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Bills from the 2017–18 session

Assembly Bill 869

An income and franchise tax credit for the development of low-income housing. (FE)

Became law

The governor signed it on Mar 28, 2018. It's ⁠.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Jan 19, 2018

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Assembly vote, passed

    Passed Feb 20, 2018

  4. Senate vote, passed

    Passed 32 to 0

  5. Governor, passed

    Signed

  6. Law, here now

    2017 Wisconsin Act 176

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 28, 2018: “Published 3-29-2018”

Read the bill

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What it does

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

This bill creates a state tax credit program administered by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority that is similar to a federal low-income housing tax credit program also administered by WHEDA. Under the state program, WHEDA may certify a person to claim a nonrefundable income and franchise tax credit if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

1. The person has an ownership interest in a qualified development. Under the bill, a “qualified development” is a low-income housing project for purposes of the federal low-income housing tax credit program, located in Wisconsin, and financed with tax-exempt bonds.

Read the full summary

2. The tax credit is necessary for the financial feasibility of the qualified development.

3. The qualified development is the subject of a recorded restrictive covenant requiring that for at least 15 years, among other things, the development must be maintained and operated as a qualified development.

4. The tax credit certification is issued in accordance with a qualified allocation plan WHEDA is required to establish under the federal low-income housing tax credit program.

Under the bill, WHEDA must give preference to qualified developments located in a city, village, or town of fewer than 150,000. The bill also caps at $42,000,000 the total amount of tax credits WHEDA may issue under the state program in a calendar year. However, the bill raises that cap for each calendar year by an amount equal to the total amount of all unallocated state tax credits from previous calendar years and the total amount of all previously allocated state tax credits that have been revoked or cancelled or otherwise recovered by WHEDA.

The bill also requires that WHEDA submit an annual report to the legislature concerning the progress of the program.

Who's behind it

12 lawmakers are its ⁠. 9 are Republicans and 3 are Democrats.

7 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 19 names

Authors (12)

Signed on in support (7)

What it would cost

State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

Versions and amendments

Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.

How lawmakers voted

There were 5 votes on this bill.

Assembly Committee on Housing and Real Estate vote to recommend it

Passed, 9 to 0 · Feb 7, 2018

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report passage recommended by Committee on Housing and Real Estate, Ayes 9, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Joint Committee on Finance vote on an amendment

Passed, 16 to 0 · Feb 12, 2018

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 16, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Joint Committee on Finance vote to recommend it

Passed, 16 to 0 · Feb 12, 2018

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report passage as amended recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 16, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Senate vote

Passed, 3 to 2 · Mar 15, 2018

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Senate vote to pass it

Passed, 32 to 0 · Mar 20, 2018

See how each of the 32 senators voted

D: Democrat, R: Republican

Official motion: “CONCURRENCE”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Mar 28, 2018

    The new law was published.

  2. Mar 28, 2018

    The governor signed it. It became 2017 Wisconsin Act 176.

  3. Mar 27, 2018

    Sent to the governor.

  4. Mar 20, 2018

    The Senate passed it too, 32 to 0.

  5. Mar 15, 2018

    “Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2” (the official wording)

  6. Mar 12, 2018

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Senate Organization.

  7. Feb 21, 2018

    The Senate received it.

  8. Feb 20, 2018

    2 more representatives signed on in support.

  9. Feb 20, 2018

    The Assembly passed it.

  10. Feb 20, 2018

    The Assembly adopted it.

  11. Feb 12, 2018

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  12. Feb 12, 2018

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 16 to 0.

  13. Feb 7, 2018

    Sent to the Joint Committee on Finance.

  14. Feb 7, 2018

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 9 to 0.

  15. Feb 6, 2018

    The committee held a public hearing.

  16. Jan 25, 2018

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  17. Jan 23, 2018

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  18. Jan 19, 2018

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Housing and Real Estate.

  19. Jan 19, 2018

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Jan 19, 2018 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Summerfield, Allen, Goyke, Horlacher, Kerkman, Kolste, Novak, Petryk, Quinn, Rohrkaste, Spiros and Subeck; cosponsored by Senators Testin, Feyen, Fitzgerald, Petrowski, Ringhand and Wirch

  2. Jan 19, 2018 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Housing and Real Estate

  3. Jan 23, 2018 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Jan 25, 2018 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  5. Feb 6, 2018 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  6. Feb 7, 2018 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  7. Feb 7, 2018 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Housing and Real Estate, Ayes 9, Noes 0

  8. Feb 7, 2018 · Assembly

    Referred to joint committee on Finance

  9. Feb 8, 2018 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  10. Feb 8, 2018 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Joint Committee on Finance

  11. Feb 12, 2018 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 16, Noes 0

  12. Feb 12, 2018 · Assembly

    Report passage as amended recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 16, Noes 0

  13. Feb 12, 2018 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  14. Feb 15, 2018 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 2 offered by Representative Summerfield

  15. Feb 15, 2018 · Assembly

    Made a special order of business at 1:57 PM on 2-20-2018 pursuant to Assembly Resolution 26

  16. Feb 16, 2018 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 3 offered by Representative Summerfield

  17. Feb 20, 2018 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  18. Feb 20, 2018 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 adopted

  19. Feb 20, 2018 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 2 withdrawn and returned to author

  20. Feb 20, 2018 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 3 adopted

  21. Feb 20, 2018 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  22. Feb 20, 2018 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  23. Feb 20, 2018 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed

  24. Feb 20, 2018 · Assembly

    Representatives Bowen and Shankland added as coauthors

  25. Feb 20, 2018 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  26. Feb 21, 2018 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  27. Mar 12, 2018 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Senate Organization

  28. Mar 12, 2018 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  29. Mar 15, 2018 · Senate

    Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2

  30. Mar 15, 2018 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 3-20-2018 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  31. Mar 20, 2018 · Senate

    Read a second time

  32. Mar 20, 2018 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  33. Mar 20, 2018 · Senate

    Rules suspended

  34. Mar 20, 2018 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in, Ayes 32, Noes 0

  35. Mar 20, 2018 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  36. Mar 21, 2018 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  37. Mar 27, 2018 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled on 3-27-2018

  38. Mar 27, 2018 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 3-27-2018

  39. Mar 28, 2018 · Assembly

    Report approved by the Governor on 3-28-2018. 2017 Wisconsin Act 176

  40. Mar 28, 2018 · Assembly

    Published 3-29-2018

Terms on this page

Wisconsin Act

The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.

Official term: Act. More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Wisconsin Act

The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.

Official term: Act

More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis

More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor

More in the glossary

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate

More in the glossary

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote

More in the glossary