Sen. Jeff Smith

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Wisconsin school boards to provide age-appropriate, medically accurate instruction on human growth and development in grades K-12, covering topics like puberty, reproductive anatomy, gender identity, and healthy relationships. It mandates that schools teach abstinence as the most reliable way to prevent pregnancy and STIs while also including information on contraceptives, consent, and digital safety. The legislation defines key terms such as "age-appropriate" and "medically accurate" to ensure content is scientifically based and recognized by leading health organizations. School boards must decide whether to separate students by gender during instruction and include specific subjects like enthusiastic consent and parental communication. The bill also connects marriage and parenting to parental responsibility while addressing bullying and stereotyping prevention.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a state grant program to help school districts pay student teachers an hourly wage of at least $15 for the hours they spend teaching in district schools. Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, school boards must compensate student teachers enrolled in approved teacher preparation programs, with the state reimbursing districts based on the number of hours taught. The legislation also gives the state department authority to create rules for administering the program and includes an appropriation to fund the payments.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a home repair program that provides financial assistance to eligible homeowners and landlords for fixing habitability issues, improving energy efficiency, and making housing accessible for individuals with disabilities. The program offers grants of up to $25,000 to homeowners and interest-free loans of up to $25,000 to landlords who own no more than 15 affordable housing units. Eligibility is limited to individuals or landlords with incomes at or below 100 percent of the area median income, and assistance is restricted to homes built between 10 and 40 years ago. The state authority will administer the program, potentially contracting with counties or nonprofit organizations to distribute funds while maintaining oversight through reporting and audit requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new fund and loan program to help first-time home buyers in Wisconsin cover costs like down payments, closing costs, and mortgage insurance. The program is managed by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority and provides interest-free loans up to $35,000 or 10 percent of the home's purchase price, whichever is less. Eligible borrowers must be first-time home buyers or those who lost their home to foreclosure, have household income at or below 100 percent of the area median income, complete a home buyer education course, and agree to live in the home as their primary residence. The loans are forgiven in installments over ten years if the borrower keeps the home as their primary residence, with larger forgiveness amounts at five and ten-year intervals. The bill also appropriates $150 million for the fund in the 2025-26 fiscal year and allows the authority to invest unused funds in safe, low-risk investments.

Maddy summarySB 826 allows healthcare providers to vaccinate minors aged 16 or older without parental consent if the minor requests it. The bill requires providers to obtain the minor’s consent before billing insurance or other third parties for the vaccination. If the minor declines third-party billing, they are responsible for payment directly to the provider, following existing fee guidelines. This applies specifically to medically appropriate vaccines and affects minors aged 16+, healthcare providers, and third-party payers. The bill does not change parental rights for minors under 16.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a revolving loan program to help municipalities and homeowners along the Mississippi River address shoreline erosion that threatens their buildings. The Department of Natural Resources would administer the program, using $2 million in state funding to provide loans to eligible applicants who meet income and other criteria. The legislation also grants the department authority to create rules for the program and allows it to use emergency rule procedures without needing to prove an immediate public safety emergency. Additionally, the bill extends the time emergency rules remain in effect to 25 months and authorizes the creation of half a full-time equivalent position to manage the program.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires health care plans to publicly disclose which medical services require prior authorization and the specific rules governing those requirements. It mandates that these lists be posted on websites in plain language without requiring users to create accounts, and it sets standards for how clinical review criteria must be developed and updated. The legislation also grants the state insurance commissioner authority to create rules for certain limited service health organizations and includes provisions to prevent claims denials when prior authorization requirements were not in effect at the time of service.

Maddy summaryThis bill aims to protect patients from unexpected medical bills by establishing rules for how health insurance plans must handle emergency care and services provided by out-of-network providers. It requires insurance plans to cover emergency medical services without prior authorization and ensures that cost-sharing amounts for out-of-network emergency care are no higher than what would apply for in-network care. Additionally, the bill mandates that plans pay out-of-network providers directly for services rendered at participating facilities and counts patient cost-sharing payments toward in-network deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums. These provisions apply to defined network plans, preferred provider plans, and self-insured governmental plans that have networks of participating providers.

Maddy summaryThis bill would require grocery retailers in the state to disclose when they use algorithms to set personalized prices for essential consumer goods like food and household products. It prohibits retailers from displaying algorithmically set prices on electronic screens in stores and bans using consumer data from brokers to determine these prices. The law also forbids pricing that varies based on protected characteristics like race, sex, or disability. Violations could result in fines of up to $2,000 per incident, and individuals harmed by violations could sue for damages and legal fees.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies how Wisconsin distributes the state Blue Book and highway maps to legislative members. It requires legislative offices to request specific quantities of the Blue Book before printing, with each Senator capped at 600 copies and each Assembly Representative at 350 copies. The bill also establishes free distribution limits for highway maps, providing 50 service maps and 500 folded maps to each legislator without charge, while allowing paid requests for additional copies. Additionally, it mandates that audit report summaries be distributed using the same method as the Blue Book.