Assembly Floor Session: February 20, 2024 (Education, Natural Resources, Economic Development)

Date Mon, Feb. 26, 2024 - 7:58am By Hamilton

The Wisconsin Assembly met February 20, 2024. See the floor calendar here. This floor session carried over to the following day due to the number of bills on the calendar. Also this month, both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature met February 13, the Senate also met February 20, and the Assembly met February 15 and 22.

The Assembly passed 68 bills. The bills on the calendar dealt with a variety of subjects including education policy, environmental and natural resources policy, and economic and workforce development.

Following is a full list of the bills that the Assembly approved, which were passed by unanimous roll call or voice vote unless otherwise noted:

AB 29 Bullion Tax Exemption A sales and use tax exemption for precious metal bullion. Passed, 86-12.
AB 91 UW Admissions Fees Exempting veterans and members of the armed forces from admissions application fees at University of Wisconsin System schools and technical colleges. Passed, 96-2.
AB 232 Hmong American Instruction Directing school boards to provide instruction on Hmong Americans and Asian Americans.
AB 255 Rural Pharmacy Grants Creating a rural pharmacy practice grant program administered by the Higher Educational Aids Board, exempting from taxation amounts received from such a grant program, and granting rule-making authority.
AB 398 Clinical Trials Participants in clinical research trials.
AB 574 Earned Wage Services Regulating earned wage access services, granting rule-making authority, and providing a penalty.
AB 603 Highway Signs Erecting highway signs for The Prairie School in Racine County.
AB 622 Business Improvement Districts Multijurisdictional business improvement districts, annual reports for neighborhood improvement districts, and certain notifications for neighborhood improvement districts and business improvement districts.
AB 638 School Materials Requiring school boards to make textbooks, curricula, and instructional materials available for inspection by school district residents. Passed, 63-35.
AB 689 Pay for Performance Grants Pay for performance grant requirements, use of public lands to provide temporary residence for the homeless, and providing a penalty. Passed, 60-39.
AB 644 Open Enrollment Applications for full-time open enrollment.
AB 671 Rehired Annuitants Protective occupation annuitants in the Wisconsin Retirement System who are rehired by a participating employer.
AB 898 Civics Education Required instruction in civics in the elementary and high school grades, high school graduation requirements, and private school educational program criteria.
AB 900 School Aid Reductions to state aid paid to school districts for payments made under parental choice programs and the Special Needs Scholarship Program. Passed, 64-35.
AB 917 Counterfeit Lighters The sale of counterfeit lighters and unsafe lighters.
AB 933 Angel Investment Credit Transferring the angel investment tax credit.
AB 937 Cursive Incorporating cursive writing into the state model English language arts standards and requiring cursive writing in elementary grades.
AB 978 Human Trafficking Council Creation of a Human Trafficking Council and requiring the establishment of county sex trafficking task forces.
AB 981 Human Trafficking Instruction Instruction on human trafficking in licensed schools of barbering, schools of cosmetology, and specialty schools.
AB 1013 Food Incentive Program Healthy food incentive program. Passed, 96-2.
AB 1014 Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity prevention and management grants.
AB 1015 Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity prevention and management grants and making an appropriation. Passed, 96-2.
AB 1016 Physical Activity Requiring public and private schools to offer a minimum amount of physical activity each week.
AB 1024 Truant Notice Notice to the parent or guardian of a habitually truant child.
AB 1025 Truancy Definitions related to truancy.
AB 1026 Grade Promotion Prohibiting grade promotion on the basis of absences from school.
AB 1027 Truancy Grant Funding Funding a truancy reduction grant program and making an appropriation.
AB 1028 Truancy Grants A truancy reduction grant program.
AB 1029 Truancy Information Including truancy information in the school district and school accountability report.
AB 1034 Interscholastic Athletics Participation in interscholastic athletics and application of the public records and open meetings laws to interscholastic athletic associations.
SB 223 Benjamin Neal Highway Designating and marking the Corporal Benjamin H. Neal Memorial Highway.
SB 316 Aquatic Plant Management Aquatic plant management plans and permit exemptions.
SB 335 School District Administrators Allowing school boards to employ a school district administrator who is not licensed by the department of public instruction. Passed, 63-35.
SB 398 Tax Credit A tax credit for transportation services for blind workers. Passed, 92-6.
SB 399 Bridge Designation Designating a bridge in Pierce County as the Eisenhower Bridge of Valor.
SB 402 Battery to Jurors Battery or threat to jurors and providing a penalty.
SB 408 50 Piece Rule Public funds for substantially identical materials distributed by state senators and representatives to the assembly prior to a general election and providing a penalty.
SB 415 Park Stickers Annual vehicle admission receipt validity period.
SB 439 Property Restrictions Declaring discriminatory restrictions in instruments that affect real property void and unenforceable and allowing an owner of real property to discharge and release such a discriminatory restriction.
SB 447 Glucagon Therapies Ready-to-use glucagon rescue therapies in schools.
SB 452 Memorial Highway Designating and marking the Deputy Kaitie Leising Memorial Highway.
SB 460 Workers Present Violations Traffic violations when railroad workers are present and providing a penalty.
SB 485 Robbery Robbery of a financial institution and providing a penalty.
SB 518 UW Redevelopment Grants University of Wisconsin System branch campus redevelopment grants, including a grant to Richland County, and making an appropriation. Passed, 96-2.
SB 541 Lake Bed Fill Use of fill in commercial waterways and Great Lakes waters.
SB 549 Youth Organizations Allowing representatives of certain federally chartered youth membership organizations to provide information to pupils on public school property.
SB 586 Airgun Hunting Hunting with an airgun, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, granting rule-making authority, and providing a penalty.
SB 587 Firearm Definition Defining muzzle-loading firearm for hunting purposes.
SB 608 Teaching License A license to teach based on working as a paraprofessional in a school district.
SB 613 Commercial Vehicle Damages Recovery Limiting the recovery of noneconomic damages from a commercial motor vehicle carrier.
SB 624 Solid Waste Facilities Method for establishing proof of financial responsibility for municipal solid waste facilities; payments for closure, long-term care, and corrective action costs for certain solid or hazardous waste facilities; extending the time limit for emergency rule procedures; providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures; granting rule-making authority; and making an appropriation.
SB 628 Financial Exploitation Financial exploitation of vulnerable adults.
SB 633 Designating Highway Designating and marking the Ho-Chunk World War II Code Talkers Memorial Highway.
SB 688 Bidding Thresholds Local government competitive bidding thresholds and requiring school districts to utilize competitive bidding.
SB 707 Reading Program Grants National reading program grants.
SB 736 Postelection Audits Postelection audits by the Legislative Audit Bureau and providing a penalty.
SB 741 Ethics Commission Recommendations from the Ethics Commission regarding campaign finance, lobbying, open records, and closed sessions.
SB 744 Tuition Grant Program The tuition grant program for national guard members administered by the Department of Military Affairs.
SB 753 Bridge Projects Supervision of local bridge projects funded under certain local bridge maintenance programs.
SB 780 License Fees Nonresident archer and crossbow hunting license fees.
SB 787 Evansville TIF Limitations on the total value of taxable property that may be included in a tax incremental financing district created in the city of Evansville. Passed, 98-1.
SB 833 Resource Center Funding Funding for the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center and making an appropriation.
SB 875 Xylazine Exception Excepting xylazine testing materials from the definition of drug paraphernalia and civil and criminal liability exemptions for distributing and administering xylazine testing products.
SB 880 Stevens Point TIF Limitations on the total value of taxable property that may be included in a tax incremental financing district created in the city of Stevens Point.
SB 898 Estate Documents Electronic and remote witnessing and notarization of estate planning documents.
SB 915 Antigo TID The maximum life and allocation period for Tax Incremental District Number 4 in the city of Antigo.
SB 917 Student Teaching Student teaching requirement for teacher preparatory programs and granting rule-making authority.
SB 971 Early Literacy Early literacy programs administered by the Department of Public Instruction.

The Senate Bills (SB) listed above, as well as AB 574, previously passed the Senate and can be presented to the governor for his signature or veto, except for SB 402, which was amended by the Assembly.

The Assembly did not act on three bills on the calendar:

AB 1042 School Choice Programs Combining the choice programs and granting rule-making authority.
AB 542 Firearm Detection Software Grants to schools to acquire proactive firearm detection software and making an appropriation.
AB 968 Threat Detection Grants Appropriating money for grants to schools to acquire proactive threat detection equipment and software and making an appropriation.

Finally, the Assembly adopted six resolutions, one of which (AJR 112) is a proposed constitutional amendment:

AR 22 Operating Engineers
AJR 112 Partial Veto Prohibiting the governor from using the partial veto to create or increase any tax or fee (first consideration). Adopted, 64-34.
AJR 114 Ben Chan
AJR 110 Appreciation Week
SJR 107 Mississippi River Refuge Day
SJR 117 Border Aid Adopted, 63-35.

For more information about the 2023-24 legislative session in Wisconsin, see the following articles:

Categories Economic & Workforce Development / Education / Environment / Wisconsin Legislature