The bill eliminates the requirement to transfer these amounts to an appropriation that funds snowmobile law enforcement operations and safety training and fatality reporting and eliminates that appropriation. The bill also creates a new appropriation to DNR for providing grants to federally recognized American Indian tribes or bands for maintenance and repair of fish hatcheries operated by the tribe or band.
Under current law, DNR makes a payment to the Lac du Flambeau band of Lake Superior Chippewa based on the amount of fees collected by DNR for certain hunting and fishing approvals and the number of certain approvals issued within the the Lac du Flambeau reservation. DNR makes this payment from an appropriation that receives tribal gaming revenues. The bill provides that this appropriation is subject to the same reversion requirement as other gaming receipts transfers to DNR.
PUBLIC UTILITIES
Funding for broadband expansion grant program
The bill appropriates GPR funding for the broadband expansion grant program administered by PSC.
Focus on Energy funding
The bill makes changes to the funding of statewide energy efficiency and renewable resources programs, known as Focus on Energy, that current law requires investor-owned electric and natural gas utilities to fund. Under the bill, PSC must require those utilities to spend 2.4 percent of their annual operating revenues derived from retail sales to fund Focus on Energy and related programs. Under current law, the amount those utilities must spend is 1.2 percent of their annual operating revenues from retail sales.
Focus on Energy residential customer energy storage
The bill includes residential energy storage system programs and programs for reducing energy demand in the Focus on Energy program.
Energy innovation grant program
The bill appropriates GPR for the energy innovation grant program (EIGP), which is administered by PSC’s Office of Energy Innovation and awards grants for projects related to energy efficiency and innovation. Currently, the EIGP is funded with federal money from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Residential and commercial energy improvements
The bill allows PSC to authorize a public utility to finance energy improvements at a specific dwelling for a residential or commercial customer. Under the bill, a public utility may recover the costs of such an energy improvement through a surcharge periodically placed on the customer’s account. The bill requires PSC to promulgate rules establishing requirements for this financing, which must include that the surcharge is assigned to a location, not to an individual customer; that energy improvements are eligible for financing only if they are estimated to save an amount that exceeds the surcharge; and that the financing offered may not increase a customer’s risk or debt.
Deadline for a certificate of public convenience and necessity
Current law generally prohibits a person from commencing construction of certain large electric generating facilities or high-voltage transmission lines without obtaining a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) from PSC. After a person files a complete application for a CPCN, PSC must take final action on the application within 180 days, or else PSC is considered to have issued a CPCN to the applicant. However, current law also allows the PSC chairperson to extend that deadline for no more than an additional 180 days. If PSC fails to take final action within the extended deadline, PSC is considered to have issued the CPCN. The bill authorizes the PSC chairperson to make two such 180-day extensions instead of just one.
Brownfield renewable energy generation grants
Under the bill, PSC makes grants to developers and electric providers for redeveloping brownfields for renewable energy generation. The grants may be used only for remediating brownfields, developing renewable energy infrastructure on brownfields, and technical support.
Nuclear energy feasibility study
The bill requires PSC to conduct a nuclear power plant feasibility study and creates an appropriation to fund the study.
Electric utility integrated resource plans
The bill requires investor-owned and municipal electric utilities to file integrated resource plans with PSC. An integrated resource plan must describe the resources an electric utility could use to meet the service needs of its customers over the next 5-year, 10-year, and 15-year periods and must contain certain other information, including forecasts of electricity demand under various reasonable scenarios and plans and projected costs for meeting that electricity demand. PSC must establish requirements for the contents and filing of the plans, and PSC must approve, reject, or modify an electric utility’s integrated resource plan consistent with the public interest. The bill also requires PSC to review the integrated resource plans filed by electric utilities to inform its biennial strategic energy assessment. Under current law, the strategic energy assessment evaluates the adequacy and reliability of the state’s current and future energy supply.
Securitization of retiring power plants
Under current law, an energy utility is allowed to apply to PSC for an order allowing the utility to finance the costs of the following activities by issuing bonds: 1) the construction, installation, or otherwise putting into place of environmental control equipment in connection with a plant that, before March 30, 2004, has been used to provide service to customers and 2) the retiring of any existing plant, facility, or other property to reduce, control, or eliminate environmental pollution in accordance with federal or state law. Current law defines these activities as “environmental control activities.” If approved by PSC, the bonds, which are referred to as “environmental trust bonds,” are secured by revenues arising from charges paid by an energy utility’s customers for the utility to recover the cost of the activities, as well as the cost of financing the bonds.
The bill adds the retiring of any existing electric generating facility fueled by nonrenewable combustible energy resources as an environmental control activity, the costs of which may be financed by an environmental trust bond.
Remove size limit on grants for lead service line replacement
The bill allows water public utilities to make grants that cover the full cost of replacing lead-containing customer-side water service lines. Under current law, water public utilities may, after applying to and receiving approval from PSC, make grants and loans to property owners to assist replacement of customer-side water service lines containing lead. Current law prohibits PSC from approving a water public utility’s application to provide these grants unless grants are limited to no more than one-half of the total cost of replacing lead-containing customer-side water service lines.
REAL ESTATE
Real estate condition reports
Under current law, with certain exceptions, an owner selling residential real property or vacant land must give a prospective buyer a form, known as a real estate condition report for residential real property and known as the vacant land disclosure report for vacant land (real estate condition report), on which the owner discloses certain conditions of, and other information about, the real property of which the owner is aware. Currently, as part of the real estate condition report, a seller must disclose whether the applicable real estate is located in a floodplain. The bill requires the real estate condition report to include a link to a DNR website for more information about flood insurance. Current law also requires a seller of residential real estate to indicate whether any insurance claims related to damage to the premises have been filed in the past five years. The bill adds the same provision to the vacant land disclosure report. Additionally, the bill adds to both real estate condition reports language that specifies that the disclosure related to insurance claims includes insurance claims for damage caused by a flood. Lastly, the bill adds to the real estate condition report a disclosure related to claims for financial support, other than insurance claims, for damage to the property caused by a flood. Under current law and the bill, the real estate condition report includes a provision under which the prospective buyer acknowledges that that technical knowledge such as that acquired by professional inspectors may be required to detect certain defects, including “floodplain status.”
Landlord notification requirements
The bill provides that, if a landlord has actual knowledge that a rental property is located in a floodplain, the landlord must disclose that fact to a prospective tenant before entering into a lease or accepting any earnest money or security deposit from the prospective tenant.
RETIREMENT AND GROUP INSURANCE
Benefits for domestic partners
The bill provides that domestic partners of public employees be treated similarly to spouses of public employees for purposes of benefits received through ETF. These benefits include group health insurance coverage, beneficiary rights under the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS), automatic beneficiary rights under the deferred compensation plan, and duty disability survivorship benefits.
WRS annuitants returning to work
Under current law, if a WRS annuitant, or a disability annuitant who has attained his or her normal retirement date, is appointed to a position with a WRS-participating employer or provides employee services to a WRS-participating employer in which he or she is expected to work at least two-thirds of what is considered full-time employment by ETF, the annuity must be suspended and no annuity payment is payable until after the participant again terminates covered employment.
The bill removes the requirement that an annuitant who returns to work for a participating employer have his or her annuity suspended and become a participating employee and instead allows an annuitant who returns to work to either 1) elect to suspend his or her annuity and become a participating employee or 2) elect to continue receiving his or her annuity and not become a participating employee.
Under current law, a WRS participant who has applied to receive a retirement annuity must wait at least 75 days between terminating covered employment with a WRS employer and returning to covered employment again as a participating employee. The bill reduces that period to 30 days.
Waiting period for state employees
Under current law, most state employees, other than limited-term employees, become covered under the state group health insurance plan on the first day of the first month after becoming employed with the state by filing an election within 30 days of being hired. However, most state employees are ineligible for an employer contribution toward the premiums for the first three months of employment. The bill changes the date to the first day of the second month for most state employees, other than limited-term employees, hired after the effective date of the bill.
Internal auditor
The bill creates the Office of Internal Audit attached to ETF. Under the bill, the office plans and conducts audits of activities and programs administered by ETF, among other responsibilities, while following policies, principles, and directives established by the Employee Trust Funds Board (ETFB).
The bill requires ETFB to appoint an internal auditor and internal audit staff within the classified service who report directly to ETFB. Currently, the internal auditor for ETF reports to the secretary of ETF, and internal audit staff report to the internal auditor.
Automated operating system progress report
The bill requires the secretary of ETF to submit with ETF’s biennial budget request a report that includes details of ETF’s expenditures to implement an automated operating system and a progress report and timelines of ETF’s anticipated progress on modernizing its business processes and integrating its information technology systems.
SAFETY AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Advanced practice registered nurses
Licensure of advanced practice registered nurses
Under current law, a person who wishes to practice professional nursing must be licensed by the Board of Nursing as a registered nurse (RN). The bill creates an additional system of licensure for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), to be administered by the board. Under the bill, in order to apply for an APRN license, a person must 1) hold, or concurrently apply for, an RN license; 2) have completed an accredited graduate-level or postgraduate-level education program preparing the person to practice as an APRN in one of four recognized roles and hold a current national certification approved by the board; 3) possess malpractice liability insurance as provided in the bill; 4) pay a fee determined by DSPS; and 5) satisfy certain other criteria specified in the bill. The bill also allows a person who has not completed an accredited education program described above to receive an APRN license if the person 1) on January 1, 2026, is both licensed as an RN in Wisconsin and practicing in one of the four recognized roles and 2) satisfies additional practice or education criteria established by the board. The bill also, however, automatically grants licenses to certain RNs, as further described below. The four recognized roles, as defined in the bill, are 1) certified nurse-midwife; 2) certified registered nurse anesthetist; 3) clinical nurse specialist; and 4) nurse practitioner. The bill requires the board, upon granting a person an APRN license, to also grant the person one or more specialty designations corresponding to the recognized role or roles for which the person qualifies.
Under the bill, all APRNs, except APRNs with a certified nurse-midwife specialty designation, must practice in collaboration with a physician or dentist. However, under the bill, an APRN may practice without being supervised by a physician or dentist if the board verifies that the APRN has completed 3,840 hours of professional nursing in a clinical setting and has completed 3,840 clinical hours of advanced practice registered nursing practice in his or her recognized role while working with a physician or dentist during those 3,840 hours of practice. APRNs may count additional hours practiced as an APRN in collaboration with a physician or dentist towards the 3,840 required hours of professional nursing. APRNs with a certified nurse-midwife specialty designation are instead required, if they offer to deliver babies outside of a hospital setting, to file and keep current with the board a proactive plan for involving a hospital or a physician who has admitting privileges at a hospital in the treatment of patients with higher acuity or emergency care needs, as further described below. Regardless of whether an APRN has qualified to practice independently, the bill provides that an APRN may provide chronic pain management services only while working in a collaborative relationship with a physician who, through education, training, and experience, specializes in pain management. Alternatively, if an APRN has qualified to practice independently and currently has privileges in a hospital, the APRN may provide chronic pain management services without a collaborative relationship with a physician.
The holder of an APRN license may append the title “A.P.R.N.” to his or her name, as well as a title corresponding to whichever specialty designations that the person possesses. The bill prohibits any person from using the title “A.P.R.N.,” and from otherwise indicating that he or she is an APRN, unless the person is licensed by the board as an APRN. The bill also prohibits the use of titles and abbreviations corresponding to a recognized role unless the person has a specialty designation for that role.
The bill allows an APRN to delegate a task or order to another clinically trained health care worker if the task or order is within the scope of the APRN’s practice, the APRN is competent to perform the task or issue the order, and the APRN has reasonable evidence that the health care worker is minimally competent to perform the task or issue the order under the circumstances. The bill requires an APRN to adhere to professional standards when managing situations that are beyond the APRN’s expertise.
Under the bill, when an APRN renews his or her APRN license, the board must grant the person the renewal of both the person’s RN license and the person’s APRN license. The bill requires all APRNs to complete continuing education requirements each biennium in clinical pharmacology or therapeutics relevant to the APRN’s area of practice and to satisfy certain other requirements when renewing a license.
Practice of nurse-midwifery
The bill eliminates licensure and practice requirements specific to nurse-midwives and the practice of nurse-midwifery, including specific requirements to practice with an obstetrician. Under the bill, “certified nurse-midwife” is one of the four recognized roles for APRNs, and a person who is licensed as a nurse-midwife under current law is automatically granted an APRN license with a certified nurse-midwife specialty designation. The bill otherwise allows nurse-midwives to be licensed as APRNs if they satisfy the licensure requirements, except that the bill also requires that a person applying for a certified nurse-midwife specialty designation be certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board. The bill also requires an APRN with a specialty designation as a certified nurse-midwife to file with the Board of Nursing, and obtain the board’s approval of, a plan for ensuring appropriate care or care transitions in treating certain patients if the APRN offers to deliver babies outside of a hospital setting.
Prescribing authority
Under current law, a person licensed as an RN may apply to the Board of Nursing for a certificate to issue prescription orders if the person meets certain requirements established by the board. An RN holding a certificate is subject to various practice requirements and limitations established by the board and must possess malpractice liability insurance in an amount determined by the board.
The bill eliminates certificates to issue prescription orders and generally authorizes APRNs to issue prescription orders. A person who is certified to issue prescription orders under current law is automatically granted an APRN license with his or her appropriate specialty designation. RNs who are practicing in a recognized role on January 1, 2026, but who do not hold a certificate to issue prescription orders on that date and who are granted an APRN license under the bill may not issue prescription orders. As under current law, an APRN issuing prescription orders is subject to various practice requirements and limitations established by the board.
The bill eliminates a provision concerning the ability of advanced practice nurses who are certified to issue prescription orders and who are required to work in collaboration with or under the supervision of a physician to obtain and practice under a federal waiver to dispense narcotic drugs to individuals for addiction treatment.
Malpractice liability insurance
The bill requires all APRNs to maintain malpractice liability insurance in coverage amounts specified under current law for physicians and nurse anesthetists except for an APRN whose employer has in effect malpractice liability insurance that provides at least the same amount of coverage for the APRN. Additionally, the bill requires APRNs who have qualified to practice independently and who practice outside a collaborative or employment relationship to participate in the injured patients and families compensation fund. The injured patients and families compensation fund provides excess medical malpractice coverage for health care providers who participate in the fund and meet all other participation requirements, which includes maintaining malpractice liability insurance in coverage amounts specified under current law.
Other changes
The bill directs DHS to require a hospital that provides emergency services to have sufficient qualified personnel available at all times to manage the number and severity of emergency department cases anticipated by the location. At a minimum, the bill directs DHS to require a hospital that provides emergency services to have on-site at least one physician who, through education, training, and experience, specializes in emergency medicine.
The bill makes numerous other changes throughout the statutes relating to APRNs, including various terminology changes.
Buildings and safety
Private on-site wastewater treatment system grants
The bill extends the grant program aiding certain persons and businesses served by failing private on-site wastewater treatment systems (POWTS), which are commonly known as septic tanks. Under current law, the program is repealed effective June 2025. In addition, under the bill, a failing POWTS installed at least 33 years before the submission of a grant application is eligible to receive a grant. Current law authorizes grants only for failing POWTS that were installed before July 1, 1978.
Offsetting costs of trade exams administered by third parties
The bill creates an appropriation for DSPS to reduce the cost of examinations required to obtain an occupational license in the building trades that are administered by a third party.
Combining operations and administrative services appropriations
The bill combines two program revenue appropriations for operations and administrative services related to DSPS’s regulation of industry, buildings, and safety into a single appropriation.
Professional licensure
DSPS renewal dates; continuing education; nursing workforce survey
Under current law, a two-year renewal period applies to many health and business credentials administered by DSPS or a credentialing board. The renewal date for each two-year period is specified by statute. In addition, the laws governing some professions specify continuing education requirements, either by statute or by rule, as part of credentialing renewal.
The bill eliminates statutory renewal dates for these credentials and instead allows DSPS, in consultation with the credentialing boards, to establish renewal dates. The bill makes various changes to continuing education requirements for various professions to account for the flexible renewal periods allowed in the bill, including allowing DSPS and the credentialing boards to adjust continuing education requirements and to establish interim continuing education or other reporting requirements as needed to align with changes to renewal cycles.
Nursing refresher course tuition reimbursement program
The bill requires DSPS to establish and implement a program to reimburse individuals for the cost of completing a nursing refresher course offered at a technical college. The reimbursement is available to individuals who are licensed as a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse, are under 60 years of age, and have not actively practiced nursing in the prior five-year period. The bill requires DSPS to allocate at least $150,000 in each fiscal year for reimbursements under the program.
Professional licenses for certain noncitizens
Currently, federal law prohibits all but certain noncitizens from receiving any “state or local public benefit,” which is defined to include any “professional license, or commercial license provided by an agency of a state or local government.” However, federal law allows states to explicitly allow eligibility for certain public benefits. The bill allows certain individuals who are not U.S. citizens to receive any professional license issued in this state if they meet all other requirements or qualifications for the professional license. For purposes of the bill, “professional license” means a license, registration, certification, or other approval to perform specific work tasks, whether issued by the state or a local governmental entity.
Statewide clinician wellness program
The bill allows DSPS to provide a statewide clinician wellness program to provide support to health care workers in this state in maintaining their physical and mental health and ensuring long-term vitality and effectiveness for their patients and their profession.
Reviews of criminal records
The bill requires DSPS, when conducting an investigation of the arrest or conviction record of a credential applicant, to obtain and review information to determine the circumstances of each case or offense, except that the bill allows DSPS, in its discretion, to complete its investigation of an arrest or conviction record without reviewing the circumstances of certain types of offenses specified in the bill. These offenses include certain first offense operating while intoxicated and related violations; certain underage alcohol violations; and minor, nonviolent ordinance violations, as determined by DSPS.
Rules; license portability
The bill provides that DSPS or a credentialing board in DSPS may promulgate rules to achieve enhanced license portability to help facilitate streamlined pathways to licensure for internationally trained professionals and increased reciprocity.
Combining general operations appropriations
The bill combines five program revenue appropriations related to the licensing, rule-making, and regulatory functions of DSPS into a single appropriation.
SHARED REVENUE
County and municipal property tax freeze incentive payments
