods or services in person, unless other laws prohibit cash acceptance. Retailers violating this rule face fines of $200 to $5,000 per violation, or court-ordered injunctions to stop the violation. The law does not apply to online sales or situations where cash acceptance is legally restricted.