End of Session Drawing Close

The Assembly ended its 2025-26 floor session late Friday, February 20th after four days of passing bills. The Senate is expected to meet on March 17th to act for the last regular session day of the 2026 floor session. With the Assembly having adjourned, only Assembly bills and Senate bills with Assembly amendments already in the Senate have a chance of becoming law (although there is a session available in April for Limited Business and a session available in May for Veto Review).

All bills that have passed both houses in the same form are being prepared for Executive Action (Governor’s signature or veto). The bills can be delivered to the Governor under the following circumstances:

• Delivered to the Governor by the Legislative Leadership
• Requested (Called for) by the Governor

Any bill not already delivered to the Governor under either of those options will automatically be delivered to the Governor on April 2nd. Once a bill has been delivered to the Governor, they have six days (excluding Sundays) to act.

Special Session or Extraordinary Session

In his final State of the State speech, Governor Evers said he intended to call the Legislature back into session to address additional issues. Speaker Vos told media leadership has been trying to get a deal on a tax proposal and said an extraordinary session is possible. What does that mean?

Special Session

A Special Session is called by the Governor for a specific purpose by executive order. The Governor defines the purpose of the Special Session, and the Governor may call a Special Session at any time during the biennial session. However, just because the Governor calls a Special Session doesn’t require the Legislature to act, as has been seen several times in the past seven years. Governor Evers has called for 13 Special Sessions and the Legislature has acted on one of them (modernizing jobless benefits claims system). Instead, the Legislature gavel in and immediately gavels out ending the Special Session.

The Legislature can, through specific committee, add to a Special Session call as long as the proposals are germane to the call.

Extraordinary Session

By definition, an Extraordinary Session is “The convening of the legislature by the committees on organization of each house or by petition or joint resolution of the legislature to accomplish the business specified in the action calling the session. When used to continue a floorperiod of the biennial session for a limited purpose, the extraordinary session is referred to as an extended session.” Thus, an Extraordinary Session is called for by the Legislature itself. 

So What’s the Difference?

According to Legislative Council:

The primary difference between a special session and extraordinary session is who calls the session. A special session is called by the Governor. In contrast, an extraordinary session is called by the Legislature, through one of the following methods: (1) at the direction of a majority of the members of the committee on organization in each house; (2) by the adoption of and concurrence in a joint resolution by a majority of the members elected to each house; or (3) by the joint petition of a majority of the members elected to each house.

In addition, as described above, when the Legislature is in a special session called by the Governor, the Legislature is limited to business that accomplishes the purpose of the special session. The purpose of a special session is determined by the Governor. In contrast, in an extraordinary session, the Legislature determines the purpose of the extraordinary session and can modify its purpose through additional legislative action, without the involvement of the Governor.

Proposed Constitutional Amendments

The following constitutional amendments will be on the November ballot:

• AJR-010 Freedom to Gather (Second Consideration) Rep. Tusler (R-Harrison) The freedom to gather in places of worship during a state of emergency (second consideration). First Tuesday of November 2026
• AJR-102 Discrimination (Second Consideration) Rep. Murphy (R-Hortonville) Prohibiting governmental entity discrimination (second consideration). First Tuesday of November 2026

The following constitutional amendment proposal needs final approval by the Senate:

• SJR-116 Governor's Veto (Second Consideration) Sen. Kapenga (R-Delafield) Prohibiting the governor from using the partial veto to create or increase any tax or fee (second consideration). First Tuesday of November 2026

Legislative Black Caucus Introduced Policy Agenda

On Thursday, the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus introduced their policy agenda for future legislative sessions. The Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus’ Policy Agenda includes:

Affordable Housing and Protecting Renters

• Develop housing affordability programs that prioritize communities with high displacement risk such as establishing:
• The first-time homebuyers program to assist Wisconsinites purchasing their first home or those who face foreclosure.
• Investing in home repair programs, to rehabilitate neighborhoods and prioritize safety from lead poisoning, fires and other potential natural disasters.
• Prioritize renters and tenant rights and protections so they can live in their homes with dignity and without exploitation.

Education and Literacy

• Fully fund public schools with targeted resources for schools with low-literacy rate scores.
• Expand evidence-based literacy programs, including early childhood and reading intervention initiatives.
• Strengthen accountability and transparency in voucher and charter programs to ensure all students benefit.
• Support the development and recruitment of teachers and culturally responsive curricula to improve outcomes and engagement.

Economic Opportunity

• Increase state minimum wage and expand access to job training in high-demand fields, including technology and skilled trades.
• Provide targeted support for Black-owned small businesses and entrepreneurs, including grants and low-interest loans.
• Expand state investment in economic development in underserved communities across our state.

Healthcare and Mental Health

• Expand BadgerCare eligibility and mental health coverage, particularly for youth and seniors.
• Establish a public option for healthcare.
• Increase funding for community-based clinics and mobile health units in underserved areas.
• Launch statewide suicide prevention and gun violence intervention initiatives.
• Address maternal health disparities and invest in culturally competent care providers.

Criminal Justice Reform

• Reform sentencing guidelines to focus on rehabilitation and lower recidivism
• Expand reentry programs for employment, housing, and education opportunities.
• Invest in alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenses.
• Increase transparency and community oversight of law enforcement practices.
• Banning slavery in this state.
• Ending crimeless revocations.
• Fully fund our courts so that all communities have access to a fair justice system.
• Legalize and decriminalizing cannabis so that communities wronged can reclaim their lives and reduce our prison population to focus on our most violent offenders.

Democracy and Civic Engagement

• Establish a Wisconsin John Lewis Voting Rights Act to:
• Ensure fair electoral maps and end gerrymandering practices.
• Strengthen voting rights protections, including early voting access and multilingual materials.
• Expand civic education and community-led voter outreach programs.
• Support local diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to ensure representation in governance.

Environmental and Infrastructure Needs

• Invest in road and bridge repair with safety-focused construction policies across the state.
• Launch statewide initiatives for climate resilience in communities throughout Wisconsin including green infrastructure.
• Expand funding for energy efficiency and sustainable housing developments.
• Address environmental justice concerns, including water quality and industrial pollution in majority-Black neighborhoods.
• Establish a long-term state energy plan to modernize our energy grid and decrease power outages in all communities
• Invest in public transportation and allow the establishment of local Regional Transit Authorities to diversify public transit options