Rep. Elijah Behnke

Maddy summaryAB 41 prohibits local governments (cities, towns, or counties) from requiring permits or banning vegetable gardens on residential property. It defines a "vegetable garden" as a plot growing edible plants, flowers, or pollinator plants on a homeowner's own land. The bill allows local governments to still enforce zoning, water/fertilizer rules, and weed control as long as those regulations don't specifically target vegetable gardens. This directly affects residents who grow food or flowers in their yards, ensuring they cannot be stopped or charged fees by local authorities for doing so.

Maddy summaryAB 119 repeals statute 150.345, which previously governed procedures for transferring nursing home beds between facilities. This bill removes an existing regulatory requirement that nursing homes had to follow when moving beds. It directly affects nursing homes and state agencies responsible for implementing this rule. The bill makes no new policy changes but eliminates a current administrative requirement.

Maddy summaryAB 144 reassigns judicial positions within the state's court of appeals system. It eliminates one judgeship in District IV (reducing its total from 4 to 3 judges) and adds one judgeship to District III (increasing its total from 4 to 5 judges). The change takes effect on August 1, 2026, with the District IV position ending on July 31, 2026, and a new District III judge elected in the spring 2026 election for a 2026-2032 term. This directly affects the court structures in Districts III and IV of the court of appeals.

Maddy summaryAB 76 creates a state income tax deduction for Wisconsin psychiatrists and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners. It allows eligible professionals to deduct up to $100,000 annually from their taxable income if they practice outside medically underserved areas, or up to $200,000 if they work in such areas (as defined by statute). The deduction applies only to income earned from their specific practice in Wisconsin and is limited to 5 consecutive taxable years, starting within 2 years of beginning or returning to practice in the state. To qualify, practitioners must be licensed and certified as specified in the bill, with the higher deduction requiring service in designated underserved regions.

Maddy summaryAB 129 requires all public and private schools to implement safe drinking water systems by developing management plans that specify locations for filtered bottle-filling stations (one per 100 occupants) and filtered faucets. The bill mandates regular testing for lead (max 5 ppb) and PFAS chemicals, with immediate action if contaminants exceed limits - including shutting off affected outlets and replacing filters. Schools must maintain these systems, conduct annual testing, and update plans every five years. The bill is currently pending in the Education Committee after introduction in March 2025.

Maddy summaryAB 151 creates a legal presumption that courts should prioritize custody arrangements allowing children to spend roughly equal time with each parent, whenever feasible. This applies to all custody cases filed after the bill's effective date, directly affecting parents and judges determining physical placement. The law requires courts to assume equal time is in the child's best interest unless they find, based on evidence, that it isn't - considering factors like geographic separation between households. The bill modifies Wisconsin's custody statute to make this equal-time presumption the starting point for court decisions, with specific attention to practical realities like distance between parents' homes.

Maddy summaryAB 79 prevents the prosecution of minors under 18 for prostitution offenses when a court determines it serves the minor's best interests and protects public safety. Instead, the court may use diversion programs like consent decrees or deferred prosecution agreements under existing laws. The bill amends statutes to remove prosecution as an option for juveniles in these cases while maintaining DNA collection and expungement requirements for other serious juvenile offenses. This change directly affects minors charged with prostitution under section 944.30 (1m) by prioritizing rehabilitation over criminal prosecution.

Maddy summaryAB 55 modifies firearm possession rules on school grounds for licensed school employees and adjusts concealed carry license fees. It repeals restrictions preventing school employees from carrying concealed weapons and creates an exemption: licensed teachers may carry on school grounds if their school (public, charter, private, or tribal) has adopted a policy permitting it. The bill also sets a new $37 fee for initial concealed carry licenses (covering administrative costs) and a $12 renewal fee. These changes directly affect licensed school staff seeking to carry firearms on campus under approved school policies.

Maddy summaryAB 170 prohibits the Department of Justice from using legal services from non-governmental employees (such as private lawyers or contractors) for investigating or prosecuting civil or criminal cases. The only exception allows legal interns paid no more than $10,000 annually, even if they are not state or federal employees. This directly affects how the Department of Justice hires legal support for case work. The bill creates a new statute (165.252) to enforce this restriction, with no other exemptions beyond the intern provision. It was introduced in April 2025 and referred to the Judiciary Committee.

Maddy summaryAssembly Bill 147 establishes a "right to repair" for agricultural equipment, directly affecting manufacturers, owners, and independent repair providers of farm machinery like tractors and combines. The bill mandates that manufacturers must make available documentation, diagnostic data, embedded software, replacement parts, and repair tools. These resources must be provided to equipment owners and independent repair providers upon request. This access must be offered under "fair terms" and "fair costs," which includes providing digital documentation and embedded software for free, without requiring specific authorizations or affiliations.