Assembly Bill 196
Rehired annuitants in the Wisconsin Retirement System. (FE)
Topics: Employee Trust Funds, Department of, Legislature: Retirement Systems, Joint Survey Committee on, Public health, Retirement System, Wisconsin
Stopped in committee
It had a but no committee vote, so it never came up for a vote. The last day for votes this session was Mar 19, 2026. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.
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Introduced, passed
Apr 15, 2025
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. It had a hearing but no committee vote.
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Assembly vote, not reached
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Senate vote, not reached
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Governor, not reached
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Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Mar 23, 2026: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
It sat with the Assembly Committee on Local Government.
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The same bill was also filed in the Senate as SB 170. That version died when the session ended.
Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
Under current law, certain people who receive a retirement or disability annuity from the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) and who are hired by an employer that participates in the WRS must suspend that annuity and may not receive a WRS annuity payment until they are no longer in a WRS-covered position. This suspension applies to an annuitant who 1) has reached his or her normal retirement date; 2) is appointed to a position with a WRS-participating employer; and 3) is expected to work at least two-thirds of what is considered full-time employment by the Department of Employee Trust Funds.
This bill allows such an annuitant who is hired by a WRS-participating employer as an employee or to provide employee services to not suspend his or her annuity for up to 60 months. The bill also requires WRS-participating employers that hire such annuitants to make payments to ETF equal to what they would have paid as required contributions for each rehired annuitant if the rehired annuitant had suspended his or her annuity. Under the bill, these payments are deposited into the employer reserve account.
Read the full summary Show less
If the annuitant does not suspend the annuity and does not become an active WRS-participating employee, in the case of state employment, the annuitant is not eligible for group insurance benefits provided to active WRS-participating employees and may not use any of his or her service in the new position for any WRS purposes. If the annuitant opts to again become an active WRS-participating employee, the annuitant is eligible for all group insurance benefits provided to other participating employees and may accumulate additional years of creditable service under the WRS for the new period of WRS-covered employment.
The bill also repeals two obsolete provisions related to WRS annuitants returning to WRS-covered employment during the public health emergency declared on March 12, 2020, by executive order 72, which ended on May 13, 2020.
Because this bill relates to public employee retirement or pensions, it may be referred to the Joint Survey Committee on Retirement Systems for a report to be printed as an appendix to the bill.
Who's behind it
14 representatives are its . 13 are Republicans and 1 is a Democrat.
34 more lawmakers .
See all 48 names Hide the names
Authors (14)
- Rob Brooks · Republican, Assembly
- Joel Kitchens · Republican, Assembly
- Dan Knodl · Republican, Assembly
- Rob Kreibich · Republican, Assembly
- Tony Kurtz · Republican, Assembly
- Paul Melotik · Republican, Assembly
- Dave Murphy · Republican, Assembly
- Todd Novak · Republican, Assembly
- Jerry O'Connor · Republican, Assembly
- Sylvia Ortiz-Velez · Democrat, Assembly
- Will Penterman · Republican, Assembly
- Jessie Rodriguez · Republican, Assembly
- David Steffen · Republican, Assembly
- Bob Wittke · Republican, Assembly
Signed on in support (34)
- Scott Allen · Republican, Assembly
- Clint Anderson · Democrat, Assembly
- Deb Andraca · Democrat, Assembly
- Elijah Behnke · Republican, Assembly
- Jill Billings · Democrat, Assembly
- Brienne Brown · Democrat, Assembly
- Rachael Cabral-Guevara · Republican, Senate
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- Ben DeSmidt · Democrat, Assembly
- Steve Doyle · Democrat, Assembly
- Jodi Emerson · Democrat, Assembly
- Dan Feyen · Republican, Senate
- Jodi Habush Sinykin · Democrat, Senate
- Jenna Jacobson · Democrat, Assembly
- Jesse James · Republican, Senate
- Alex Joers · Democrat, Assembly
- Sarah Keyeski · Democrat, Senate
- Chris Larson · Democrat, Senate
- Howard Marklein · Republican, Senate
- Maxey and Fitzgerald
- Maureen McCarville · Democrat, Assembly
- Jeff Mursau · Republican, Assembly
- Greta Neubauer · Democrat, Assembly
- Brad Pfaff · Democrat, Senate
- Romaine Quinn · Republican, Senate
- Melissa Ratcliff · Democrat, Senate
- Kelda Roys · Democrat, Senate
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
- Stroud and Vining
- Lisa Subeck · Democrat, Assembly
- Travis Tranel · Republican, Assembly
- Tucker and Moses
- Randy Udell · Democrat, Assembly
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.
What happened
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Mar 23, 2026
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Sep 8, 2025 to Mar 19, 2026
22 more representatives and 5 senators signed on in support.
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May 28, 2025
The committee held a public hearing.
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May 6, 2025 to May 13, 2025
1 more representative and 1 senator signed on in support.
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Apr 24, 2025
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Apr 21, 2025
1 more representative and 1 senator signed on in support.
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Apr 15, 2025
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Local Government.
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Apr 15, 2025
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Apr 15, 2025 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Wittke, Kitchens, Rodriguez, Novak, Brooks, Knodl, Kreibich, Kurtz, Melotik, Murphy, O'Connor, Penterman, Steffen and Ortiz-Velez; cosponsored by Senators Marklein, Cabral-Guevara, Feyen, Pfaff, Quinn and Habush Sinykin
- Apr 15, 2025 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Local Government
- Apr 16, 2025 · Assembly
LRB correction
- Apr 21, 2025 · Assembly
Representative J. Jacobson added as a coauthor
- Apr 21, 2025 · Assembly
Senator Keyeski added as a cosponsor
- Apr 24, 2025 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- May 6, 2025 · Assembly
Senator Spreitzer added as a cosponsor
- May 13, 2025 · Assembly
Representative McCarville added as a coauthor
- May 28, 2025 · Assembly
Public hearing held
- Jun 30, 2025 · Assembly
Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representatives Wittke, Kitchens and Rodriguez
- Sep 8, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Mursau added as a coauthor
- Sep 9, 2025 · Assembly
- Sep 10, 2025 · Assembly
Representatives Maxey and Fitzgerald added as coauthors
- Sep 11, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Allen added as a coauthor
- Sep 15, 2025 · Assembly
Senator James added as a cosponsor
- Sep 16, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Udell added as a coauthor
- Sep 19, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Andraca added as a coauthor
- Sep 24, 2025 · Assembly
- Oct 1, 2025 · Assembly
Senator Ratcliff added as a cosponsor
- Oct 7, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Joers added as a coauthor
- Oct 22, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Behnke added as a coauthor
- Nov 14, 2025 · Assembly
Senator Larson added as a cosponsor
- Nov 18, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Billings added as a coauthor
- Nov 20, 2025 · Assembly
Representative DeSmidt added as a coauthor
- Jan 20, 2026 · Assembly
Representative Sinicki added as a coauthor
- Jan 22, 2026 · Assembly
Representative Tranel added as a coauthor
- Jan 23, 2026 · Assembly
Representative Doyle added as a coauthor
- Jan 27, 2026 · Assembly
Senator Carpenter added as a cosponsor
- Jan 29, 2026 · Assembly
Representative Neubauer added as a coauthor
- Feb 3, 2026 · Assembly
Senator Roys added as a cosponsor
- Feb 3, 2026 · Assembly
Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative Wittke
- Mar 6, 2026 · Assembly
Representative Brown added as a coauthor
- Mar 19, 2026 · Assembly
Representative Anderson added as a coauthor
- Mar 19, 2026 · Assembly
Representative Subeck added as a coauthor
- Mar 19, 2026 · Assembly
Representative Emerson added as a coauthor
- Mar 23, 2026 · Assembly
Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1
Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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
From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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
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
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate