SB 45 is the 2025 executive budget act, primarily allocating state funds through new grant programs and modifications to existing funding mechanisms. It creates a grant program for local construction projects requiring 50% nonstate funding, allocates $10 million to the Medical College of Wisconsin Eye Institute (with matching private funding required), and establishes a state film office within the Department of Tourism. The bill also directs annual county grants, authorizes tribal government training grants for the Oneida Nation, and specifies annual transfers from the local government fund to the transportation fund. These provisions focus on funding distribution for infrastructure, healthcare, cultural programs, and tribal-state collaboration.
SB 4 establishes legal requirements for direct primary care agreements in Wisconsin. It defines these contracts as written arrangements between healthcare providers and patients (or employers) where providers offer ongoing primary care services for a fixed subscription fee. Key provisions mandate that agreements must detail specific services, specify the fee, allow termination with written notice, and be signed by both parties. The bill was vetoed by the Governor on August 11, 2025, preventing it from becoming law.
AB 73 creates a new statute (Chapter 798) to formally recognize two types of specialized court programs in Wisconsin: treatment courts and commercial courts. Treatment courts (e.g., drug, mental health, veterans courts) address underlying issues like addiction to reduce recidivism through treatment and supervision, while commercial courts handle business disputes more efficiently. The bill establishes these dockets within the existing court system, requiring judges to receive specialized training and operate using graduated sanctions and rewards. It directly affects courts handling these case types, aiming to improve outcomes for participants and streamline dispute resolution.
SB 417 establishes rules for allowing essential visitors and clergy to visit residents in long-term care facilities (like nursing homes) and hospitals during communicable disease outbreaks. It requires facilities to permit at least one designated essential visitor (such as a family member or legal guardian) or clergy member in specific compassionate situations, including end-of-life care, grief support, or when a health professional determines the visitor’s presence benefits the patient. Facilities may deny visitation only if the visitor refuses safety protocols, poses a contagion risk, or the patient declines the visit. The bill also creates a process for residents to file complaints if facilities violate these rules and provides liability protection for facilities following the policy.
AB 674 prohibits health insurance plans and the Medical Assistance program from covering organ transplants or related care if the organ was transplanted in or originated from a country designated by the department as participating in forced organ harvesting. The bill applies to disability insurance, self-insured health plans, and Medical Assistance. It defines "forced organ harvesting" as removal via coercion, deception, or abuse of power, and requires the department to designate affected countries. Life-saving post-transplant care remains covered even if the transplant itself is prohibited under the bill.
SB 181 creates a levy limit exemption for local governments that fund regional emergency medical services (EMS). It allows counties or municipalities to count costs for regional EMS (via joint districts or agreements) toward their budget without triggering standard spending limits, provided the service area covers at least 232 square miles or 8+ municipalities. The bill requires that annual EMS funding increases stay within an inflation-adjusted cap (U.S. CPI plus 5%) and that the local government confirms a coordinated regional service area. This directly affects local governments operating regional EMS systems by making their funding more flexible under budget constraints. The exemption applies to costs for fire department-provided EMS and excludes these expenditures from standard spending limit calculations.
AB 657 exempts sales and use taxes for specific equipment and materials used exclusively in qualified nuclear fusion technology projects. It covers over 70 listed items, including plasma heating systems, superconductors, diagnostic tools, specialized materials like lithium and tungsten, and safety equipment. The exemption applies to businesses conducting fusion projects focused on energy generation, medical isotope production, research, or other fusion-related applications as defined in the bill. This policy directly reduces costs for companies developing nuclear fusion technology by eliminating taxes on qualifying purchases.
SB 384 requires health care providers to provide the same standard of care and immediate hospital transport for any child born alive after an abortion or attempted abortion, as they would for any newborn of the same gestational age. Violating these requirements is a Class H felony, but the mother cannot be prosecuted for the incident. The bill also allows affected women to seek triple the cost of the abortion as civil damages, plus attorney fees, while protecting their identity through court confidentiality orders. It explicitly states the law does not create or recognize a right to abortion.
SB 553 clarifies that certain medical procedures performed to save a pregnant woman's life do not count as "abortion" under state law. The bill creates specific definitions for terms like "anembryonic pregnancy," "ectopic pregnancy," and "molar pregnancy," and explicitly states that abortion does not include procedures like emergency cesarean sections, removal of a dead fetus, or treatment for these specific conditions when doctors make reasonable efforts to preserve both the mother's and unborn child's life. This directly affects healthcare providers who perform these emergency procedures and pregnant patients facing medical crises. The law updates multiple statutes to ensure these scenarios are excluded from the legal definition of abortion.
AB 598 allows patient representatives to consent to health care facility admissions for incapacitated individuals without requiring a court-appointed guardian or protective placement petition. The bill creates a defined "patient representative" role, requiring two medical professionals (e.g., two physicians or one physician plus an advanced practice clinician) to certify incapacity based on medical need - not age, disability, or eccentricity. Patient representatives gain authority to make health care decisions, enroll individuals in Medical Assistance, and authorize health care expenses similar to a guardian, but only for non-developmental disability and non-mental illness cases. This change streamlines admissions for incapacitated patients while mandating 72-hour notifications to county agencies about the certification.
