Rep. Lindee Brill

Maddy summaryAB 303 creates a new state grant program to fund crisis intervention services for people contacting the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline from within the state. The bill requires the state department to award grants to organizations providing crisis care coordination to individuals who call or text 988. This directly affects crisis service providers that serve callers within the state's geographic boundaries. The key mechanism is a state-funded grant program administered by the department to support these organizations, ensuring consistent access to crisis care for 988 users. The bill does not change the 988 hotline's operation but provides state funding to support local crisis response services.

Maddy summaryAB 299 requires the University of Wisconsin (UW) System Board to contract with a mental health service provider for virtual counseling and support for students at UW institutions with 30,000 or fewer full-time undergraduate students (as counted April 1 annually). The services must work alongside existing campus mental health programs, operate beyond standard business hours, and include proven clinical support and licensed professionals experienced with college students. Vendors must have at least five years of higher education mental health experience and provide software enabling collaboration with campus staff. The board must annually report student usage statistics system-wide and by institution to the legislature.

Maddy summaryAJR 6 is a symbolic resolution passed by the Wisconsin State Legislature declaring support for nuclear and fusion energy as critical clean energy sources. It states the legislature's commitment to advancing nuclear power, fusion technology, and related innovations to meet energy demands, reduce carbon emissions, and create high-paying jobs - citing current nuclear plants powering 1.2 million homes and avoiding 6.4 million tons of carbon emissions annually. The resolution does not create new laws or allocate funding but formally endorses expanding nuclear energy development. The bill was introduced in February 2025, referred to committees, and ultimately laid on the table in June 2025 without further action.

Maddy summaryAB 233 amends Wisconsin law to expand funding for child advocacy centers by adding two new recipients: the Lakeshore Regional Child Advocacy Center in Sheboygan County and a statewide "Child Advocacy Centers of Wisconsin" entity. It authorizes $17,000 annually per center for education, training, and quality assurance activities related to child maltreatment response. The bill directly affects existing centers (like those in Milwaukee, Kenosha, and Racine Counties) and the newly added entities by securing their grant funding from the Department of Justice’s existing appropriation. The policy change specifies concrete funding recipients and mechanisms without altering eligibility criteria for current centers.

Maddy summaryAB 83 prohibits state and local governments from restricting the sale or use of motor vehicles based on their energy source (e.g., gasoline, electric, or hydrogen). It also extends this rule to other energy-powered devices, such as power tools or generators, if their significant functions rely on that energy source. The law explicitly allows government agencies to prioritize electric vehicles for their own fleets when purchasing. This ensures public policies do not discriminate against specific vehicle or device types based on energy use.

Maddy summaryAB 187 creates a program providing a one-time $250 completion service award to volunteer firefighters after they complete 60 hours of training. Municipalities must match this award with their own payments, and the state will provide a 2:1 match for municipal contributions toward length-of-service awards (up to $390 annually), which are tax-deferred benefits based on service years. The bill requires a 10-year vesting period for length-of-service benefits and sets rules for closing inactive accounts after 12 months of inactivity. It directly affects volunteer firefighters, emergency medical responders, and emergency medical services practitioners in municipalities operating volunteer departments or contracting with volunteer fire companies.

Maddy summaryAB 53 amends Wisconsin law to classify intentionally causing bodily harm or threatening harm to a community service officer (or their family) as a Class H felony under specific conditions. It directly affects community service officers and their families by creating a new felony charge when the harm occurs in response to the officer's official duties. The bill requires that the perpetrator knew the victim was a community service officer (or family member) and that the act was retaliation for an official action taken by the officer. This policy change strengthens criminal penalties for attacks targeting these officers during their work, without altering existing protections for other law enforcement roles.

Maddy summaryAB 323 ratifies the Cosmetology Licensure Compact, an agreement between states to recognize each other's licenses. It allows cosmetologists, aestheticians, and manicurists licensed in another participating state to practice in this state without obtaining a new license, provided they hold a valid "multistate license" from a compact member. The bill amends licensing laws to explicitly permit using such out-of-state licenses (e.g., in sections 454.04(1)(a)2, 454.04(2)(a)) and defines key terms like "multistate license" and "compact." This directly affects licensed professionals seeking to work across state lines within the compact.

Maddy summaryAB 330 establishes clear deadlines and transparency requirements for handling complaints about voting system compliance with the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA). It requires Wisconsin's Election Commission to acknowledge complaints within 5 business days, make final decisions within 89 days, and hold public hearings with recorded proceedings. The bill mandates that the Commission must take corrective action for valid complaints and publish dismissal details online and to the legislature. It directly affects the Commission's administrative process for resolving voting-related complaints, ensuring timely, public, and uniform enforcement of HAVA requirements.

Maddy summaryAB 81 modifies how school districts calculate state aid by excluding certain referendum-funded expenditures from "shared costs." Specifically, it removes from the calculation any debt service costs from referenda approved after the bill's effective date that authorized borrowing of at least $50 million (unless the district's equalized valuation exceeded a specific threshold). This means school districts using referendum funds for large capital projects will not see those costs reduce their state equalization aid. The bill directly affects districts that have approved significant referendum bonds for school improvements or construction.