AB50: Bill Text

AB50,1643,7 [Article IV] Section 1. The legislative power, except for the initiative and referendum powers reserved to the people, shall be vested in a senate and assembly.

AB50,2 Section 2. Section 17 (2) of article IV of the constitution is amended to read:

AB50,1643,10 [Article IV] Section 17 (2) No Except as provided under sub. (6) (c), no law shall be enacted except by bill. No law shall be in force until published.

AB50,3 Section 3. Section 17 (5) of article IV of the constitution is created to read:

AB50,1643,16 [Article IV] Section 17 (5) (a) The people reserve to themselves the power to reject at a referendum any act of the legislature or part of an act as provided in this subsection. The people may petition for a referendum on the passage of an act, one or more sections of an act, or one or more items of appropriation in an act. The petition for a referendum shall satisfy all of the following conditions:

AB50,1643,18 1. Be signed by qualified electors equaling at least 4 percent of the vote cast for the office of governor at the last preceding gubernatorial election.

AB50,1643,19 2. Be filed with the agency administering state elections.

AB50,1644,2 (b) All signatures for a petition submitted under par. (a) must be made on paper. After verifying the sufficiency of the signatures for a petition, the agency administering state elections shall order the submission of the act or each act section or each item of appropriation in the petition to the qualified electors of the state for their rejection at the next succeeding general election occurring subsequent to 120 days after the filing of the petition.

AB50,1644,4 (c) No act of the legislature or part of an act rejected in a referendum may be reenacted during the legislative session in which it was rejected.

AB50,4 Section 4. Section 17 (6) of article IV of the constitution is created to read:

AB50,1644,11 [Article IV] Section 17 (6) (a) The people reserve to themselves the power of initiative to propose laws and amendments to this constitution and to approve or reject them at an election independently of the legislature as provided in this subsection. The people may propose an initiative law or constitutional amendment by petition for a vote of the people on the passage of the law or ratification of the amendment. The petition shall satisfy all of the following conditions:

AB50,1644,14 1. If a petition for an initiative law, be signed by qualified electors equaling at least 6 percent of the vote cast for the office of governor at the last preceding gubernatorial election.

AB50,1644,17 2. If a petition for an initiative constitutional amendment, be signed by qualified electors equaling at least 8 percent of the vote cast for the office of governor at the last preceding gubernatorial election.

AB50,1644,23 3. Include the full text of the proposed law or constitutional amendment prepared in proper form, as provided by law. Upon request by any qualified elector, the agency administering state elections shall have the proposed law or constitutional amendment drafted in proper form, as provided by law, and made available to the public. The proposed law or amendment shall embrace no more than one subject, and that shall be expressed in the title.

AB50,1645,2 4. Be filed with the agency administering state elections not less than 120 days before the election at which the proposed law or constitutional amendment is to be voted upon.

AB50,1645,8 (b) All signatures for a petition submitted under par. (a) must be made on paper. After verifying the sufficiency of the signatures for a petition, the agency administering state elections shall order the submission of the initiative law or constitutional amendment to the qualified electors of the state for their approval or rejection at the next succeeding general election occurring subsequent to 120 days after the filing of the petition.

AB50,1645,16 (c) If approved by a majority of the qualified electors voting at the election, an initiative law or constitutional amendment shall go into effect on the 30th day after the date the agency administering state elections certifies the election results as provided by law, unless a different effective date is specified in the initiative law or amendment. The legislature may not repeal or amend an initiative law or any part of an initiative law for the 2 years immediately succeeding its publication and may not repeal or amend an initiative law or any part of an initiative law except by a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house.

AB50,1645,22 (d) If rejected by a majority of the qualified electors voting at the election, substantially the same initiative law or constitutional amendment, as determined by the agency administering state elections, may not be submitted again to the qualified electors under par. (b) until a general election occurring at least 5 years after the general election at which the initiative law or constitutional amendment was rejected.

AB50,5 Section 5. Section 17 (7) of article IV of the constitution is created to read:

AB50,1646,4 [Article IV] Section 17 (7) No person may pay to or receive from another person money or any other thing of value based on the number of signatures obtained on an initiative or referendum petition under this section. This subsection does not prohibit payment for signature gathering that is not based, either directly or indirectly, on the number of signatures obtained.

AB50,6 Section 6. Numbering of new provisions. If another constitutional amendment ratified by the people creates the number of any provision created in this joint resolution, the chief of the legislative reference bureau shall determine the sequencing and the numbering of the provisions whose numbers conflict and shall adjust any cross-references to those provisions.

AB50,1646,12 Be it further resolved, That this proposed amendment be referred to the legislature to be chosen at the next general election and that it be published for three months previous to the time of holding such election.”.

AB50,1646,14 (b) No later than November 1, 2025, both houses of the legislature shall hold a final vote on the joint resolution under par. (a).

AB50,9129 Section 9129. Nonstatutory provisions; Lieutenant Governor.

AB50,9130 Section 9130. Nonstatutory provisions; Local Government.

AB50,1646,22 (1) Levy limit exception for regional planning commission charges. For the purposes of a levy imposed by a city, village, town, or county in December 2025, the base amount to which s. 66.0602 (2) applies does not include any amount that the city, village, town, or county levied in the immediately preceding year to pay for the city’s, village’s, town’s, or county’s share of a regional planning commission’s budget as charged by the commission under s. 66.0309 (14) (a) to (c).

AB50,9131 Section 9131. Nonstatutory provisions; Military Affairs.

AB50,1647,4 (1) Payment to the Town of Westport for disaster assistance. Notwithstanding the requirements under s. 323.31, from the appropriation under s. 20.465 (3) (b), in the 2025-26 fiscal year, the department of military affairs shall provide a payment of $68,100 to the Town of Westport to reimburse the costs incurred from storm damage.

AB50,9132 Section 9132. Nonstatutory provisions; Natural Resources.

AB50,1647,11 (1) Nonprofit conservation organization grants. In the 2025-26 fiscal year, from the appropriation under s. 20.370 (5) (aa), the department of natural resources shall provide grants to Gathering Waters, as authorized under s. 23.0955; to the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, as authorized under s. 23.0956; to River Alliance of Wisconsin, as authorized under s. 281.72; and to Wisconsin Lakes, as authorized under s. 281.69 (1r).

AB50,1647,22 (2) Emergency rules for PFAS community grant program. The department of natural resources may use the procedure under s. 227.24 to promulgate emergency rules relating to the community grant program under s. 292.67. Notwithstanding s. 227.24 (1) (a) and (3), the department is not required to provide evidence that promulgating a rule under this subsection as an emergency rule is necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, safety, or welfare and is not required to provide a finding of emergency for a rule promulgated under this subsection. Notwithstanding s. 227.24 (1) (e) 1d. and 1g., for emergency rules promulgated under this subsection, the department is not required to prepare a statement of scope of the rules or to submit the proposed rules in final draft form to the governor for approval.

AB50,1648,5 (3) Statewide biomonitoring studies. The department of health services shall conduct biomonitoring studies across the state to assess perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substance exposure levels and better understand the factors that affect perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substance exposure levels in different communities. The department may, as part of these studies, survey volunteer participants, test blood samples for the presence and levels of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and analyze the results.

AB50,1648,10 (4) Forestry-industry-wide strategic plan. From the appropriation under s. 20.370 (2) (jq), the department of natural resources shall develop a forestry- industry-wide strategic plan and road map. The department shall submit the final report on this plan and road map to the council on forestry no later than September 16, 2026.

AB50,1648,23 (5) Emergency rule-making authority; Great Lakes erosion control revolving loan program. The department of natural resources may use the procedure under s. 227.24 to promulgate emergency rules under s. 23.1991 for the period before the date on which permanent rules under s. 23.1991 take effect. Notwithstanding s. 227.24 (1) (c) and (2), emergency rules promulgated under this subsection remain in effect until the first day of the 25th month beginning after the effective date of the emergency rules, the date on which the permanent rules take effect, or the effective date of the repeal of the emergency rules, whichever is earliest. Notwithstanding s. 227.24 (1) (a) and (3), the department of natural resources is not required to provide evidence that promulgating a rule under this subsection as emergency rules is necessary for the preservation of public peace, health, safety, or welfare and is not required to provide a finding of emergency for a rule promulgated under this subsection.

AB50,1649,13 (6) Emergency rule-making authority; Mississippi River erosion control revolving loan program. The department of natural resources may use the procedure under s. 227.24 to promulgate emergency rules under s. 23.1993 for the period before the date on which permanent rules under s. 23.1993 take effect. Notwithstanding s. 227.24 (1) (c) and (2), emergency rules promulgated under this subsection remain in effect until the first day of the 25th month beginning after the effective date of the emergency rules, the date on which the permanent rules take effect, or the effective date of the repeal of the emergency rules, whichever is earliest. Notwithstanding s. 227.24 (1) (a) and (3), the department of natural resources is not required to provide evidence that promulgating a rule under this subsection as emergency rules is necessary for the preservation of public peace, health, safety, or welfare and is not required to provide a finding of emergency for a rule promulgated under this subsection.

AB50,1649,19 (7) Notification of U.S. Coast Guard rules for vessel discharge. When the department of natural resources determines that the secretary of the U.S. department of homeland security has promulgated final, effective, and enforceable rules under 33 USC 1322 (p) (5), the department shall notify the legislative reference bureau. The legislative reference bureau shall publish a notice in the Wisconsin Administrative Register that specifies that date.

AB50,1649,22 (8) Well compensation earmark for the town of Bloom. Notwithstanding s. 281.75 (4) (b) 4., the town of Bloom in Richland County is eligible for a claim under s. 281.75, not to exceed $16,000.

AB50,9133 Section 9133. Nonstatutory provisions; Public Defender Board.

AB50,1650,6 (1) Incumbent staff. Individuals in project positions that were funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, P.L. 117-2, and funded from the appropriation under s. 20.550 (1) (m), and who are employed by the public defender board on the day before the effective date of this subsection may be appointed to the permanent equivalent of those positions, funded from the appropriation under s. 20.550 (1) (a), notwithstanding any provision of ch. 230.

AB50,9134 Section 9134. Nonstatutory provisions; Public Instruction.

AB50,1650,14 (1) Four-year-old kindergarten contracts; emergency rules. The department of public instruction may promulgate emergency rules under s. 227.24 to implement s. 115.445 (2m). Notwithstanding s. 227.24 (1) (a), (2) (b), and (3), the department is not required to provide evidence that promulgating a rule under this subsection as an emergency rule is necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, safety, or welfare and is not required to provide a finding of emergency for a rule promulgated under this subsection.

AB50,9135 Section 9135. Nonstatutory provisions; Public Lands, Board of Commissioners of.

AB50,9136 Section 9136. Nonstatutory provisions; Public Service Commission.

AB50,9137 Section 9137. Nonstatutory provisions; Revenue.

AB50,1650,19 (1) Passage. This act may become law notwithstanding s. 13.085 (1).

AB50,1650,20 (2) Refunds of certain tax payments made for nontaxable tribal land.

AB50,1650,21 (a) In this subsection:

AB50,1650,24 1. “Claimant” means an individual who paid property taxes levied between 2015 and 2021 on real property exempt from taxation under the 1854 Treaty of La Pointe and who did not pay such taxes under protest.

AB50,1651,1 2. “Department” means the department of revenue.

AB50,1651,3 (b) Subject to the limitations under this subsection, a claimant is eligible to receive a payment as determined under par. (d).

AB50,1651,9 (c) A claimant may file a claim for a payment under this subsection to compensate the claimant for property taxes levied between 2015 and 2021 on real property exempt from taxation under the 1854 Treaty of La Pointe that the claimant paid. The department shall establish procedures for claimants to file a claim for a payment under this subsection. No claimant may make a claim for a payment under this subsection after May 31, 2026.

AB50,1651,12 (d) A claimant who files a claim under par. (c) shall receive a payment equal to the amount of property taxes levied between 2015 and 2021 on real property exempt from taxation under the Treaty of La Pointe paid by the claimant.

AB50,1651,18 (e) For each payment under this subsection approved by the department, the department shall certify the allowable amount of the payment to the department of administration for payment to the claimant by check, share draft, or other draft drawn from the appropriation account under s. 20.835 (1) (b). The department of administration shall make all payments due under this subsection no later than June 30, 2026.

AB50,9138 Section 9138. Nonstatutory provisions; Safety and Professional Services.

AB50,1652,8 (1) DSPS credential investigations; emergency rules. Using the procedure under s. 227.24, the department of safety and professional services and any credentialing board, as defined in s. 440.01 (2) (bm), may promulgate rules that are necessary to implement s. 440.03 (13) (br). Notwithstanding s. 227.24 (1) (a) and (3), the department or credentialing board is not required to provide evidence that promulgating a rule under this subsection as an emergency rule is necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, safety, or welfare and is not required to provide a finding of emergency for a rule promulgated under this subsection. Notwithstanding s. 227.24 (1) (c) and (2), emergency rules promulgated under this subsection remain in effect until July 1, 2027, or the date on which permanent rules take effect, whichever is sooner, and the effective period may not be further extended under s. 227.24 (2).

AB50,1652,22 (2) Advanced practice registered nurses; emergency rules. Using the procedure under s. 227.24, the board of nursing may promulgate rules under ch. 441 that are necessary to implement the changes to the licensure of advanced practice registered nurses. Notwithstanding s. 227.24 (1) (a) and (3), the board is not required to provide evidence that promulgating a rule under this subsection as an emergency rule is necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, safety, or welfare and is not required to provide a finding of emergency for a rule promulgated under this subsection. A rule promulgated under this subsection may take effect no later than the first day of the 13th month beginning after the effective date of this subsection. Notwithstanding s. 227.24 (1) (c) and (2), a rule promulgated under this subsection is effective for 2 years after its promulgation, or until permanent rules take effect, whichever is sooner, and the effective period of a rule promulgated under this subsection may not be further extended under s. 227.24 (2).

AB50,1652,23 (3) Advanced practice registered nurses; recognized roles.

AB50,1653,1 (a) In this subsection, the definitions under s. 441.001 apply.

AB50,1653,9 (b) Notwithstanding s. 441.09 (3), an individual who, on January 1, 2026, is licensed as a registered nurse in this state and is practicing in a recognized role may continue to practice advanced practice registered nursing and the corresponding recognized role in which he or she is practicing and may continue to use the titles corresponding to the recognized roles in which he or she is practicing during the period before which the board takes final action on the person’s application under s. 441.09. This paragraph does not apply after the first day of the 13th month beginning after the effective date of this paragraph.

AB50,9139 Section 9139. Nonstatutory provisions; Secretary of State.

AB50,9140 Section 9140. Nonstatutory provisions; State Fair Park Board.

AB50,9141 Section 9141. Nonstatutory provisions; Supreme Court.

AB50,9142 Section 9142. Nonstatutory provisions; Technical College System.

AB50,9143 Section 9143. Nonstatutory provisions; Tourism.

AB50,1653,22 (1) Transfer of American Indian tourism marketing contract. The contract between the department of tourism and the Great Lakes inter-tribal council in effect on the effective date of this subsection that is primarily related to the promotion of tourism featuring American Indian heritage and culture, as determined by the secretary of administration, is transferred to the department of administration. The department of administration shall carry out any obligations under such a contract until the contract is modified or rescinded by the department of administration to the extent allowed under the contract.

AB50,9144 Section 9144. Nonstatutory provisions; Transportation.

AB50,1654,4 (1) Sound barriers on I 894. During the 2025−27 fiscal biennium, the department of transportation shall allocate $19,500,000 from the appropriation under s. 20.395 (3) (cq) for the construction of sound barriers on I 894, between 27th street and 76th street, in Milwaukee County.

AB50,1654,9 (2) Harbor assistance program priority. Notwithstanding s. 85.095 (2) and (3), in the 2025-27 fiscal biennium, when making grant awards for the harbor assistance program under s. 85.095, the department of transportation shall give priority to municipalities in which a shipbuilder in this state is conducting operations.

AB50,1654,16 (3) City of Sheboygan marina educational facility. In the 2025-27 fiscal biennium, from the appropriations under ss. 20.395 (2) (cq) and 20.866 (2) (uv), notwithstanding the eligibility criteria under s. 85.095, the department of transportation shall award a grant under s. 85.095 (2) (a) to the city of Sheboygan for the construction of an educational facility at the Harbor Centre Marina. The amount of the grant awarded under this subsection shall be $3,000,000 or the total cost of the project, whichever is less.

AB50,1655,4 (4) Prioritization of local bridge and culvert assessment in certain grants. During the 2025-27 fiscal biennium, the department of transportation shall designate 10 percent of moneys appropriated under s. 20.395 (2) (fd) and 10 percent of the moneys appropriated under s. 20.395 (2) (fc) and (fu) for grants for improvements to bridges or culverts identified as being in poor or worse condition in local bridge and culvert assessments performed under s. 85.64. The department of transportation shall establish criteria for evaluating the suitability of projects for which applications are made under s. 86.31 (3o) and (3s) for the moneys designated under this subsection. If the department does not receive sufficient complete grant applications meeting the criteria under this subsection in the 2025‑27 fiscal biennium, the moneys designated under this subsection shall be available for any other purpose for which the moneys were appropriated.

AB50,1655,10 (5) Village of Ontario street development. Notwithstanding limitations on the amount and use of aids provided under s. 86.31 or eligibility requirements for receiving aids under s. 86.31, in the 2025-27 fiscal biennium, from the appropriation under s. 20.395 (2) (fd), the department of transportation shall award a grant to the village of Ontario for residential street development. The grant under this subsection shall be in the amount of $500,000.

AB50,1655,16 (6) Village of DeForest interchange improvement. Notwithstanding limitations on the amount and use of aids provided under s. 86.31 or eligibility requirements for receiving aids under s. 86.31, in the 2025-27 fiscal biennium, from the appropriation under s. 20.395 (2) (fd), the department of transportation shall award a grant to the village of DeForest for improvements to the I 39/CTH “V” interchange. The grant under this subsection shall be in the amount of $6,000,000.

AB50,9145 Section 9145. Nonstatutory provisions; Treasurer.

AB50,9146 Section 9146. Nonstatutory provisions; University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority; Medical College of Wisconsin.

AB50,9147 Section 9147. Nonstatutory provisions; University of Wisconsin System.

AB50,1656,5 (1) Paid sick leave for temporary employees. The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System shall submit to the administrator of the division of personnel management in the department of administration, with its recommendations for adjustments to compensation and employee benefits for employees of the system under s. 230.12 (3) (e) 1. for the 2025-27 fiscal biennium, a plan to provide paid sick leave benefits to temporary employees of the system. The plan shall provide sick leave benefits at the same rate such benefits are provided to permanent and project employees of the system.

AB50,1656,13 (2) Juneteenth holiday and Veterans Day. The administrator of the division of personnel management in the department of administration shall include June 19 and November 11 as paid holidays in the proposal for adjusting compensation and employee benefits for University of Wisconsin System employees for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 fiscal years that it submits to the joint committee on employee relations under s. 230.12 (3) (e) 1. The recommendation shall specify that the first June 19 paid holiday is June 19, 2026, and the first November 11 paid holiday is November 11, 2026.

AB50,1656,15 (3) Funding for the University of Wisconsin Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project.

AB50,1656,16 (a) In this subsection:

AB50,1656,17 1. “Board” means the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.

AB50,1656,19 2. “MIA Recovery Project” means the University of Wisconsin Missing-in- Action Recovery and Identification Project.

AB50,1656,23 (b) From the appropriation under s. 20.285 (1) (a), the board shall provide $500,000 in funding in each fiscal year of the 2025-27 fiscal biennium for the MIA Recovery Project to perform a mission for the recovery and identification of Wisconsin veterans who are missing in action.

AB50,1657,6 (c) The MIA Recovery Project, acting through its representative, shall submit at the conclusion of the mission for which the funds were expended, to the board, the joint committee on finance, the standing committees of each house of the legislature dealing with veterans matters, the governor, the department of veterans affairs, and the department of military affairs, a report on the mission’s findings and an accounting of expenditures for the mission.

AB50,1657,7 (4) Paid family and medical leave.

AB50,1657,8 (a) Definitions. In this subsection:

AB50,1657,10 1. “Family leave” means leave from employment for a reason specified in s. 103.10 (3) (b).

AB50,1657,11 2. “Medical isolation” means any of the following:

AB50,1657,15 a. When a health care professional, a local health officer, or the department of health services advises that an individual seclude herself or himself from others when the individual is awaiting the result of a diagnostic test for a communicable disease or when the individual is infected with a communicable disease.

AB50,1657,17 b. When a local health officer or the department of health services advises that an individual isolate or quarantine under s. 252.06.