Rep. Mike Bare

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies how the Wisconsin Blue Book and highway maps are distributed to state legislators, changing from automatic distribution to a request-based system. Under the new rules, legislative offices must request copies of the Blue Book before printing, with each Senator allowed up to 600 copies and each Assembly Representative up to 350 copies. Highway service maps will be provided free of charge to each legislator and officer, with a limit of 50 copies per person, while folded highway maps will be distributed without charge to each legislator and officer with a limit of 500 copies per person. The bill also requires the department to contact legislators to determine their specific needs before distributing these documents, ensuring that distribution matches actual demand rather than being automatically sent to all members.

Maddy summaryAB 910 requires state agencies to adjust fines and fees for inflation every three years. Agencies must report current amounts, calculate inflation-adjusted values using the consumer price index, and recommend whether to increase, decrease, or maintain fees based on inflation. This applies to all state agencies collecting fees for services or penalties (like driver’s license fees or permit charges), affecting individuals who pay these fees. Agencies can spread increases over up to four years and must consider their service costs when recommending changes. The bill establishes a regular process to keep fee levels aligned with inflation, rather than allowing them to become outdated.

Maddy summaryAB 722 imposes annual fees on large energy customers in Wisconsin based on their peak electricity demand, starting at $2 million for those using 100-250 megawatts and increasing by $1 million for each additional 250-megawatt increment. Fifty percent of these fees will fund the Green Innovation Fund, managed by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. The bill also requires data centers to report annual water usage to local governments, certify adherence to sustainable building standards (like LEED or BREEAM) within three years of operation, and pay workers the prevailing wage rate for large-scale construction projects exceeding $250 million in cost. These provisions directly affect large energy users, data center operators, and local governments managing water reporting.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a state grant program to help school districts pay student teachers an hourly wage of at least $15 for their teaching hours during the 2026-27 school year and beyond. The funding comes from a state appropriation, with the Department of Public Instruction calculating and distributing payments to school boards based on the number of hours each student teacher worked in their district. The legislation also gives the department authority to create rules for administering the program and defines student teachers as individuals enrolled in approved teacher preparation programs who are completing their student teaching component.

Maddy summaryAB 907 updates state lottery drawing procedures by requiring all drawings to use random selection methods (via mechanical, electrical, or computerized systems) and mandating annual independent audits. The bill repeals outdated rules and creates new requirements for the lottery department to ensure drawing randomness and security. These changes directly affect the state lottery operations, requiring them to verify processes through external audits each year. The law focuses on transparency and technical safeguards without altering lottery prizes or participation rules.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires school districts to include education about fentanyl and the use of opioid antagonists in their official educational goals. It amends existing state law to add specific awareness of fentanyl and naloxone to the list of required drug abuse prevention topics. The changes would first apply to the 2026-27 school year, ensuring students receive information about these specific opioid-related issues as part of their health education curriculum.

Maddy summaryAB 884 amends Wisconsin's tax code with three key changes. It requires background checks for individuals handling federal tax data when contracted by state departments (affecting state agencies and contractors). It updates retirement plan tax benefits, allowing individuals aged 67+ to subtract up to $24,000 annually from taxable income (or $48,000 for married couples filing jointly), subject to specific rules. Finally, it clarifies film production credit eligibility by defining "production expenditures" to include local spending on Wisconsin-based music, travel agencies, and insurance services, while excluding marketing costs. These changes directly impact state agencies, retirees, and film productions seeking tax credits.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a grant program to help school districts build or upgrade playgrounds to be accessible for students with disabilities. It allocates $1 million for each of the 2025-26 and 2026-27 fiscal years to fund these projects. The program requires school districts to match the grant amount with their own spending on playground construction or upgrades. Only school districts can apply for these grants, and the funding is intended specifically for making playgrounds accessible to pupils with disabilities.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits cosmetic manufacturers from conducting or contracting for animal testing on cosmetics within the state after December 31, 2026, and restricts the sale of products developed using such testing after July 1, 2027. It applies to any person whose name appears on a cosmetic label and bans the import or sale of cosmetics or ingredients known to have been tested on live nonhuman vertebrates after the specified date. Exceptions allow testing required by federal or state regulatory agencies under specific conditions, including when no alternative testing methods exist, or for compliance with foreign jurisdiction requirements where test results are not used to substantiate product safety in the state. Violations of the prohibition carry a penalty of $5,000 for each offense plus an additional $1,000 for each day the violation continues.

Maddy summaryThis bill would allow Wisconsin school districts to increase their revenue limits when they spend money on energy efficiency projects. The adjustment applies to districts that adopt a resolution authorizing the increase and meet specific requirements, including using performance contracts for the project and financing it with bonds or loans of 20 years or less. Eligible projects must reduce energy or operational costs, conserve water, or improve metering accuracy, and the revenue limit increase would last for each school year the district pays debt service on the financing. The bill updates existing statutes to clarify how these adjustments are calculated and applies to resolutions adopted on the effective date of the law.