Children and Families

AB 1012 establishes a family and medical leave insurance program that would allow eligible workers to take up to 14 weeks of leave per year to care for a newborn, newly adopted child, or family member with a serious health condition, or to address certain family military needs. The bill would require employers with 50 or more employees to provide this leave, funded through a new family and medical leave insurance trust fund. It defines "family member" broadly to include spouses, domestic partners, parents, children, siblings, and other close relatives or people in close association with the employee. The legislation also sets specific limits on leave availability, including a maximum of 6 weeks for certain family situations and 8-14 weeks for combined reasons within a 12-month period.

AB 903 modifies Wisconsin law regarding parental rights termination for newborns voluntarily relinquished under the safe haven law (s. 48.195). It requires the district attorney or designated official to file a petition to terminate parental rights within 30-60 days after a court finds probable cause that the parent relinquished custody. This directly affects parents who use the safe haven program and child welfare officials handling these cases, ensuring timely legal proceedings for newborns placed in care. The bill focuses on procedural timing, not policy outcomes.

AB 918 amends Wisconsin statute 118.019(2m)(e) to require public schools to include specific topics in human growth and development curriculum. The bill mandates instruction on adoption, parental responsibility, and the socioeconomic benefits of marriage for adults and children. This directly affects K-12 schools developing or updating their human growth curriculum. The change adds these three subjects to the existing required content without altering other curriculum elements. The bill was introduced in January 2026 and referred to the Children and Families committee.

AB 898 modifies birth registration rules for children born through surrogacy. It requires that birth records include the surrogate mother's information while omitting the father's details. The bill also mandates that courts can only establish parental rights for these children through adoption proceedings - unless at least one petitioner seeking parental rights is biologically related to the child. This affects how surrogacy-related birth records are processed and how courts determine parental rights.

AB 961 requires distributors of explicit content (such as publishers and digital platforms) to display specific warning labels on all adult-oriented material. For print publications, labels must appear on the cover in 20-point bold Arial font; for digital content, labels must appear before access, remain visible for 10 seconds, and occupy two-thirds of the screen. The labels must include standardized language warning: "WARNING: This material contains explicit content that may be harmful or offensive. Viewer discretion is advised. Not intended for minors." Violations incur fines, with 50% of fines funding a state appropriation via a surcharge.