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Bills from the 2025–26 session

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.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Apr 15, 2025

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Assembly vote, stopped here

    Stopped here. The full Assembly never voted on it.

  4. Senate vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 23, 2026: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

Read the bill

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The same bill was also filed in the Senate as SB 181. That version became law.

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

Authors (22)

Signed on in support (13)

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

  1. Mar 23, 2026

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Mar 20, 2026

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  3. Feb 4, 2026

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  4. Feb 4, 2026

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 15 to 0.

  5. Jan 30, 2026

    Sent to the Joint Committee on Finance.

  6. Nov 20, 2025

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  7. Nov 20, 2025

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 10 to 0.

  8. May 13, 2025 to Jul 3, 2025

    2 more representatives signed on in support.

  9. Apr 30, 2025

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  10. Apr 24, 2025 to Apr 25, 2025

    2 more representatives signed on in support.

  11. Apr 23, 2025

    The committee held a public hearing.

  12. Apr 21, 2025 to Apr 22, 2025

    1 more representative and 1 senator signed on in support.

  13. Apr 15, 2025

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on State Affairs.

  14. Apr 15, 2025

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. 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

  2. Apr 15, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs

  3. Apr 21, 2025 · Assembly

    Senator Habush Sinykin added as a cosponsor

  4. Apr 22, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Andraca added as a coauthor

  5. Apr 23, 2025 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  6. Apr 24, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Anderson added as a coauthor

  7. Apr 25, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Stroud added as a coauthor

  8. Apr 30, 2025 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  9. May 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Emerson added as a coauthor

  10. Jul 3, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Joers added as a coauthor

  11. Nov 11, 2025 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative Kurtz

  12. Nov 12, 2025 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  13. Nov 20, 2025 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on State Affairs, Ayes 10, Noes 0

  14. Nov 20, 2025 · Assembly

    Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on State Affairs, Ayes 10, Noes 0

  15. Nov 20, 2025 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  16. Jan 30, 2026 · Assembly

    Senator Spreitzer withdrawn as a cosponsor

  17. Jan 30, 2026 · Assembly

    Withdrawn from committee on Rules and referred to joint committee on Finance pursuant to Assembly Rule 24 (3)(a)

  18. Feb 3, 2026 · Assembly

    Executive action taken by joint committee on Finance

  19. Feb 4, 2026 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 15, Noes 0

  20. Feb 4, 2026 · Assembly

    Report passage as amended recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 15, Noes 0

  21. Feb 4, 2026 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  22. Feb 18, 2026 · Assembly

    Made a special order of business at 11:09 AM on 2-19-2026 pursuant to Assembly Resolution 14

  23. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Laid on the table

  24. Mar 20, 2026 · Assembly

    Representative J. Jacobson added as a coauthor

  25. 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.

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

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

Author

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

Official term: Author, coauthor

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