Wisconsin Bills | MyRepTracker

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 1173: Relating to: spectacle lens prescriptions provided by optometrists and professional disciplinary actions by the optometry examining board. (FE)

This bill modifies Wisconsin's optometry laws to strengthen penalties for optometrists who fail to provide patients with their eyeglass or contact lens prescriptions at no cost. It creates a new provision requiring that all prescriptions include a measurement of the patient's pupillary distance and allows the optometry examining board to impose fines of up to $1,000 for each violation. The changes directly affect optometrists and their patients by ensuring prescription access and establishing clearer standards for disciplinary actions.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AJR 144: Relating to: congratulating the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team on winning the Olympic gold medal.

This bill congratulates the U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team for winning the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics. It specifically recognizes the team's achievements and highlights the contributions of Wisconsin athletes and staff who were part of the squad. The resolution expresses appreciation from the Wisconsin State Legislature to the players, coaches, and support staff for their success. As a ceremonial measure, the bill does not create new laws or policies but serves to honor the team's accomplishment.

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 1110: Relating to: fertility treatment rights, reimbursement of fertility treatments under the Medical Assistance program, and requiring insurance coverage for fertility treatments. (FE)

This bill establishes statutory rights for individuals, healthcare providers, insurance companies, and manufacturers to access and provide fertility treatments without interference, while also creating a legal mechanism for enforcement through private lawsuits. It defines fertility treatment broadly to include procedures like in vitro fertilization, egg and sperm preservation, genetic testing, and related medications, requiring that services follow widely accepted medical standards. The legislation mandates that health insurance issuers cover fertility treatments and allows the state to seek federal waivers to reimburse these services through the Medical Assistance program if necessary. Additionally, it grants individuals the right to make decisions about their reproductive genetic material and establishes legal protections for providers to continue treatments they have already begun.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 1146: Relating to: minimum nurse staffing ratios in hospitals, registered nurses’ right to refuse a work assignment, prohibiting mandatory overtime for registered nurses, and providing a penalty.

This bill establishes minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios across various hospital units, requiring hospitals to submit annual staffing plans that specify the maximum number of patients each registered nurse can care for during a shift. It also grants registered nurses the right to refuse work assignments that violate these staffing standards and prohibits mandatory overtime for nurses. Hospitals must create staffing committees with a majority of frontline nurses, post their staffing plans publicly, and maintain detailed records of actual staffing levels for at least three years. The bill includes penalties for non-compliance, including fines for failing to submit plans or follow corrective actions after violations are confirmed.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 1114: Relating to: grants for fine arts teacher mentorship and making an appropriation. (FE)

This bill creates a state-funded mentorship program to support beginning music, art, and performing arts teachers in Wisconsin. It appropriates $50,000 for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years to contract with a nonprofit organization to pair experienced mentors with new teachers. The program provides classroom guidance, resources, conference support, and materials to help new teachers succeed and prepare students for performances. The nonprofit must match the state funding and provide quarterly reports on program activities and expenses.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 1183: Relating to: grants for emergency notification systems that are accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing pupils and making an appropriation. (FE)

This bill establishes a $1 million annual grant program to help school districts install or upgrade emergency notification systems that are accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The funding, allocated for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 fiscal years, is intended to cover the costs of making emergency alert systems compatible with needs of students who cannot hear traditional alarms. Under the legislation, the Department of Public Instruction can award grants to eligible school districts, but the amount awarded cannot exceed what the district actually spent on the installation or upgrade. The bill creates new statutory provisions in the Wisconsin statutes to authorize and regulate this specific grant program.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 1157: Relating to: pupil discrimination and private schools participating in a parental choice program or the Special Needs Scholarship Program, discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression, and providing a penalty.

This bill prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression in Wisconsin public schools and private schools that receive state funding through parental choice or scholarship programs. It requires these schools to adopt written policies for handling discrimination complaints and mandates that schools admitting only one sex must still allow students whose gender identity aligns with that sex. The legislation also adds gender identity and gender expression to the list of protected characteristics for hiring teachers and administrative staff, while allowing religious schools to decline instruction in religions other than their own. Additionally, the bill establishes penalties of up to $1,000 for officials who intentionally discriminate against students or staff in violation of these provisions.

Topics ✓ Education

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 1092: Relating to: paid preparation time for teachers. (FE)

This bill requires school districts in Wisconsin to ensure teachers have at least 45 minutes of daily self-directed preparation time, equivalent to one full class period. The provision applies to teachers covered by collective bargaining agreements or contracts, taking effect when those agreements expire or are modified. The legislation amends existing state statutes to mandate this preparation time as part of teachers' daily schedules.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Labor & Employment

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 1126: Relating to: prohibiting vaping on public and private school property.

This bill prohibits vaping on all public and private school property, including classrooms, playgrounds, and athletic facilities. It defines electronic smoking devices broadly to include e-cigarettes, vape pens, and similar products, regardless of whether they contain nicotine. The law applies to students, staff, and visitors on school grounds and allows schools or local governments to adopt even stricter rules if they choose.

Topics ✓ Education

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 1163: Relating to: unfair sales practices at publicly funded stadiums.

This bill prohibits unfair pricing on food and beverages sold at publicly funded stadiums in the state. It directly affects stadium owners, operators, and concessionaires who sell items to fans at these venues. The law defines a stadium as a large facility with at least 3,000 seats that receives public financial support, while excluding schools and tribal schools from the restriction. Under the new rules, concessionaires cannot charge more than the retail cost of food or drinks plus a 20 percent markup. Selling items at higher prices would be classified as an unfair trade practice.

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 1161: Relating to: online services accessed by minors, minors’ personal data, and granting rule-making authority.

This bill creates a new section in state statutes to regulate how online services collect and use personal data from minors under 18 years old. It applies to businesses that operate online services in the state, earn most of their revenue from those services, and are likely to be accessed by minors. The law requires covered businesses to implement age-appropriate design features, restrict the collection of sensitive data like biometric and genetic information from minors, and prevent compulsive use patterns that disrupt a minor's daily activities. The bill also grants the state rule-making authority to establish specific standards for how these protections should be implemented and enforced.

Topics ✓ Technology

failed · Wisconsin · Assembly Mar 23, 2026

AB 1191: Relating to: banning products containing intentionally added PFAS and providing a penalty. (FE)

This bill would ban the sale and distribution of products containing intentionally added PFAS chemicals, starting with specific categories like food packaging, cookware, and children's products by January 1, 2032, and expanding to all products by January 1, 2038, unless the chemical use is deemed unavoidable for public health or safety. Manufacturers would be required to submit detailed information about their PFAS-containing products to the state department, and the department could require testing to verify compliance. The law includes exemptions for products regulated by federal law, firefighting foam, used products, and medical devices, and imposes a penalty of $100 per violating product for each day the violation continues.

Topics ✓ Healthcare