Two-Week January Floorperiod Kicked Off Today

2025-2026 Legislative Bulletin

January 13, 2025

In this edition of the League's Legislative Bulletin, you'll find:

1. Two-Week January Floorperiod Kicked Off Today

2. League Lobbying Priorities in the State Capitol for 2026

3. Recently Introduced Legislation of Municipal Importance

4. Agency Actions, including:

a. Clean Water Fund Programs Awards Announced

b. Recreational Trail Grant Materials Available

5. Federal Forecast on Overtime Income Tax Deductions

Two-Week January Floorperiod Kicks Off Today

Today kicked off the two-week January floorperiod as we approach the end of the 2025-2026 Legislative Session. The Assembly is scheduled to be on the floor twice this week with a handful of bills the League has taken lobbying positions on planned for final action in that chamber. Those bills include:

Tuesday, January 13th

Assembly Bill 443, authored by Rep. Kaufert (R-Neenah), which increases the maximum fee for municipal court actions from $38 to $48 - the League is registered in-favor - passed 89-11 today

Assembly Bill 182, authored by Rep. Armstrong (R-Rice Lake), which makes several changes to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit - the League is registered in-favor - passed 99-0 today

Assembly Bill 219, authored by Rep. Novak (R-Dodgeville), which creates a tax credit for the modernization of local railroad infrastructure - the League is registered in-favor - passed 99-0 today

Thursday, January 15th

Assembly Bill 502, authored by Rep. Goeben (R-Hobart), which limits community-first decision-making on outdoor advertising signs - the League is registered against

Assembly Bill 106, authored by Rep. VanderMeer (R-Tomah), which addresses tax collection on certain electric vehicle charging stations - the League is registered in-favor

Assembly Bill 248, authored by Rep. Allen (R-Waukesha), which clarifies vacancies of a fixed-term state office appointees - the League is registered neutral

You can learn more about each of these bills and their status in the other chamber of the legislature in the League’s summary of lobbying positions. That document may be found in the Recently Introduced Legislation of Municipal Importance section below.

The January floorperiod continues into next week when the Assembly is expected to be back in session at least once and the Senate is expected to convene once as well. More information on what will be on those agendas will be included in next week’s Wheeler Bulletin.

League Lobbying Priorities for 2026

Only a few months remain in the 2025-2026 Legislative Session, and the League Government Affairs Team is working hard to advance member priorities in the State Capitol. In the last edition of the Legislative Bulletin, we discussed seven efforts where the League is advocating for passage in 2026. In this edition, we’re highlighting six efforts we’re opposing and hoping to see fail this session.

Legislation has been introduced on five of these six issues, with the extraterritorial jurisdiction bill circulating for co-sponsorship and expected to be introduced later this week. To learn more about these efforts and their status, review the League’s Summary of Bills with League Lobbying Positions beginning on page two of this document.

Recently Introduced Legislation of Municipal Importance

The following bills have been 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.

Senate Bill (SB) 813: Recording of Buildings, Fixtures, and Improvements - Sen. Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) and Rep. Knodl (R-Germantown) - This legislation seeks to clarify the process for recording when a building, fixture, or improvement (BFI) on a parcel is owned by a person other than the person who owns the underlying land. Specifically, this legislation requires the assessor or real property lister to create a separate tax parcel for that BFI which includes a description of the property. This legislation also clarifies the sale of interest in a BFI property.

SB 798: Assured Wetland Delineators - Sen. Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) and Rep. Mursau (R-Crivitz) - Currently, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) operates a pilot program wherein certified professionals may conduct wetland delineation without a site visit from the DNR. The reports generated may be utilized for wetland permitting decisions. This legislation makes that pilot program permanent and establishes the framework for professionals performing delineations, including the effect of a report produced by an assured delineator, certification requisites, and professional conduct requirements. The League has registered in-favor of this legislation.

SB 771: Single Stairways in Multifamily Housing - Sen. Wall (D-Green Bay) and Rep. Bare (D-Verona) - Generally, under current law, buildings with habitable floors above the second story must have two separate stairwells. This legislation creates a multifamily housing innovation council which is required to develop a guidebook with recommendations for the design and construction of multifamily housing up to six stories that has just one stairwell. The council must also make recommendations to allow multifamily housing to be built on land zoned for commercial use. The recommendations must be converted into a model ordinance that local governments would be authorized to adopt.

View the League's Full Summary of Bills Introduced in Past Two Weeks

⭐If you would like to contact your legislators on any bills mentioned in the Legislative 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.

Agency Actions

Clean Water Fund Program Awards Announced

Last week, the Governor and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced $484 million in financial assistance through the Clean Water Fund Program (CWFP). The CWFP provides low-interest loans and, in certain circumstances, principal forgiveness loans (i.e., grants) to wastewater utilities throughout the state for capital projects.

This immensely successful federal-state-local partnership has been in place over 30 years, funding billions of dollars of projects in communities of all sizes. Until 2023, no eligible project had been denied funding. However, a shortfall in available bond revenues led to $216.5 million in unfunded projects in the previous state fiscal biennium.

Thanks to the League’s efforts as part of a broader coalition of supporters, more than $730 million in new bonding authority was issued in the 2025-2027 State Budget. This funding ensures that worthy projects like these can be funded and stay on track.

82 municipalities are the beneficiaries of CWFP financing in this latest round of awards. This includes $46 million in principal forgiveness and $438 million in subsidized loans. A full list of preliminary approved projects may be found on the DNR’s website.

Recreational Trail Grant Materials Available

The DNR has announced that the deadline to apply for Recreational Trail Program grants has changed from May 1st to March 1st. If your municipality is interested in applying for a grant to maintain, rehabilitate, or develop a local trail or trail-side amenity, learn more and apply now on the DNR’s website.

Federal Forecast

Recent federal action has exempted certain overtime pay from income taxes, raising questions among municipalities that are finalizing W-2 documents for city or village employees. The National League of Cities recently published an article regarding this overtime tax deduction, offering guidance to municipalities who may not have been tracking overtime pay separately leading into this tax season. Learn more on NLC’s website.

Email questions or comments to:

Toni Herkert, Government Affairs Director, therkert@lwm-info.org

Evan Miller, Government Affairs Specialist, emiller@lwm-info.org