Sen. Jesse James

Maddy summarySB 996 creates a new state appropriation of $600,000 for fiscal year 2025-26 to fund grants supporting community paramedic programs within emergency medical services. It also increases annual funding for falls prevention initiatives by $200,000 per fiscal year (2025-26 and 2026-27). The bill establishes these as continuing appropriations under Wisconsin statute for eligible programs. These funds directly support local health services addressing community safety and injury prevention. The bill takes effect July 1, 2027.

Maddy summarySB 977 allocates $1 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year to fund economic support specialist positions in county resource centers across 10 Wisconsin counties. The Department of Health Services must prioritize grants for two rural, two suburban, and two urban counties, with up to four additional grants awarded as needed. Counties receiving funds must submit annual reports detailing the specialist's impact on individuals served. This program expires after the 2025-26 budget year, with no funding allocated for 2026-27.

Maddy summarySB 997 creates a new funding line for economic support specialist positions at resource centers, appropriating $1 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year. It replaces the previous funding mechanism for these specialists (defined under statute 46.2805(10)) with a dedicated appropriation. The bill directly affects resource centers that provide economic support services, ensuring funding for specialist staff positions. This is a procedural budgetary change, not a policy shift, and takes effect immediately for the 2025-26 funding cycle (with a repeal of the prior provision scheduled for July 1, 2027).

Maddy summarySB 1006 designates specific highway segments as memorial routes honoring eight deceased Wisconsin State Troopers. The bill requires the Department of Transportation to erect and maintain markers on these routes only after receiving sufficient private contributions from counties, cities, or other interested parties (no state funds may be used). It names routes including STH 23 near Green Lake (Trooper Donald C. Pederson), I-94 near Eau Claire (Trooper Debbie M. McMenamin), and I-90 near Lake Delton (Trooper Anthony J. Borostowski), among others. The measure is purely commemorative, creating no new state obligations or policy changes.

Maddy summarySJR 130 is a ceremonial joint resolution celebrating Wisconsin athletes competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Italy. It formally recognizes the state's athletes, including those in cross-country skiing, biathlon, wheelchair curling, sled hockey, and other sports, by urging the Wisconsin Legislature to honor their participation. The resolution has no binding effect or policy changes; it serves solely as a symbolic gesture of support. It directly affects Wisconsin athletes by acknowledging their representation of the state on an international stage.

Maddy summarySB 1014 expands Wisconsin's existing deflection initiative by providing grants to current participating sites during 2025-27. The bill allows grants for hiring staff, contracting vendors for evaluations, or acquiring care coordination technology that meets legal privacy standards. It increases annual funding by $400,000 for two years and adds $107,100 to support an additional staff position for the Department of Justice. This directly affects current deflection initiative sites, the Department of Justice, and qualified technology vendors.

Maddy summarySJR 127 is a ceremonial resolution celebrating the 115th anniversary of Scouting America's founding. It expresses the Wisconsin Legislature's support for Scouting America's values - such as duty to God and country, leadership development, and community service - and encourages all citizens and organizations to recognize its contributions. The resolution directs the Senate clerk to send a copy to Scouting America in Wisconsin. As a non-binding resolution, it does not create new laws, allocate funding, or alter existing policies.

Maddy summarySB 1072 modifies child support rules for children in foster care by automatically assigning future child support payments to the state when a child enters foster care. It directly affects parents of foster children, county human services departments, the Department of Children and Families, and juvenile courts. The bill requires county departments to refer cases to child support enforcement if parents earn above 400% of the federal poverty line or receive adoption assistance, triggering an assignment of the parent’s future wages and benefits to cover foster care costs. Key provisions update statutes to streamline this assignment process and clarify which court orders trigger the state’s right to collect payments. The bill aims to ensure foster care costs are covered without requiring separate court orders for each case.

Maddy summarySB 1047 adjusts payment rates for medication-based opioid treatment services to match Medicare rates starting in 2027, directly affecting opioid treatment programs (OTPs) and their patients. It eliminates a requirement for OTPs to document enrollment details and mandates specific staffing rules, including having a nurse present during dosing and maintaining a 1 counselor-to-55-patient ratio. The bill also updates admission criteria, requiring documented failed detox attempts for minors seeking maintenance treatment and clarifying initial dose limits for new patients. These changes aim to standardize care and payment while ensuring program compliance with federal and state regulations.

Maddy summarySB 994 prohibits the public affairs network from charging fees for accessing live or archived state government proceedings when the network receives state funding for its operations. This applies directly to the state's public affairs network (which broadcasts government meetings) and the public seeking access to those recordings. The bill modifies existing rules to ensure fee-free access regardless of whether state funds are used, removing a prior condition that required explicit state funding for the fee ban. The key provision guarantees public access to government proceedings without cost under state-funded operations.