Happy New Year!

January 16th, 2026
 
In This Issue: 

  • New Year, New Challenges in Madison

  • Assembly Floor Sessions Recap

  • Around the District

  • Working for WI Survey

New Year, New Challenges in Madison

Greetings! 
 

The Wisconsin Legislature is busy, but the public cannot access any live coverage of what is happening in your State Capitol. WisconsinEye, Wisconsin’s version of C-SPAN, is dark due to a lack of funding. Since 2007, WisconsinEye has provided free, unedited, unbiased public access to state government proceedings. Democrats have been trying to find other ways to provide public access, but Republican leaders are refusing to allow any form of livestreaming or recording. These actions undermine government transparency, and some controversial bills are moving forward with very little public input or oversight. 

 

While WisconsinEye is down, please keep an eye on my newsletters and social media for regular updates on your state legislature, and please forward to others who may find our content useful. My colleagues and I are fighting for a resolution, but meanwhile, thank you for reading and for being an informed constituent!

Assembly Floor Sessions Recap
This week, the State Assembly met twice to debate many important and controversial bills. Unfortunately, unless you were in the State Capitol or a reporter decided to do a story about it, you won’t be able to see your state legislature at work. 

Prior to session, the Assembly also had many committee hearings that were unable to be recorded. This week, I had meetings for both the Joint Finance Committee and the Committee on Forestry, Parks and Outdoor Recreation. 

Below are a few bills we think are of interest to our constituents, but as always, please reach out to our office if you have any questions or would like more details on specific legislation. 
AB362: a bill that would ensure schools are prepared to respond if there is a cardiac emergency on school property or at an athletic event by requiring a cardiac emergency response plan that contains steps to reduce death from cardiac arrest. 

  • After many phone calls and emails from constituents in our district about the importance of this bill, I am proud to be a co-author. On Tuesday, it passed in the Assembly through a voice vote and is now waiting to be brought up for a vote in the Senate. 

 

AB38: a bill that would create an income tax exemption for cash tips paid to an employee. 

  • This is a good idea, but a bad bill.  Governor Evers included a version in his state budget, but Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee removed it. I voted against this particular bill because of several major flaws. According to a CPA colleague who prepares tax returns for many clients whose income includes tips, the bill, as written does more harm than good because of its interactions with other, larger tax credits for low-income residents. With the 2025 tax season already underway, it would also force many to re-file their taxes. We had the opportunity to draft bipartisan, thoughtful public policy, but this bill is not it. The bill passed the Assembly on Thursday and now heads to a vote in the Senate. 

AB106/SB96: a bill that would exempt certain in-home electric vehicle charging stations from the electric vehicle charging tax. 

  • In May 2025, I voted to pass this bill to the legislature after we held a hearing on the Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions. This bill passed unanimously in the Assembly on Thursday and unanimously in the Senate in May 2025. The bill will now be sent to the governor. 

 

AB226: a bill that would prohibit school boards and independent charter schools from providing food containing certain ingredients in free or reduced-price meals. 

  • This bill ensures that students receive regular school meals with unprocessed, healthy foods. The ingredients being prohibited are brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, azodicarbonamide, and red dye 3. I voted in favor of this bill, which passed the Assembly on Thursday and now awaits a vote in the Senate. 
     

AB457: a bill that would prohibit a school board from adopting a resolution to initiate an operating or capital referendum unless the Department of Public Instruction certifies that the school board is in compliance with all applicable requirements to submit financial information to DPI. 

  • Wisconsin school districts are already required by law to submit their financial information to DPI annually. Instead of forcing public schools to do more paperwork we should be fulfilling the state’s commitment to fully fund our public schools. 

  • Democrats offered two amendments to this bill -  one to restore general aid funding for public schools and the other to provide schools sum-sufficient special education funding promised in the state budget. Both amendments were voted down. 

  • I have heard from our local educators and school administrators across the district about the negative impacts on our schools without the promised funding. I am still fighting for the funding promised in the state budget. There are standalone bills to do this, but none have received public hearings. 

AB461: an income tax subtraction for certain overtime compensation. 

  • The current state budget had several flaws, one of the most concerning being a structural deficit. At a time when federal funds are being clawed back and several budget assumptions are in question, creating a new tax exception that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars is unwise. 

  • Democrats offered amendments to this bill to provide targeted tax relief for seniors and low-income residents through existing channels: 

    • One amendment would provide relief to middle-class families by expanding the existing Earned Income Tax Credit to keep money in Wisconsinites’ pockets.

    • The second amendment was to expand the existing Homestead Tax Credit, which provides property tax relief to fixed- and low-income homeowners and renters. This is critical for Wisconsin seniors living on a fixed income. 

  • Both amendments were voted down along party lines. 
The Assembly will be in session next week as well, so please watch your inbox and social media for more updates.

Around the District
As 2025 came to a close, I joined my fellow Milwaukee-area legislators in visiting La Escuela Fratney. We discussed the impact of uncertainty around SNAP funds in Wisconsin late last year, and saw their great work in packing meals for students to have over winter break. 
The members of the Milwaukee Delegation had the opportunity to tour Kind Oasis and meet with the folks there. It was an incredibly interesting visit!

Working for WI Survey
It’s the end of the year and soon to be the end of the legislative session, and it’s been a privilege to advocate for you here at the Capitol. As your state representative, I want to continue fighting for what matters most to you and your family. Assembly Democrats need your input to inform our work and develop our future legislative agenda. 

You can share your priorities by visiting WorkingForWISurvey.com. Please share the link with others and contact my office if you have any questions!
 

Let’s continue moving our state forward! 


Contact Us

There are several convenient ways to share your thoughts, questions and concerns with us:

  • Call our office at (608) 237-9123
  • Email us: Rep.Andraca@legis.wisconsin.gov
  • Visit our website to learn more about constituent services, legislative priorities and to share your comments or concerns
Facebook
Twitter
Website
Copyright © 2022, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
State Representative Deb Andraca
P.O. Box 8952
Madison, WI  53708

Our physical address is:
Wisconsin State Capitol
2 East Main St.
Room 109 North
Madison, WI  53703

Please click here to unsubscribe from this list.