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Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

AB 597

Became law Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: a state matching grant program for recipients of federal per diem payments. (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.

This bill creates a state matching grant program to provide state matching per diem payments to organizations that, on the date of their grant application, have been awarded federal per diem payments for the upcoming fiscal year. Under the bill, the state Department of Veterans Affairs may approve grants of $25 per day per veteran that may be housed, and must pay the grant awards on a quarterly basis in an amount that equals $25 per day per veteran housed by the eligible entity in the previous quarter.

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 Assembly Amendment 1 adoption 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: Report passage as amended 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: 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.

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 11, 2025 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative Franklin

  7. Nov 12, 2025 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 2 offered by Representatives Sinicki, Tenorio, McCarville and Brown

  8. Nov 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  9. Nov 13, 2025 · Assembly

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

  10. Nov 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  11. Nov 13, 2025 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, Ayes 12, Noes 0

  12. Nov 13, 2025 · Assembly

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

  13. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Representatives Ortiz-Velez and Stubbs added as coauthors

  14. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  15. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 adopted

  16. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  17. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  18. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

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

  19. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  20. Nov 20, 2025 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  21. Nov 20, 2025 · Senate

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

  22. Jan 13, 2026 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  23. Jan 22, 2026 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  24. Jan 22, 2026 · Senate

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

  25. Jan 22, 2026 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  26. Feb 9, 2026 · Senate

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

  27. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Read a second time

  28. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  29. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  30. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in

  31. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Senator Spreitzer added as a cosponsor

  32. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  33. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  34. Feb 13, 2026 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled on 2-12-2026

  35. Apr 1, 2026 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 4-1-2026

  36. Apr 2, 2026 · Assembly

    Report approved by the Governor on 4-2-2026. 2025 Wisconsin Act 154

  37. Apr 2, 2026 · Assembly

    Published 4-3-2026