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Speaker's Task Force Membership Announced
Speakerâs Task Force on Government Efficiency and Modernization
Will focus on identifying opportunities to use artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies to streamline operations, reduce redundancy, and lower the overall cost of government.
- Rep. Piwowarczyk, Chair (R-Hubertus)
- Rep. Bare, Vice-Chair (D-Verona)
- Rep. Armstrong (R-Rice Lake)
- Rep. Maxey (R-New Berlin)
- Rep. OâConnor (R-Fond du Lac)
- Rep. Tittl (R-Manitowoc)
- Rep. Hong (D-Madison)
- Rep. Cruz (D-Racine)
Speakerâs Task Force on Protecting Kids
Will focus on how we prepare parents and protect kids in a digital age with rapidly changing technology with the world at their fingertips through the internet and social media.
- Rep. Brill, Chair (R-Sheboygan Falls)
- Rep. Joers, Vice-Chair (D-Waunakee)
- Rep. Goeben (R-Hobart)
- Rep. Green (R-Grand View)
- Rep. Dittrich (R-Oconomowoc)
- Rep. Billings (D-La Crosse)
- Rep. Mayadev (D-Madison)
Speakerâs Task Force on Rulemaking
Will identify agency rulemaking authority to be repealed by legislation. The task force will identify agencies that have broad rulemaking authority, including but are not limited to, environmental regulations, building code regulations, and fee setting authority.
- Rep. Jacobson, Chair (R-Mosinee)
- Rep. Anderson, Vice-Chair (D-Beloit)
- Rep. Sortwell (R-Two Rivers)
- Rep. Hurd (R-Withee)
- Rep. Gustafson (R-Fox Crossing)
- Rep. Tusler (R-Harrison)
- Rep. Tucker (R-Grantsburg)
- Rep. Arney (D-Wauwatosa)
- Rep. Brown (D-Whitewater)
- Rep. DeSanto (D-Baraboo)
Speakerâs Task Force on Elder Services
Will work to identify ways to improve the quality of life for Wisconsinâs senior population. The task force will focus specifically on services that help seniors maintain independence in their own homes, encourage social interaction and community engagement to combat isolation and loneliness, prioritize physical wellbeing and financial independence, and prevent physical and financial elder abuse.
- Rep. Snyder, Chair (R-Two Rivers)
- Rep. Doyle, Vice-Chair (D-Onalaska)
- Rep. Melotik (R-Grafton)
- Rep. Gundrum (R-Slinger)
- Rep. VanderMeer (R-Tomah)
- Rep. Novak (R-Dodgeville)
- Rep. McCarville (D-DeForest)
- Rep. Taylor (D-Milwaukee)
Legislation Being Circulated
Utility Aid Payments for Energy Storage Facilities
Reps. Jessie Rodriguez (R-Oak Creek) and Barbara Dittrich (R-Oconomowoc)
Co-Sponsorship Memo:
Wisconsin's electric utilities are currently experiencing a significant surge in anticipated load growth, driven by the rapid expansion of developments, and increased electrification across energy sectors. This trend is prompting substantial investments in renewable energy and natural gas infrastructure to ensure grid reliability and to meet future demand.
Building more energy storage facilities will be crucial moving forward to help meet and sustain the increased demand. Communities do not currently receive utility aid for these storage facilities. This bill allows energy storage facilities to count as part of the utility aid formula. The bill also mirrors the changes made to the decommissioning of power plants in 2023 Wisconsin Act 139, so there will continue to be uniformity in how utility aid is dispersed throughout the lifespan of these storage facilities.
LRB-3070 Memo Utility Aid Payments Providing utility aid payments for certain energy storage facilities. Deadline: Wednesday, October 8, 2025 5:00pm
Zero Based Biennial Budget Requests By Executive Branch Agencies
Sens. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) and Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield), Rep. Lindee Brill (R-Sheboygan Falls)
Co-Sponsorship Memo:
For years, every state budget that passes the state legislature builds off of the prior bienniumâs spending levels. Under previous administrations, we see spending levels growing larger every year. 2011 Act 32 cost around $64 billion, and now our most recent state budget cost a whopping $111 billion. Everyone that believes in the values of fiscal responsibility and taxpayer stewardship should be concerned with the direction our state finances are headed. Like families and any small business, our state should be requiring complete evaluation of all spending.
This bill makes key changes and reforms to the biennial budgeting process in Wisconsin. Those changes are:
1. Starting next biennium, 20% of executive agencies will submit their biennial budget requests prepared using the principles of zeroâbased budgeting (ZBB). During each subsequent budget, another 20% of agencies must adopt ZBB principles. This continues until all budgets use ZBB in their budget preparation.
2. Revising s. 16.423(3) by amending requirements for all executive agencies that they must identify the intended goal of each appropriation and analyze whether each appropriation completely succeeded in meeting its intended goal and, if not, an explanation why.
LRB-4208 Memo Budget Requests Zero based biennial budget requests by executive branch agencies. Deadline: Friday, October 10, 2025 5:00pm
Property Tax Exemption for Prefabricated Recreational Structures
Rep. Kevin Petersen (R-Waupaca), Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R-Appleton)
Co-Sponsorship Memo:
Prior to the passage of 2023 Act 12, there was a complicated question of whether temporary trailers on recreational campgrounds were considered ârealâ or âpersonalâ property. For ease of assessments and taxation, state law allowed assessors to label all trailers as personal property, regardless of their actual status. This allowed one property tax bill to be sent to the owner of the trailer and a separate tax bill to be sent to the owner of the land.
After Act 12 ended the personal property tax, some trailers remained classified as âreal,â creating an administrative nightmare for assessors and campground owners. Now, some campground owners are being taxed for both the recreational property they provide and for the property of the seasonal campers who are leasing their land. Campground owners do not own this property and should not be expected to pay the taxes on those seasonal trailers.
LRB 4985/4990 addresses this issue by simply clarifying that a camper's prefabricated structureâone designed to be towed on a road and used on a licensed campground for seasonal living quarters, camping, or travelâwould be exempted from property taxes. This would not affect the taxes on any permanent structures that the campground owns or provides for renting.
LRB-4985 Memo Tax Exemption A property tax exemption for prefabricated recreational structures. Deadline: Wednesday, October 15, 2025 3:00pm
Legislators Send Letter About Building Code
A group of legislators sent a formal request asking the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) to delay enforcement of a new commercial building code until the start of the 2026 construction season. The request highlights challenges such as inflation, labor shortages, and supply chain issues, and emphasizes that the sudden implementation of the new codeâbased on the 2021 International Energy Conservation Codeâwhich was triggered by a recent Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling.
ï»żThe authors argue that immediate compliance will cause significant costs and disrupt long-planned projects, especially in urban areas. They note that DSPS has already postponed some deadlines but urge a further delay to align with Wisconsinâs construction season and wetland delineation period, suggesting that waiting will save time and money for future developments.
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