Spring Update

March 24th, 2026

New Bills Signed into Law!

Last week was a great week for Wisconsin moms and babies! On Wednesday and Thursday, I had the honor of joining Governor Evers as he signed into law the postpartum Medicaid expansion and the requirement for insurance coverage of breast cancer screenings. 

AB263, now known as Act 103 or “Gail’s Law,” requires health insurance policies to cover diagnostic breast examinations and supplemental breast screening examinations for an individual with dense breast tissue. Gail Zeamer fought for many years to ensure that women in Wisconsin did not have to struggle with insurance companies, as she did for 8 years. It was an honor to have Gail’s two daughters, Sophie and Claudia, and her husband join us for the official signing. 

AB97, now known as Act 102, will extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to one year. Advocates fought for this bill for over a decade so that all moms and babies can finally access the care they need in one of the most critical times of their lives. 

Senate Floor Session

After the State Assembly finished its session on February 20th, the State Senate officially adjourned last week on Tuesday, March 17th. This means there will be few votes, if any, taken on bills until next year. Our office works for you year-round, so please do not hesitate to reach out if we can be of assistance with any state agency or government issue.

Of the many bills the State Assembly sent to the State Senate, only 81 bills made the final calendar, leaving many important issues unresolved.

These include:

As many people in our district have expressed, data center accountability legislation is urgently needed in Wisconsin as more data centers are being built around the state. Currently, there is no state-wide regulatory standard governing data centers. Not advancing these proposals was a huge missed opportunity. 

Reauthorization of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program: With the Knowles-Nelson at risk of running out of funding  in June, the State Senate had the opportunity to vote on the reauthorization of the program. Unfortunately, the Senate failed to hold a vote on reauthorizing the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program. You can read more about the program expiring here. 

Education Funding: The state budget allocated money to provide an increase in special education reimbursement costs, but the actual dollars fell short. Democrats introduced a bill that uses existing surplus funds to increase general school aid and raise the special education reimbursement rate to 60%. Doing so would significantly reduce the need for operating referendums all across Wisconsin, because when the state pays its fair share of public education, schools are less reliant on property taxpayers to make up the difference. For schools in the 23rd Assembly District, that would mean more than $4.8 million additional spendable dollars per year. The bill was not advanced through either chamber.

Legislation that passed the Senate: 
 

PFAS: In exciting news, the Senate finally passed legislation (AB130 & AB131) to release $125 million that was set aside almost three years ago to address PFAS contamination across Wisconsin. This new law creates a program under the Department of Natural Resources to provide grants to municipalities for testing, disposal, and necessary upgrades to wells and water facilities and it provides protections for landowners with these chemicals on their property. 

FoodShare Funding: After votes in the State Assembly and State Senate, Governor Evers has officially signed legislation that provides over $72 million to the Department of Health Services for funding to the FoodShare Employment and Training Program, in order to maintain quality control initiatives to keep FoodShare error rates low and avoid federal penalties. 


While Wisconsin families are struggling with the rising cost of gas, groceries, rent, and property taxes, Republican leaders want to go home to campaign. I believe we have unfinished business in Madison, and we should be hard at work on the issues our constituents care about most.