Assembly Bill 197
A levy limit exemption for regional emergency medical systems and eligibility for the expenditure restraint incentive program. (FE)
Topics: County: Taxation, Medical service, Municipality: Taxation, Shared revenue
Stopped before the full Assembly voted
The recommended passing it, but the full Assembly never voted on it. 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, passed
Approved
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Assembly vote, stopped here
Stopped here. The full Assembly never voted on it.
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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 ”
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The same bill was also filed in the Senate as SB 181. That version became law.
Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
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
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
Generally, under current law, local levy limits are applied to the property tax levies that are imposed by political subdivisions. A political subdivision may not increase its levy by a percentage that exceeds its “valuation factor,” which is the greater of 0 percent or the percentage change in the political subdivision’s equalized value due to new construction, less improvements removed. Current law also contains a number of exceptions to the levy limit, such as amounts a county levies for a countywide emergency medical system, for a county children with disabilities education board, and for certain bridge and culvert construction and repair. This bill creates an additional exception to local levy limits. Under the bill, the amounts a city, village, town, or county levies for costs associated with regional emergency medical services, either through participation in a joint emergency services district or through one or more intergovernmental agreements to provide emergency medical services, or both, are exempt. Under the bill, “regional” means consisting of a service area that is at least 232 square miles or includes at least eight municipalities.
The bill also excludes expenditures of amounts levied for a regional emergency medical system that are exempt from local levy limits under the bill from being considered in determining eligibility for an expenditure restraint incentive program payment. Under current law, a municipality is eligible to receive an expenditure restraint incentive program payment if its property tax levy is greater than 5 mills and if the annual increase in its municipal budget, subject to certain exceptions, is less than the sum of factors based on inflation and the increased value of property in the municipality as a result of new construction.
Who's behind it
22 representatives are its . 18 are Republicans and 4 are Democrats.
13 more lawmakers .
See all 35 names Hide the names
Authors (22)
- Elijah Behnke · Republican, Assembly
- Barbara Dittrich · Republican, Assembly
- Bob Donovan · Republican, Assembly
- Cindi Duchow · Republican, Assembly
- Ben Franklin · Republican, Assembly
- Chanz Green · Republican, Assembly
- Gus Gustafson · Republican, Assembly
- Dean Kaufert · Republican, Assembly
- Joel Kitchens · Republican, Assembly
- Tony Kurtz · Republican, Assembly
- Dave Maxey · Republican, Assembly
- Paul Melotik · Republican, Assembly
- Clint Moses · Republican, Assembly
- Jeff Mursau · Republican, Assembly
- Amanda Nedweski · Republican, Assembly
- Greta Neubauer · Democrat, Assembly
- Lori Palmeri · Democrat, Assembly
- Jim Piwowarczyk · Republican, Assembly
- David Steffen · Republican, Assembly
- Lisa Subeck · Democrat, Assembly
- Randy Udell · Democrat, Assembly
- Nancy VanderMeer · Republican, Assembly
Signed on in support (13)
- Clint Anderson · Democrat, Assembly
- Deb Andraca · Democrat, Assembly
- Rachael Cabral-Guevara · Republican, Senate
- Jodi Emerson · Democrat, Assembly
- Jodi Habush Sinykin · Democrat, Senate
- Jenna Jacobson · Democrat, Assembly
- Jesse James · Republican, Senate
- Alex Joers · Democrat, Assembly
- Howard Marklein · Republican, Senate
- Steve Nass · Republican, Senate
- Brad Pfaff · Democrat, Senate
- Angela Stroud · Democrat, Assembly
- Patrick Testin · Republican, Senate
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 State Affairs vote on an amendment
Passed, 10 to 0 · Nov 20, 2025
No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.
Official motion: “Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on State Affairs, Ayes 10, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page
Assembly Committee on State Affairs vote to recommend it
Passed, 10 to 0 · Nov 20, 2025
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 State Affairs, Ayes 10, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page
Joint Committee on Finance vote on an amendment
Passed, 15 to 0 · Feb 4, 2026
No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.
Official motion: “Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 15, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page
Joint Committee on Finance vote to recommend it
Passed, 15 to 0 · Feb 4, 2026
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 15, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page
What happened
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Mar 23, 2026
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Mar 20, 2026
1 more representative signed on in support.
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Feb 4, 2026
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.
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Feb 4, 2026
The committee voted to recommend passing it, 15 to 0.
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Jan 30, 2026
Sent to the Joint Committee on Finance.
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Nov 20, 2025
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.
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Nov 20, 2025
The committee voted to recommend passing it, 10 to 0.
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May 13, 2025 to Jul 3, 2025
2 more representatives signed on in support.
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Apr 30, 2025
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Apr 24, 2025 to Apr 25, 2025
2 more representatives signed on in support.
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Apr 23, 2025
The committee held a public hearing.
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Apr 21, 2025 to Apr 22, 2025
1 more representative and 1 senator signed on in support.
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Apr 15, 2025
Sent to the Assembly Committee on State Affairs.
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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 Kurtz, Gustafson, Behnke, Dittrich, Donovan, Duchow, Franklin, Green, Kaufert, Kitchens, Maxey, Melotik, Moses, Mursau, Neubauer, Palmeri, Piwowarczyk, Steffen, Subeck, Udell, VanderMeer and Nedweski; cosponsored by Senators Marklein, James, Cabral-Guevara, Nass, Pfaff, Spreitzer and Testin
- Apr 15, 2025 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs
- Apr 21, 2025 · Assembly
Senator Habush Sinykin added as a cosponsor
- Apr 22, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Andraca added as a coauthor
- Apr 23, 2025 · Assembly
Public hearing held
- Apr 24, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Anderson added as a coauthor
- Apr 25, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Stroud added as a coauthor
- Apr 30, 2025 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- May 13, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Emerson added as a coauthor
- Jul 3, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Joers added as a coauthor
- Nov 11, 2025 · Assembly
Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative Kurtz
- Nov 12, 2025 · Assembly
Executive action taken
- Nov 20, 2025 · Assembly
Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on State Affairs, Ayes 10, Noes 0
- Nov 20, 2025 · Assembly
Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on State Affairs, Ayes 10, Noes 0
- Nov 20, 2025 · Assembly
Referred to committee on Rules
- Jan 30, 2026 · Assembly
Senator Spreitzer withdrawn as a cosponsor
- Jan 30, 2026 · Assembly
Withdrawn from committee on Rules and referred to joint committee on Finance pursuant to Assembly Rule 24 (3)(a)
- Feb 3, 2026 · Assembly
Executive action taken by joint committee on Finance
- Feb 4, 2026 · Assembly
Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 15, Noes 0
- Feb 4, 2026 · Assembly
Report passage as amended recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 15, Noes 0
- Feb 4, 2026 · Assembly
Referred to committee on Rules
- Feb 18, 2026 · Assembly
Made a special order of business at 11:09 AM on 2-19-2026 pursuant to Assembly Resolution 14
- Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly
Laid on the table
- Mar 20, 2026 · Assembly
Representative J. Jacobson 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.
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
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
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
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote