SB 348 requires school districts to provide training for staff on addressing student mental health, directly affecting public schools and their employees. The bill adds $500,000 for fiscal year 2025-26 and another $500,000 for 2026-27 to the state’s existing budget for the Department of Public Instruction to fund these training programs. This funding is specifically designated to support mental health training initiatives in schools, with no changes to existing curriculum requirements. The bill takes effect after the 2025 biennial budget is published.
AB 301 creates a new grant program providing up to $300,000 annually for mental health clubhouses - nonresidential support programs for individuals with mental health conditions (not medical treatment providers). Eligible clubhouses must meet specific criteria, including having members diagnosed with or awaiting diagnosis for mental illness, raising matching funds equal to the grant amount, operating in a separate physical space, and allowing member participation in operations. Grants are capped at $50,000 per clubhouse per year, with all funding expiring by June 30, 2030. This bill directly affects qualified clubhouses seeking financial support to maintain their services.
SB 108 creates a secure online portal to share minors' safety plans during mental health or behavioral crises. It allows minors (13+) to create written plans with a facilitator, including contact info, de-escalation strategies, and crisis guidance, which they can share only with designated safety plan partners (like schools, law enforcement, or health providers) after signing a consent form. The portal, managed by the state, requires minor consent for sharing, limits access to crisis situations or updates, and expires after one year. This directly affects minors at risk of crisis encounters with emergency services and the agencies coordinating their care. The bill standardizes how safety information is shared while requiring explicit consent and confidentiality.
AB 299 requires the University of Wisconsin (UW) System Board to contract with a mental health service provider for virtual counseling and support for students at UW institutions with 30,000 or fewer full-time undergraduate students (as counted April 1 annually). The services must work alongside existing campus mental health programs, operate beyond standard business hours, and include proven clinical support and licensed professionals experienced with college students. Vendors must have at least five years of higher education mental health experience and provide software enabling collaboration with campus staff. The board must annually report student usage statistics system-wide and by institution to the legislature.
SB 324 prohibits mental health providers from offering conversion therapy to individuals under 18 years old. The bill defines conversion therapy as any attempt to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, while exempting counseling supporting gender transition, providing acceptance/support, or addressing unsafe behaviors without intent to change orientation/identity. Violations could result in disciplinary actions against providers, including license suspension or revocation by state licensing boards. The law applies to licensed psychologists, counselors, social workers, and other mental health professionals covered under state licensing statutes.
SB 578 allows designated patient representatives to consent to health care facility admissions for individuals who cannot manage their own health care decisions (incapacitated) without requiring a court-appointed guardian or protective placement petition. The bill mandates that incapacity be certified by two physicians or one physician and one advanced practice clinician, excluding individuals diagnosed with developmental disability or mental illness. Patient representatives can make health care decisions, enroll the individual in Medical Assistance, and authorize health care costs until the individual is no longer deemed incapacitated or a court appoints a guardian. This streamlines consent for eligible patients while maintaining medical oversight and avoiding traditional guardianship processes.
AB 76 creates a state income tax deduction for Wisconsin psychiatrists and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners. It allows eligible professionals to deduct up to $100,000 annually from their taxable income if they practice outside medically underserved areas, or up to $200,000 if they work in such areas (as defined by statute). The deduction applies only to income earned from their specific practice in Wisconsin and is limited to 5 consecutive taxable years, starting within 2 years of beginning or returning to practice in the state. To qualify, practitioners must be licensed and certified as specified in the bill, with the higher deduction requiring service in designated underserved regions.
AB 178 creates a new state grant program to fund county and tribal programs that offer treatment alternatives to jail for people facing criminal charges related to substance use or mental health issues. It requires these programs to use evidence-based treatment, integrate mental health services, and include graduated incentives for participants. The bill directly affects criminal defendants with substance use disorders or mental illness who qualify for these programs, as well as counties and tribes receiving grants. Key provisions include mandating collaboration between courts, prosecutors, public defenders, and health agencies to develop and oversee the programs, while exempting participants in approved programs from losing good time credit in jail.
SB 107 allows minors aged 14 or older to consent to their own inpatient mental health treatment for mental illness or developmental disability without parental permission. It amends statutes to require minors 14+ to sign admission applications directly, with parents/guardians only needing to sign if the minor refuses. If a minor 14+ seeks treatment but parents refuse or cannot be found, the minor may petition a court for approval within 3 days. The bill also mandates facilities to inform minors and parents of their rights, including court review options, and sets a 5-day timeline for courts to decide on admission petitions. This directly affects minors 14+, their families, and mental health facilities.
SB 646 amends Wisconsin statute 51.61(1)(g)3 to allow reports assessing whether involuntarily committed individuals can refuse mental health treatment to be based on examinations by advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) with psychiatric expertise, not just physicians. This directly affects individuals in involuntary mental health commitments and expands the healthcare professionals authorized to certify treatment necessity and competency to refuse care. The bill requires such reports to include a signed statement from the APRN or physician confirming the individual needs treatment and lacks competence to refuse it. The change takes effect September 1, 2026, after a transitional period allowing either physicians or qualified APRNs to issue these reports until that date. The law maintains existing court hearing requirements for treatment decisions but broadens who can provide the foundational medical assessment.
