It was expected to be the final night of the Assembly’s legislative session; however, the body did not complete its work and reconvened on Friday, February 20, for one last day. Still, Thursday’s floor session featured several significant moments — including a rare bipartisan celebration of the passage of legislation extending Medicaid coverage for postpartum women and expanding coverage for breast cancer screenings. There were also heated partisan disputes, including debate over a wakeboarding bill and the adoption of an amendment to allow for a sandhill crane hunt. The most notable moment of the day, however, came when Speaker Vos announced he will not seek reelection in 2026, ending his tenure as the longest-serving Assembly Speaker in Wisconsin history.
On Friday, the Assembly remained in recess until late afternoon amid ongoing negotiations over a potential tax package. Ultimately, discussions between Governor Evers and Republican legislative leadership did not produce an agreement. Speaker Vos indicated the Assembly will likely return in a special or extraordinary session to address the issue.
Although no final deal on a tax package, the Assembly concluded its regular floor session with two major votes: a compromise bill addressing exemptions related to PFAS cleanup and clarifying elements of the municipal PFAS grant program, and legislation restricting candy and soda purchases under SNAP. The SNAP bill also included an amendment that among other things, added DHS positions to implement new federal eligibility requirements.
Below are notable bills from the Assembly’s February 19 (and February 20) calendar:
AB-130 PFAS (Mursau, Jeff) Exempting certain persons from PFAS enforcement actions under the spills law. Sub. 2 adopted, (Voice Vote). Passed, 93-0.
AB-131 PFAS (Mursau, Jeff) Programs and requirements to address PFAS. Sub. 2 adopted, (Voice Vote). Passed, 93-0.
AB-180 FoodShare (Moses, Clint) Requiring the Department of Health Services to seek any necessary waiver to prohibit the purchase of candy or soft drinks with FoodShare benefits. Sub. 2 adopted, (Voice Vote). Passed, 71-22.
SB-023 MA Eligibility (James, Jesse) Extension of eligibility under the Medical Assistance program for postpartum women. Passed, 95-1.
SB-264 Breast Cancer Screenings (Cabral-Guevara, Rachael) Coverage of breast cancer screenings by the Medical Assistance program and health insurance policies and plans. Passed, 96-0.
AB-192 Fatality Review Teams (Moses, Clint) Fatality review teams and granting rule-making authority. Passed, (Voice Vote).
AB-601 Sports Wagers (August, Tyler) Excluding certain event or sports wagers from the definition of “bet”. (Voice Vote).
AB-866 County Medical Examiners (Tusler, Ron) The administration of the office of county sheriff and the appointment of county medical examiners. (Voice Vote).
AB-892 Digital Asset Staking (Neylon, Adam) Digital asset staking and the state’s securities laws. (Voice Vote).
AB-923 Sexual Extortion (Jacobson, Brent) Creating a civil cause of action for sexual extortion. Passed, 95-1.
AB-948 Wireless Prohibition (Brill, Lindee Rae) Policies to prohibit the use of wireless communication devices during the school day in public schools. Passed, (Voice Vote).
AB-957 ICAC (Brill, Lindee Rae) Internet crimes against children law enforcement and making an appropriation. Passed, 97-0.
AB-958 ICAC (Brill, Lindee Rae) Position authorizations for Internet crimes against children law enforcement. Passed, (Voice Vote).
AB-1033 Wakesurfing (Brooks, Robert) The regulation of wakesurfing and providing a penalty. Sub. 1 adopted, (Voice Vote). Passed, (Voice Vote).
AB-105 Internet Material Distribution (Goeben, Joy) The distribution of certain material on the Internet. (Voice Vote).
SB-036 Tips Tax Exemption (Jacque, Andre) An income tax exemption for cash tips paid to an employee. Passed, 60-31.
SB-016 Public Records Applicability (Tomczyk, Cory) Participation in interscholastic athletics and application of the public records and open meetings laws to interscholastic athletic associations. Passed, (Voice Vote).
SB-291 Tax Credit Eligibility (Marklein, Howard) Making certain child care expenditures eligible for the business development tax credit. Passed, 63-31.
SB-678 OWI Screening (James, Jesse) The use of oral fluids for preliminary screening of a person suspected of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Passed, (Voice Vote).
SB-814 Sexually Violent Persons (Hutton, Rob) Placement of sexually violent persons on supervised release. Passed, (Voice Vote).
SB-822 Health Care Fees (Cabral-Guevara, Rachael) Allowing discounts for prompt payment of health care fees. Passed, (Voice Vote).