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Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

AB 208

Died at session end Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: an income and franchise tax exemption for broadband expansion grants and for federal high-cost program funding for broadband expansion. (FE)

Data processing Federal aid Franchise — Taxation Income tax — Deduction Legislature — Tax exemptions joint survey committee on

  1. Introduced, stopped here
  2. Passes Assembly, not reached
  3. Passes Senate, not reached
  4. Governor signs, not reached
  5. Law, not reached

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill exempts from state income and franchise taxes income received in the form of a grant issued by this state; a city, village, town, or county of this state; a tribal government in this state; or the federal government for broadband expansion in this state. The bill also exempts from income and franchise taxes income received in the form of funding from the federal government for any high-cost universal service funding for broadband expansion. Current law provides an income and franchise tax exemption for income received in the form of allocations issued by this state with moneys received from the federal coronavirus relief fund to be used for broadband expansion. The bill prohibits claiming the exemptions under the bill and the exemption under current law for the same grant.

Because this bill relates to an exemption from state or local taxes, it may be referred to the Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions for a report to be printed as an appendix to the bill.

What it would cost

Fiscal estimates filed by state agencies, as official PDFs

Sponsors

Introduced by: Armstrong (R) , B. Jacobson (R) , Callahan (R) , Dittrich (R) , Green (R) , Gustafson (R) , J. Jacobson (D) , Joers (D) , Johnson (D) , Kaufert (R) , Kitchens (R) , Kreibich (R) , Moses (R) , Mursau (R) , Novak (R) , O'Connor (R) , Steffen (R) , Subeck (D) , Summerfield (R) , Swearingen (R) , Tucker (R) , Udell (D) , VanderMeer (R) , Wittke (R)

14 cosponsors

Bare (D) , Bradley (R) , Feyen (R) , James (R) , Keyeski (D) , McCarville (D) , Miresse (D) , Pfaff (D) , Quinn (R) , Ratcliff (D) , Stafsholt (R) , Testin (R) , Tomczyk (R) , Wimberger (R)

Registered lobbying interests · 22

Organizations that registered lobbying activity on this bill with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Registration means interest, not a position for or against. Official record

Votes

Assembly: Report passage recommended by Committee on Ways and Means, Ayes 10, Noes 0

Passed 10–0 May 8, 2025 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Assembly: Report passage recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 11, Noes 4

Passed 11–4 Feb 4, 2026 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Full history

  1. Apr 23, 2025 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Summerfield, Steffen, Gustafson, Armstrong, Callahan, Dittrich, Green, B. Jacobson, J. Jacobson, Johnson, Kaufert, Kitchens, Kreibich, Moses, Mursau, Novak, O'Connor, Subeck, Swearingen, Tucker, Udell, VanderMeer, Wittke and Joers; cosponsored by Senators Quinn, Bradley, Feyen, James, Keyeski, Pfaff, Ratcliff, Stafsholt, Testin, Tomczyk and Wimberger

  2. Apr 23, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Ways and Means

  3. Apr 24, 2025 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Apr 25, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Miresse added as a coauthor

  5. Apr 30, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Stubbs added as a coauthor

  6. Apr 30, 2025 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  7. May 7, 2025 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  8. May 8, 2025 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Ways and Means, Ayes 10, Noes 0

  9. May 8, 2025 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  10. May 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative McCarville added as a coauthor

  11. Jun 10, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Bare added as a coauthor

  12. Nov 7, 2025 · Assembly

    Referred to joint survey committee on Tax Exemptions pursuant to Assembly Rule 45 (4)

  13. Nov 11, 2025 · Assembly

    Executive action taken by joint survey committee on Tax Exemptions

  14. Nov 11, 2025 · Assembly

    Report of Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions received

  15. Jan 30, 2026 · Assembly

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

  16. Feb 3, 2026 · Assembly

    Executive action taken by joint committee on Finance

  17. Feb 4, 2026 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 11, Noes 4

  18. Feb 4, 2026 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  19. Feb 18, 2026 · Assembly

    Made a special order of business at 11:10 AM on 2-19-2026 pursuant to Assembly Resolution 14

  20. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Representative Stubbs withdrawn as a coauthor

  21. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative Summerfield

  22. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Laid on the table

  23. Mar 23, 2026 · Assembly

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1