Rep. Chanz Green

Maddy summaryAB 964 clarifies that online sexual extortion targeting children falls under existing law by specifying it as a violation of Section 942.095 when the victim is a child (as defined in Section 948.01). This bill directly affects law enforcement agencies investigating internet crimes against children, enabling them to issue administrative subpoenas to internet companies for relevant data without a court order. The key provision streamlines the process for obtaining evidence from online platforms in cases where children are victims of sexual extortion. It does not create new penalties but ensures these cases are explicitly covered under current statutes for investigative efficiency.

Maddy summaryAB 194 modifies Wisconsin's housing programs under the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority. It redefines "developer" to include tribal housing authorities (Section 3) and clarifies "residential housing" to include tax-exempt reservation or trust lands (Section 4). The bill reduces maximum loan limits for housing projects from 33% to 20% of development costs (Section 10) and from 25% to 10% (Section 11). It also requires local governments to submit cost-reduction analyses showing how zoning or fee changes lowered housing costs (Section 7), directly affecting developers, tribal entities, and local governments administering housing programs.

Maddy summaryAB 182 amends state tax statutes to clarify how low-income housing tax credits are allocated to owners in multi-entity business structures. It specifies that partnerships, limited liability companies, and tax-option corporations cannot claim the credit directly; instead, partners, members, or shareholders must claim it based on their ownership share or a written agreement. A new provision (76.639(3)(b)) explicitly allows insurers who are partners/members/shareholders to claim credits based on their stake in qualifying housing projects. The bill requires entities to calculate and provide credit allocations to owners, with written agreements needed for non-proportional allocations, and holds individual claimants responsible for tax disputes.

Maddy summaryAB 601 amends the statute to exclude certain sports wagers from the legal definition of "bet." Specifically, it exempts wagers made by people physically in the state using mobile devices if the server is on tribal lands and the wager follows an Indian gaming compact entered before April 1, 1993. This directly affects tribal gaming operations that operate under pre-1993 compacts. The bill clarifies that such wagers - conducted via tribal servers under existing agreements - are not considered "bets" under state gambling laws. This is a technical definition change, not a new policy or tax.

Maddy summaryAB 374 updates election procedures to align with the federal Electoral Count Reform Act. It modifies deadlines for handling ballots and canvassing results, requiring municipal clerks to deliver presidential election ballots to county clerks by 9 a.m. on the Saturday after the election (instead of Monday). The bill also clarifies processes for reconciling absentee and in-person ballots to prevent double-voting and mandates public canvassing of election results by specific deadlines, including a 5 p.m. Friday deadline for presidential elections. These changes directly affect local election officials managing municipal and presidential elections.

Maddy summaryAB 992 revises cost thresholds for administrative rule reviews, lowering the trigger point from $10 million to $4 million in projected costs for businesses, local governments, and individuals over two years. It prohibits agencies from splitting a single rule into multiple rules to avoid this cost analysis requirement. Agencies must halt rulemaking if costs exceed the threshold unless they modify the rule to reduce costs, then re-evaluate. This directly affects state agencies creating regulations and entities bearing compliance costs.

Maddy summaryAB 131 establishes a municipal grant program to test for PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in public water systems and fund source reduction measures. It allows water utilities to use customer service fees to cover up to half the cost of PFAS source reduction for connected customers, if cheaper than facility upgrades. The bill also creates eligibility rules for disadvantaged communities extending service due to PFAS contamination and directs PFAS contamination claims to an existing landowner grant program. These provisions directly affect municipal water systems, public utilities, and communities addressing PFAS in drinking water.

Maddy summaryAB 130 exempts specific groups from certain PFAS enforcement actions under Wisconsin's spills law if they allow the state to clean up contaminated land at no cost to them. It directly affects landowners, fire departments, airports, wastewater spreaders, and waste facilities that handled PFAS-contaminated materials legally. The bill creates exemptions for those who spread permitted biosolids, owned land where such spreading occurred, used PFAS in emergency response (per federal rules), accepted PFAS waste, or own property not responsible for the contamination origin. This applies only to enforcement sections related to PFAS contamination under the spills law, not all PFAS regulations.

Maddy summaryAB 866 revises rules for county sheriff offices and undersheriff appointments across the state. It creates new requirements for appointing an undersheriff (who must be a certified law enforcement officer and county resident), clarifies succession rules when the sheriff is absent or incapacitated, and ensures deputies returning from undersheriff roles retain their prior pay and seniority. The bill directly affects county sheriffs, undersheriffs, county clerks handling vacancy procedures, and deputy sheriffs. Key provisions include mandating written appointment records, defining when an undersheriff acts as sheriff, and requiring counties to return deputies to their previous positions after undersheriff service.

Maddy summaryAB 813 amends Wisconsin's Opportunity Attraction and Promotion Program, which provides grants through the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), to allow funding for non-public events that attract national exposure or boost economic growth - such as private conferences or industry gatherings - under specific conditions. The bill creates a new provision (3)(cm) limiting such non-public event funding to 25% of annual program funds, requiring WEDC to prioritize events during tourist off-seasons or economic downturns, and banning funding for regularly scheduled events. It also mandates that applicants secure non-state matching funds equal to the grant amount and requires WEDC to submit annual reports detailing all funded projects and their projected economic impact. This directly affects event organizers and businesses applying for WEDC grants to attract major opportunities to Wisconsin.