Rep. Karen DeSanto

Maddy summaryThis bill is a joint resolution that designates April 2026 as Family Strengthening Month in Wisconsin. It directly affects the state legislature, which would officially proclaim the month to raise awareness about preventing child abuse and neglect. The resolution highlights the importance of building family protective factors like parental resilience and social connections to support children and communities. It does not create new laws or funding but serves as a symbolic acknowledgment of the state's commitment to family support. The bill is procedural in nature and does not change any existing policies or programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill would add a nonvoting teacher representative to school boards in Wisconsin's common and union high school districts. The teacher representative would be selected through a secret ballot vote by teaching staff members and would serve a three-year term, attending all board meetings including closed sessions but without voting rights. The legislation also updates procedures for school board reorganization and special meetings to include notification requirements for the teacher representative.

Maddy summaryAB 1061 legalizes recreational cannabis possession and establishes a regulatory framework for cannabis production, sales, and medical use in Wisconsin. It directly affects individuals with past marijuana-related convictions (by creating a review unit to expunge these records), cannabis businesses (through new licensing and regulations), and state agencies (by creating a Division of Cannabis Regulation under the Department of Agriculture). Key provisions include allocating $30 million annually for regulatory operations, establishing medical cannabis registry fees, creating a $5 million fund for conviction reviews, and repealing outdated marijuana criminal penalties. The bill also introduces new taxes on cannabis sales to fund these programs and public health research.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires employers in Wisconsin to provide reasonable break time and specific accommodations for breastfeeding employees with children under one year of age. Employers must offer a private space shielded from view and free from intrusion, along with access to electrical outlets, running water, and a refrigerator for storing breast milk. The law applies to all employers, including state and local government agencies, but includes an exception for small businesses with fewer than 50 employees if compliance would cause undue hardship. Employees cannot be discriminated against or retaliated against for taking these breaks, and violations can be reported to the department for enforcement. The bill also clarifies how unpaid break time affects health care coverage eligibility and when it counts as paid work time.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the building commission to allocate $1,000,000 from state building trust funds to develop preliminary plans for expanding mother-young child care facilities within the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. The funding is intended to evaluate infrastructure needs and design specifications for a prison nursery program that would allow eligible incarcerated women and their infants to reside together in correctional institutions. The bill focuses on establishing physical spaces and support systems to enable bonding, breastfeeding, and healthy infant development for mothers and children in custody. This measure requires no new operational funding but authorizes planning work to prepare for potential future program expansion. The legislation was introduced in the 2026 Wisconsin Legislature and referred to the Corrections Committee for review.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a one-year cooling-off period preventing former state legislators from working as lobbyists immediately after leaving office. It applies to any individual who served as a member of the legislature and prohibits their employment in lobbying roles for 12 months following the end of their term. The provision is designed to prevent potential conflicts of interest by ensuring a separation between legislative duties and lobbying activities.

Maddy summaryThis bill makes the Wisconsin additional child and dependent care tax credit refundable, meaning families who owe no state income tax can still receive the credit as a cash payment. It applies to tax years starting after December 31, 2023, and before January 1, 2026, allowing claimants to receive up to 100% of their federal child and dependent care tax credit. If the credit amount exceeds the taxpayer's state tax liability, the unused portion is paid directly by the state through the Department of Revenue. The legislation also includes an appropriation to fund these payments and updates related tax credit listings in state statutes.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a state minimum wage schedule that gradually increases from $15 per hour in 2026 to $20 per hour by 2030, with slightly lower rates for small employers defined as those with 50 or fewer employees. It also sets specific minimum wage rates for tipped employees, which increase more slowly over the same period. Beginning in 2031, the state department of labor gains authority to adjust the minimum wage annually based on changes in the consumer price index. The bill also grants the department power to create rules for special categories of workers, including agricultural employees, students, and those with disabilities, while exempting certain types of casual employment from minimum wage requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a pilot program to provide grants to small dairy farms with fewer than 1,000 milking cows, aiming to help them improve operational efficiency and resilience. The program would be funded by a $1.5 million appropriation and administered by the Department of Agriculture, which would have the authority to create rules for managing the grants. Eligible dairy producers could use the funding for projects designed to strengthen their farms against economic or environmental challenges. The legislation creates two new sections in the state statutes to outline the program's structure and funding.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires prescription drug manufacturers to report price increases and new drug introductions to state health officials, affecting pharmaceutical companies selling drugs in the state. Manufacturers must notify the department and insurance office at least 30 days before raising drug prices by more than 25% over two years or introducing high-cost brand-name drugs, providing justification including cost-effectiveness data and comparisons to similar medications. The law also mandates annual reports on manufacturer-sponsored patient assistance programs and price concessions given to pharmacy benefit managers, with penalties of up to $10,000 per day for noncompliance. State health officials will publish the justification documents and conduct public hearings to analyze drug pricing trends.