Rep. Brent Jacobson

Maddy summaryAB 88 addresses civil actions and law enforcement responses related to riot and vandalism activities. The bill prohibits government officials from limiting or restricting law enforcement's authority to arrest individuals or quell such disturbances. It also creates a new civil cause of action, allowing individuals who suffer injury or property damage from riot or vandalism to sue those who committed the acts or provided material support. Victims may seek compensatory damages, an order for property repair, and legal fees, regardless of whether criminal charges are filed. The bill also defines "rioting" and "incite" for these purposes.

Maddy summaryAB 228 creates specific provisions for tax incremental financing (TIF) districts that contain qualified data centers, affecting local legislative bodies and data center developers. It exempts these "data center districts" from a 12 percent limit findings requirement when being created or having their project plans amended, provided all project costs are related to the data center. However, a project plan for such an excepted data center district cannot later be amended to include costs unrelated to the data center. Additionally, the value increment from these excepted data center districts cannot be included when calculating the 12 percent limit for other TIF districts.

Maddy summaryAB 159 creates a grant program to support rural creative economy development in Wisconsin. It provides competitive grants of up to $50,000 to eligible applicants - including rural cities, tribes, nonprofits, and economic development organizations - for projects like renovating public spaces, supporting public arts, and promoting local creative businesses. Applicants must secure matching funds from nonstate sources (with no more than 25% in-kind), and grants must directly benefit rural areas defined as populations under 10,000 or non-urbanized regions. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation must report on the program's effectiveness by May 2027.

Maddy summaryAB 66 restricts prosecutors from dismissing or amending certain criminal charges without court approval. It applies to specific "covered crimes," including domestic abuse violations, certain violent offenses (like those under s. 940.198 or 941.29), and crimes listed in Chapter 948. Prosecutors must seek court approval for any dismissal or amendment, and courts can only approve if the action aligns with deterring these crimes. The bill also prohibits deferred prosecution agreements for individuals charged with covered crimes. This policy change directly affects prosecutors, courts, and defendants facing charges for the listed offenses.

Maddy summaryAB 71 changes how school districts in Wisconsin can seek voter approval to exceed their standard operating budget limits. It requires school boards to adopt a resolution specifying whether excess funds are for recurring (ongoing) or nonrecurring (one-time) purposes, and limits such resolutions to four years. Voters must approve these requests via referendum, with ballots clearly stating the amount for nonrecurring uses. Crucially, if approved for recurring purposes, the excess amount becomes part of the next year's budget base; for nonrecurring purposes, it does not affect future budget limits. This bill directly affects school districts seeking to fund additional programs beyond their regular budget without voter approval.

Maddy summaryAB 298 creates grants for technical colleges to develop and share digital maps of their buildings with local law enforcement. It requires these "interactive critical mapping data" systems to include specific details like building numbers, floors, and room locations - without needing additional software purchases by first responders. The grants, administered by the Office of School Safety, aim to improve emergency response coordination during incidents. This directly affects technical colleges (via district boards) and law enforcement agencies that receive the mapping data.

Maddy summaryAB 27 expands eligibility for state veterans' benefits to include individuals who served in Laos supporting U.S. forces during the Vietnam War and were naturalized under the federal Hmong Veterans Naturalization Act of 2000. The bill updates state statutes to define these veterans as qualifying for property tax exemptions (under 36.27) and other benefit programs (under 38.24 and 45.01). It specifically adds them to eligibility criteria for benefits previously limited to other veteran categories. This change directly affects Hmong veterans residing in the state who meet the federal naturalization requirements. The bill passed committee unanimously and is now pending in the Rules committee.

Maddy summaryAB 260 establishes a two-year pilot program providing school-centered mental health services to at-risk students and families in two schools per year (one rural, one urban/suburban). The program requires schools to already offer some behavioral health resources and agree to surveys/data sharing. It funds full-time therapists and family coaches to deliver year-round, evidence-based services - including in-school therapy, family coaching on mental health support, and connections to community health resources - while measuring impacts on students' mental health symptoms, academic performance, and basic needs like housing or food. A report on outcomes must be submitted to the legislature after the pilot ends.

Maddy summaryAB 285 creates a state program providing hearing protection devices to law enforcement and fire departments. The bill requires the department to obtain commercially available devices meeting specific standards - reusable, fully inserted in the ear canal, with at least 25 decibels noise reduction and a maximum output of 80 decibels - and supply them to agencies upon request. Agencies can request any quantity needed for personnel safety, focusing on protecting first responders from noise exposure during operations. The legislation establishes clear device criteria but does not address funding sources or implementation timelines.

Maddy summaryAB 83 prohibits state and local governments from restricting the sale or use of motor vehicles based on their energy source (e.g., gasoline, electric, or hydrogen). It also extends this rule to other energy-powered devices, such as power tools or generators, if their significant functions rely on that energy source. The law explicitly allows government agencies to prioritize electric vehicles for their own fleets when purchasing. This ensures public policies do not discriminate against specific vehicle or device types based on energy use.