AB357: Bill Text

2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE

LRB-2999/1

MED:cjs

2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 357

July 8, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives Green, Armstrong, Brill, Doyle, Fitzgerald, Franklin, Gundrum, Hysell, Johnson, Kitchens, Kreibich, Maxey, Miresse, Murphy, Mursau, Nedweski, Neubauer, Novak, Sheehan and Sinicki, cosponsored by Senators Stafsholt, Dassler-Alfheim, Drake, Habush Sinykin, Pfaff and Wall. Referred to Committee on Workforce Development, Labor, and Integrated Employment.     ***AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***

AB357,1,3 An Act to repeal 106.275 (1) (c) 1. and 2.; to renumber and amend 106.275 (1) (c) (intro.); to repeal and recreate 106.275 (1) (b) of the statutes; relating to: technical education equipment grants.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Current law provides that the Department of Workforce Development may award technical education equipment grants to school districts for certain purposes, including for the enhancement or improvement of a technical education facility or for the acquisition of equipment that is used in advanced manufacturing or construction fields in the workplace, together with any software necessary for the operation of that equipment and any instructional material necessary to train pupils in the operation of that equipment. As a condition of receiving a grant, a grant recipient must provide matching funds, in the form of money or the monetary value of equipment. The match must be 200 percent of the grant amount awarded if any of the match is contributed from school district funds, or 100 percent if the match is purely from other sources.

This bill makes the following changes to the program:

1. Revises the purposes for which grants may be awarded. Under the bill, grant moneys may be used for additional specified purposes, such as the construction of a new technical education facility and instructional training on the use of tools and equipment used in technical education.

2. Requires the match to be the amount of the grant awarded, regardless of whether any of the match is contributed from school district funds. The bill also allows a match to be provided by someone other than a grant recipient and allows any in-kind contribution to count toward the match requirement, including software, tools, and equipment.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB357,1 Section 1. 106.275 (1) (b) of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:

AB357,2,3 106.275 (1) (b) An applicant that is awarded a grant under this section may use grant moneys awarded for any of the following:

AB357,2,6 1. The construction, renovation, or improvement of school district facilities for the purpose of training students in construction-related and advanced manufacturing fields.

AB357,2,8 2. The acquisition of tools and equipment that are used in construction- related and advanced manufacturing fields.

AB357,2,11 3. The acquisition of software, related materials, and instructional training necessary for instructors and pupils to operate tools and equipment that are used in construction-related and advanced manufacturing fields.

AB357,2 Section 2. 106.275 (1) (c) (intro.) of the statutes is renumbered 106.275 (1) (c) and amended to read:

AB357,2,18 106.275 (1) (c) As a condition of receiving a grant under this section, a grant recipient shall provide matching funds shall be provided, which may be in the form of money or the monetary value of equipment software, tools, equipment, or other in-kind contributions. The matching funds must be in an amount equal to the following: or greater than any grant moneys received.

AB357,3 Section 3. 106.275 (1) (c) 1. and 2. of the statutes are repealed.

AB357,3,2 (end)