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Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

AB 596

Became law Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: a state matching grant program for recipients of federal per diem payments and making an appropriation. (FE)

United states — Veterans affairs department of Veteran — Relief Veterans affairs department of

  1. Introduced, completed
  2. Passes Assembly, completed
  3. Passes Senate, completed
  4. Governor signs, completed
  5. Law, completed

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current federal law, the federal Department of Veterans Affairs awards per diem payments to eligible organizations that furnish services to homeless veterans in an amount of up to $82.73 per day per veteran housed.

The bill appropriates $950,000 in each fiscal year of the 2025-26 biennium to the state Department of Veterans Affairs to provide state matching grants to eligible entities other than the state that are recipients of federal per diem payments.

What it would cost

Fiscal estimates filed by state agencies, as official PDFs

Sponsors

Introduced by: Armstrong (R) , B. Jacobson (R) , Behnke (R) , Brill (R) , Dittrich (R) , Donovan (R) , Franklin (R) , Goeben (R) , Green (R) , Hurd (R) , Kaufert (R) , Knodl (R) , Moses (R) , Mursau (R) , O'Connor (R) , Penterman (R) , Snyder (R) , Spiros (R) , Summerfield (R) , Tucker (R) , Wichgers (R)

8 cosponsors

James (R) , Ortiz-Velez and Stubbs , Quinn (R) , Spreitzer (D) , Stafsholt (R) , Steffen (R) , Tomczyk (R) , Wimberger (R)

Votes

Assembly: Report passage recommended by Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, Ayes 12, Noes 0

Passed 12–0 Nov 13, 2025 official source full page

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

Assembly: SHALL THE DECISION OF THE CHAIR STAND

Passed 55–43 Nov 19, 2025 official source full page

Aye · 55

Nay · 43

Not voting · 1

Assembly: PASSAGE

Passed 98–0 Nov 19, 2025 official source full page

Aye · 98

Not voting · 1

Senate: Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families, Ayes 5, Noes 0

Passed 5–0 Jan 22, 2026 official source full page

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

Senate: Report concurrence recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 15, Noes 0

Passed 15–0 Feb 3, 2026 official source full page

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

Senate: Senate Amendment 1 rejected, Ayes 18, Noes 15

Passed 18–15 Feb 11, 2026 official source full page

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

Senate: CONCURRENCE

Passed 32–1 Feb 11, 2026 official source full page

Nay · 1

Full history

  1. Oct 27, 2025 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Franklin, Moses, Hurd, Summerfield, Armstrong, Behnke, Brill, Dittrich, Donovan, Goeben, Green, B. Jacobson, Kaufert, Knodl, O'Connor, Penterman, Snyder, Spiros, Tucker, Wichgers and Mursau; cosponsored by Senators Wimberger, James, Quinn, Stafsholt and Tomczyk

  2. Oct 27, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs

  3. Oct 29, 2025 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  4. Oct 29, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Steffen added as a coauthor

  5. Nov 7, 2025 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  6. Nov 12, 2025 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representatives Sinicki, Brown, McCarville and Tenorio

  7. Nov 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  8. Nov 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, Ayes 12, Noes 0

  9. Nov 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  10. Nov 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 11-19-2025 by Committee on Rules

  11. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Representatives Ortiz-Velez and Stubbs added as coauthors

  12. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  13. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative Sinicki

  14. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

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

  15. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Decision of the Chair appealed

  16. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Decision of the Chair upheld, Ayes 55, Noes 43

  17. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  18. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  19. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed, Ayes 98, Noes 0

  20. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  21. Nov 20, 2025 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  22. Nov 20, 2025 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families

  23. Jan 13, 2026 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  24. Jan 22, 2026 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  25. Jan 22, 2026 · Senate

    Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  26. Jan 22, 2026 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  27. Jan 29, 2026 · Senate

    Withdrawn from committee on Senate Organization and rereferred to joint committee on Finance pursuant to Senate Rule 46(2)(c)

  28. Feb 3, 2026 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  29. Feb 3, 2026 · Senate

    Report concurrence recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 15, Noes 0

  30. Feb 3, 2026 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  31. Feb 9, 2026 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 2-11-2026 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  32. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Senate Amendment 1 offered by Senators Smith, Wall, Carpenter, Dassler-Alfheim, Drake, Habush Sinykin, Hesselbein, L. Johnson, Keyeski, Larson, Pfaff, Ratcliff, Roys, Spreitzer and Wirch

  33. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Read a second time

  34. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Senate Amendment 1 rejected, Ayes 18, Noes 15

  35. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  36. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  37. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in, Ayes 32, Noes 1

  38. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Senator Spreitzer added as a cosponsor

  39. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  40. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  41. Feb 13, 2026 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled on 2-13-2026

  42. Apr 1, 2026 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 4-1-2026

  43. Apr 2, 2026 · Assembly

    Report approved by the Governor on 4-2-2026. 2025 Wisconsin Act 153

  44. Apr 2, 2026 · Assembly

    Published 4-3-2026