Rep. Mike Bare

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits employers from including clauses in employment contracts that prevent former employees from recruiting other current or former employees after leaving their job. It applies to all workers, including assistants, servants, employees, and agents, and declares such nonsolicitation provisions illegal and unenforceable as unreasonable restraints on trade. Employers must post a notice in conspicuous locations and on their websites explaining that these post-employment recruitment restrictions are void. The law takes effect for any employment contract that is entered into, extended, modified, or renewed on the bill's effective date.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires school boards to pay teachers for time spent on nonclassroom duties, such as grading, planning, or administrative tasks, rather than expecting this work to be done without compensation. The key provision states that no school board can require teachers to perform services outside regular classroom instruction unless they are compensated for that time. The law applies to all teachers affected by collective bargaining agreements or contracts, taking effect when their current agreements expire or are modified. This change aims to ensure teachers are paid for all professional time they spend supporting students and school operations.

Maddy summaryAB 1068 modifies Wisconsin's broadband expansion grant program to better support local governments. It repeals outdated sections and updates rules to allow cities, villages, towns, and counties to apply for grants covering broadband infrastructure construction in unserved areas and related planning costs. Key changes include enabling grants for project planning (like feasibility studies) and permitting up to 50% of a broadband director's salary to be covered by grant funds. The bill directly affects local governments seeking to expand high-speed internet access in underserved communities.

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 summaryThis bill establishes minimum salary requirements for full-time public school teachers in Wisconsin. It mandates that all full-time teachers receive an annual salary at least equal to the higher of the state senator or representative salary for that fiscal year. Teachers with at least 10 years of experience must be paid no less than the legislator salary plus $15,000, while those with 20 years or more must earn at least $100,000 annually. The law applies to teachers whose contracts expire or are renewed after the bill takes effect and cannot be negotiated away through collective bargaining agreements.

Maddy summaryThis bill would remove a state law that currently prevents local governments from creating or enforcing eviction moratoriums, which are rules that temporarily stop landlords from evicting tenants. By repealing the specific statute that bans these local measures, the legislation would allow cities and counties to decide on their own whether to pause evictions within their jurisdictions. The change directly affects local governments, landlords, and tenants by potentially expanding the ability of communities to implement temporary eviction protections. This is a procedural change that alters existing legal restrictions rather than creating new substantive requirements for housing or eviction processes.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new grant program called "Grow Your Own" to help Wisconsin schools recruit and train new teachers. The program would provide up to $5 million annually starting in the 2026-27 school year to school districts and charter schools for costs related to teacher development initiatives. These initiatives could include high school clubs that encourage teaching careers, paying for current staff to earn licensure, supporting dual enrollment pathways, and offering incentives for paraprofessionals to become licensed teachers. The Department of Public Instruction would administer the grants and establish rules for how schools apply for and use the funding.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new state tax credit to help Wisconsin residents pay for health insurance premiums. It allows individuals who purchase qualified health plans to claim a credit on their state income tax return for the amount they would have received under federal premium assistance rules between 2021 and 2025. The credit is available only to full-year state residents who file their own tax returns and cannot be claimed if the taxpayer already qualifies for similar federal assistance. The legislation also authorizes state funds to pay any portion of the credit that exceeds the taxpayer's state tax liability.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a funding mechanism for municipalities to receive payments from the state for services they provide to state facilities and University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority properties. It requires state agencies to make full payments at established rates for municipal services such as water, sewer, electrical, and waste disposal, with funds drawn from state appropriations for facility operations. The legislation also mandates that the state department assess program costs to cover these payments and prorate funding if the annual appropriation is insufficient. This bill directly affects municipalities providing services to state facilities and the state agencies that operate those facilities, with provisions taking effect in 2026.

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.