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Bills from the 2023–24 session

Assembly Bill 148

Disenrollment of ineligible individuals from and redeterminations of eligibility for the BadgerCare Plus program and database confirmation for public assistance program eligibility. (FE)

Passed the Assembly, then stopped

The Assembly passed it on Apr 25, 2023, but the Senate never voted on it. A bill has to ⁠. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Apr 7, 2023

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Assembly vote, passed

    Passed Apr 25, 2023

  4. Senate vote, stopped here

    Stopped here. The Senate never voted on it.

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Apr 15, 2024: “Failed to concur in pursuant to ⁠”

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What it would have done

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

This bill makes various changes to eligibility determinations for public assistance programs and, specifically, the BadgerCare Plus program. Currently, the Department of Health Services administers the Medical Assistance program, a joint federal and state program that provides health services to individuals who have limited financial resources. Some services are provided through programs that operate under a waiver of federal Medicaid laws, including the BadgerCare Plus program. Under current law, certain children, pregnant women, parents and caretaker relatives, former foster care youth, and adults aged 19 to 64 who are not receiving Medicare and who do not have dependent children are eligible for benefits under the BadgerCare Plus program if they meet certain financial criteria.

The bill prohibits DHS from automatically renewing the eligibility of a recipient under the BadgerCare Plus program. DHS must determine an individual's eligibility every six months under the bill. DHS is also prohibited from using prepopulated forms or otherwise supplying information, except for name and address, to a recipient under the BadgerCare Plus program that has been supplied to DHS. Additionally, any recipient under the BadgerCare Plus program that fails to timely report to DHS or its designee any change that may affect eligibility is ineligible for benefits for six months from the date DHS discovers the failure to report the change. Under current law, knowingly concealing or failing to disclose any event that an individual knows affects the initial or continued right to a Medical Assistance benefit is subject to a forfeiture of not less than $100 nor more than $15,000 for each concealment or failure.

Read the full summary

The bill requires DHS to enter data sharing agreements with any agency that maintains a database of financial or personal information about residents of this state. DHS must confirm the information of an applicant for a public assistance program against the information contained in those databases. The bill also requires DHS to share data for this purpose of confirming eligibility for public assistance programs. Current law requires DHS and the Department of Children and Families to compare each department's respective databases against the databases of death records to identify deceased participants.

The bill requires DHS to promptly remove from eligibility for the BadgerCare Plus program any individual who enrolled in the program and who has been determined to be ineligible for the program. Under the federal Families First Coronavirus Act, during a federally declared public health emergency, a state may receive an enhanced amount of federal financial participation in its Medical Assistance program if the state complies with certain criteria, including refraining from disenrolling individuals from the program. Under the federal Consolidated Appropriation Act, 2023, enhanced federal financial participation ends for all states after December 31, 2023. Under the bill, if the disenrollment or any other part of the bill would cause the state not to qualify for enhanced federal financial participation under federal law, that portion of the bill that does not comply with federal law may not be implemented until January 1, 2024. During the period in which any portion of the bill is not implemented due to a conflict with federal law, DHS must audit BadgerCare Plus eligibility and report quarterly to the legislature the number of individuals who are ineligible for benefits under the BadgerCare Plus program but who are receiving benefits.

If DHS determines that it is necessary to obtain permission from the federal Department of Health and Human Services to implement any portion of this bill, the bill requires DHS to request any state plan amendment, waiver of federal law, or other federal approval to implement that portion of the bill.

Who's behind it

24 representatives are its ⁠. All 24 are Republicans.

9 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 33 names

Authors (24)

Signed on in support (9)

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 4 votes on this bill.

Assembly Committee on Health vote on an amendment

Passed, 11 to 5 · Apr 19, 2023

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 Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care, Ayes 11, Noes 5”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Assembly Committee on Health vote to recommend it

Passed, 11 to 5 · Apr 19, 2023

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 Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care, Ayes 11, Noes 5”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Assembly vote

Passed, 60 to 35 · Apr 25, 2023 · 4 didn't vote

See how each of the 99 representatives voted

D: Democrat, R: Republican

Yes (60)

Didn't vote (4)

Official motion: “SHALL THE DECISION OF THE CHAIR STAND”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Assembly vote to pass it

Passed, 60 to 35 · Apr 25, 2023 · 4 didn't vote

See how each of the 99 representatives voted

D: Democrat, R: Republican

Yes (60)

Didn't vote (4)

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

What happened

  1. Apr 15, 2024

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Jan 10, 2024

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  3. May 2, 2023

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Economic Development and Technical Colleges.

  4. Apr 26, 2023

    The Senate received it.

  5. Apr 25, 2023

    The Assembly passed it, 60 to 35.

  6. Apr 25, 2023

    The Assembly adopted it.

  7. Apr 25, 2023

    “Point of order that Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 not germane under Assembly Rule 54 (3)(f) well taken” (the official wording)

  8. Apr 24, 2023 to Apr 25, 2023

    2 more representatives signed on in support.

  9. Apr 20, 2023

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  10. Apr 19, 2023

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  11. Apr 19, 2023

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 11 to 5.

  12. Apr 12, 2023

    The committee held a public hearing.

  13. Apr 11, 2023

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  14. Apr 7, 2023

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care.

  15. Apr 7, 2023

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Apr 7, 2023 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Penterman, Macco, Allen, Behnke, Bodden, Born, Brandtjen, Dittrich, Edming, Green, Gundrum, Knodl, Magnafici, Moses, Nedweski, Petersen, Plumer, Rettinger, Rozar, Snyder, Sortwell, Steffen, Tittl and Wichgers; cosponsored by Senators Stafsholt, Cabral-Guevara, Felzkowski, Nass and Stroebel

  2. Apr 7, 2023 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care

  3. Apr 11, 2023 · Assembly

    Representative Schraa added as a coauthor

  4. Apr 12, 2023 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  5. Apr 17, 2023 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative Rozar

  6. Apr 19, 2023 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  7. Apr 19, 2023 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care, Ayes 11, Noes 5

  8. Apr 19, 2023 · Assembly

    Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care, Ayes 11, Noes 5

  9. Apr 19, 2023 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  10. Apr 20, 2023 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 4-25-2023 by Committee on Rules

  11. Apr 20, 2023 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  12. Apr 24, 2023 · Assembly

    Representative Kitchens added as a coauthor

  13. Apr 25, 2023 · Assembly

    Representative O'Connor added as a coauthor

  14. Apr 25, 2023 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  15. Apr 25, 2023 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative Neubauer

  16. Apr 25, 2023 · Assembly

    Point of order that Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 not germane under Assembly Rule 54 (3)(f) well taken

  17. Apr 25, 2023 · Assembly

    Decision of the Chair appealed

  18. Apr 25, 2023 · Assembly

    Decision of the Chair upheld, Ayes 60, Noes 35

  19. Apr 25, 2023 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 adopted

  20. Apr 25, 2023 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  21. Apr 25, 2023 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  22. Apr 25, 2023 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed, Ayes 60, Noes 35

  23. Apr 25, 2023 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  24. Apr 26, 2023 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  25. May 2, 2023 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Economic Development and Technical Colleges

  26. Jan 10, 2024 · Senate

    Representative Gustafson added as a coauthor

  27. Apr 15, 2024 · Senate

    Failed to concur in pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

Terms on this page

Second chamber's vote

A bill has to pass both the Assembly and the Senate in the same form before it goes to the governor.

Official term: Concurrence. More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. 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

Second chamber's vote

A bill has to pass both the Assembly and the Senate in the same form before it goes to the governor.

Official term: Concurrence

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1

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