This bill proposes changes to Wisconsin state income tax calculations and education funding, primarily affecting individual taxpayers and school districts. It allows residents to subtract certain qualified tips and overtime compensation from their taxable income, aligning state rules more closely with federal tax deductions for these earnings. Additionally, the legislation increases state aid for school districts, special education programs, and technical colleges while adjusting how surplus refund payments are handled. The bill also updates the definition of "income" for tax purposes to include specific items like capital gains and certain public assistance benefits.
This bill proposes changes to Wisconsin state tax law and education funding, primarily affecting individual taxpayers and school districts. It would allow residents to subtract certain federal deductions for tips and overtime pay from their state income tax, while also increasing funding for special education, school-age parents programs, and technical colleges. The legislation includes specific rules for calculating these tax benefits and defines how various income sources are treated for state tax purposes. Additionally, it establishes a revenue limit for technical college districts and provides for surplus refund payments.
SB 74 ratifies the Social Work Licensure Compact, allowing social workers licensed in one participating state to practice in other compact states without reapplying for a new license. The bill creates a commission to manage the compact and amends multiple statutes to align licensing requirements across participating states, ensuring social workers meet standardized qualifications. This directly affects social workers seeking to practice across state lines, child welfare agencies (which must employ licensed social workers per amended statutes), and licensing boards. Key provisions include standardizing definitions for "social worker" and "licensed treatment professional" in statutes governing employment and service delivery. The compact aims to streamline licensure for social workers while maintaining consistent professional standards.
This bill would modify Wisconsin election procedures by replacing the current method of randomly discarding excess ballots with a system that documents discrepancies and incorporates them into risk-limiting audits. It directly affects election inspectors and canvassers who count ballots, as well as voters whose ballots might be affected by these counting procedures. The key provision eliminates the random removal of excess ballots and instead requires detailed documentation of ballot discrepancies, with audits investigating any discrepancies exceeding 0.5 percent of total ballots cast. The changes would take effect in phases, starting with selected contests in January 2026 and expanding to all elections by April 2027.
This bill would establish ranked-choice voting for certain Wisconsin elections and provides funding to help local governments implement the system. It directly affects voters, election officials, and municipalities by changing how ballots are counted and how ties are resolved. The key provisions allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference, require tie-breaking by lot when candidates receive equal votes, and authorize grants to counties and cities for updating voting equipment and software. The bill also gives municipalities flexibility in combining polling wards to facilitate ranked-choice voting while maintaining separate vote counts for reporting purposes.
This bill authorizes the creation of emergency services districts and grants them the authority to levy property taxes, impose special charges, and issue debt to fund local emergency response services. It directly affects local governments and residents within areas where these districts are established by modifying existing statutes related to district formation and financial powers. The legislation includes provisions for how emergency services district board members are elected, specifying ballot arrangements and candidate limits during primary elections. Additionally, it clarifies which entities are responsible for paying election-related costs, such as ballots and voting materials, when emergency services districts hold elections.
This bill proposes establishing an annual Education Foundation Day in Wisconsin on May 13, 2026, to recognize the role of over 350 education foundations in supporting public schools. The legislation aims to acknowledge how these foundations provide supplemental funding for programs, build community connections, and create endowments that traditional budgets cannot support. It does not create new funding or change existing laws, but rather designates a specific date to honor the contributions of these organizations. The measure was introduced in the 2026 Wisconsin Legislature but failed to advance after being referred to the Committee on Rules.
This bill proposes establishing an annual Education Foundation Day in Wisconsin to be held on May 13, 2026. The resolution formally recognizes the role of over 350 education foundations that support public schools through funding programs not covered by traditional budgets, building endowments, and connecting schools with community resources. It does not create new funding or change existing laws but instead serves as a commemorative measure to acknowledge the contributions of these organizations. The bill is procedural in nature and does not alter policy or affect specific groups beyond recognizing their work.
This bill authorizes the creation of emergency services districts in Wisconsin and grants these districts the authority to levy property taxes and impose special charges to fund their operations. It also allows emergency services districts to issue debt to finance capital projects. The legislation amends state statutes to clarify how emergency services district board members are elected, specifying ballot procedures and candidate limits for these districts. Additionally, the bill outlines how election costs for emergency services districts are shared between the districts and local governments when voting occurs.
This bill establishes a public financing system for judicial campaigns in Wisconsin, allowing candidates for supreme court justice, court of appeals judge, and circuit court judge positions to receive state funding if they meet specific contribution requirements. To qualify, candidates must collect at least 1,000 qualifying contributions totaling between $5,000 and $50,000 during a designated period, and they must file detailed receipts showing each contributor's name and address. The bill also limits anonymous contributions to $5 for public financing candidates and $10 for others, requiring any excess to be donated to schools or charities. Additionally, it creates a mechanism for transferring unspent public funds to replacement candidates when a vacancy occurs, with funds reverting to the state if no replacement is filed within seven days.
This bill would update Wisconsin election laws to implement ranked-choice voting for certain offices and establish procedures for resolving election ties. It directly affects state and local election officials, candidates, and voters by changing how votes are counted and how ties are handled. The bill creates new provisions allowing candidates to be ranked on ballots, grants rule-making authority to the Department of Justice for implementing ranked-choice voting systems, and provides funding to counties and municipalities to update equipment and software needed for administering the new voting method. Additionally, it establishes specific procedures for resolving ties when candidates receive equal numbers of votes, including the option for candidates to draw lots if present. The legislation also allows municipalities to combine voting wards to facilitate the use of common polling places.
This bill modifies Wisconsin election procedures by replacing the random removal of excess ballots with risk-limiting audits for selected contests starting in 2026, expanding to all elections by 2027. It requires election officials to document ballot discrepancies in detail rather than randomly discarding surplus ballots, and mandates investigations if discrepancies exceed 0.5 percent of total ballots cast. The legislation also updates oath requirements for deputy election officials to include specific acknowledgments about absentee voting procedures and penalties for noncompliance. These changes directly affect election inspectors, canvassers, and the Wisconsin Elections Commission, which would oversee the implementation of audit standards and investigation protocols.
