2025-2026 Legislative Bulletin | | Last Call on Capitol Connections | | Capitol Connections: Wisconsin Municipalities Day is just nine days away! This is a last call for registrations to this biennial legislative engagement event taking place in our capital city. If you’re not already registered, you’re encouraged to sign up by Thursday to ensure your spot is guaranteed for this day full of informative programming, legislative engagement, great food, and networking with fellow municipal officials. Registration is free of charge and open to all municipal officials including elected leaders and staff. | | Our day will kick off in the Monona Terrace with doors opening at 9:30am and the event starting at 10:00am with opening remarks by League Executive Director Jerry Deschane and an update on the legislative session by League Government Affairs Director Toni Herkert and Government Affairs Specialist Evan Miller. A continental breakfast will also be available at this time. | | | | At 11:00am, we’ll take a short walk to the State Capitol where attendees will meet with their legislators from 11:30am to 1:00pm to discuss issues important to your municipality and all Wisconsin municipalities. Attendees are required to set their own meetings in this window. The League’s website has a list of frequently asked questions that may help if you’ve never scheduled meetings in the State Capitol. | | |
Following the meetings, attendees will return to the Monona Terrace where lunch will be available. From 1:30pm to 2:15pm, Legislative Fiscal Bureau Director Bob Lang will sit down with Jerry Deschane to discuss the State of Wisconsin’s finances and the 2025-2027 State Budget Process. From 2:15pm to 3:00pm, Forward Analytics Director Dale Knapp will present on the state’s economy and provide a data-centered look at topics of interest to municipal leaders. Learn more about our two presenters on the League’s website.
Finally, to wrap up the day, attendees are invited to stay for a networking reception with legislative guests, fellow municipal officials, a cash bar, and free desserts.
While the League works tirelessly to advocate for municipal interests in state government, we rely on feedback from members to ensure we’re providing the right message and engagement from municipal officials to ensure that message is strongly conveyed to legislators. This event is your opportunity to help us move that mission forward. We hope to see you there!
| | League Legislative Agenda in Action | | The League’s 2025-2026 Legislative Agenda touches on a myriad of issues important to Wisconsin’s municipal leaders. One of pillars is addressing inflation and another covers the recruitment and retention of local workers. This Bulletin section will highlight recent legislation that puts the League’s Legislative Agenda into action. | | | |
Wisconsin’s EMS crisis has been an ongoing challenge for municipal leaders. Hearing from our members, the League has been actively engaged in working with state legislators to pursue solutions that will help to resolve some of the challenges that municipal leaders have identified, including that costs are exceeding available revenues and a lack of ability to find qualified staff.
Six recently introduced bills (SBs 181, 182, 183, ABs 197, 198, 199) may help to resolve some of these issues. Generally, the bills look to:
- improve access to EMS training programs and reduce the cost of those programs to participants,
- increase reimbursement rates for non-transport emergency calls by Medicaid recipients,
- provide more oversight on expansions in the scope of practice for EMTs,
- create a levy limit exemption for regional (county-sized) EMS service territories, and
- exempt current joint fire and EMS districts and new regional EMS districts from the Expenditure Restraint Program.
A full summary of each of the three bills and their provisions is available here.
| | | | Last Wednesday, Toni Herkert, the League’s Government Affairs Director, was joined by a half-dozen members at hearings in the Senate and Assembly to testify in support of this package of EMS bills. The League’s testimony focused on the need for these bills while also noting our requests for slight modifications to ensure the intended impacts are felt statewide. | | |
While any one effort will not fix Wisconsin’s EMS crisis, these bills make notable progress in our approach to EMS funding, recruitment, retention, and incentivizing consolidation.
Thank you to the primary bill authors, Representative Tony Kurtz and Senator Howard Marklein, along with all their co-authors and co-sponsors and members of the two committees for your continued pursuit of legislative solutions aimed at supportive local governments, their first responders, and Wisconsin residents.
A huge thank you as well to members that spoke at this hearing, including:
- Deputy Chief Jon Schultz from Eau Claire Fire & Rescue,
- Chief Bruce Peterson from Fort Atkinson Fire Department,
- Administrator Matt Schuenke from the Village of McFarland,
- Chief Robert Whitaker from North Shore Fire Rescue,
- Administrator Brandon Hennes from the City of Omro, and
- Administrator Logan Fuller from the Village of Winneconne.
The facts, figures, and stories these members were able to share with committee members was invaluable and we truly appreciate their engagement!
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ARPA Reporting Deadline THIS Wednesday
One final reminder that municipalities are required to submit their 2024 Annual Project and Expenditure Report to the U.S. Department of Treasury by Wednesday, April 30, 2025. These reports are required every year through 2027 as a condition of receiving American Rescue Plan Act – State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA-SLFRF). The Wisconsin Department of Revenue’s website has links to resources to assist in the filing process. The National League of Cities also has a webpage to assist with ARPA reporting.
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Recently Introduced Bills of Municipal Importance
The following bills were recently introduced in the Wisconsin State Legislature and have been added to the list of those being monitored by the League. Unless otherwise indicated, no formal position has been taken on these proposals to date.
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Senate Bill (SB) 216: Local Government Competitive Bidding Thresholds - Sen. Tomczyk (R-Mosinee) and Reps. O’Connor (R-Fond du Lac) and Brooks (R-Saukville) - Under current law, local governments must competitively bid all projects above $25,000 and award the contract to the lowest responsible bidder and must provide public notice for all projects between $5,000 and $25,000 prior to a contract being signed. This legislation increases the bidding threshold to $50,000 and the notice threshold to $10,000 for all public construction projects except road projects and indexes all bidding and notice thresholds to growth in the Consumer Price Index every five years. The League has registered in-favor of this legislation.
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SB 213: Tax Credit for Rail Infrastructure Modernization - Sen. Quinn (R-Birchwood) and Reps. Novak (R-Dodgeville) and Tranel (R-Cuba City) - This legislation creates an income and franchise tax credit for Class II and Class III railroads in the state to modernize rail infrastructure. Specifically, 50% of the amounts expended by the railroad for maintenance may be claimed or, if the entity does not have tax liability, may be transferred. Additionally, 50% of the amounts expended on new rail infrastructure and improvements may also be claimed. The legislation sets qualification requirements and processes for claiming the credits.
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SB 186: Training Completion Awards for Volunteer Firefighters - Sen. Jacque (R-New Franken) and Rep. Sortwell (R-Two Rivers) - Under current law, the state administers a Service Award Program to provide awards to volunteer firefighters, EMRs, and EMTs based on their length-of-service. This legislation expands that program to provide grants to volunteer fire departments to make onetime training completion awards to volunteer firefighters. Any volunteer firefighter who completes the required 60 hours of training is awarded $500, with half from the state and half from the awarding local fire department.
| | ⭐If you would like to contact your legislators on any bills mentioned in the Bulletin, you can find contact information for all legislators here. To find out which legislators represent your community, use the "Find Your Legislator" function on the right side of the page. | | | | |
