Skip to content

Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

AB 657

Became law Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: a sales and use tax exemption for nuclear fusion technology projects. (FE)

Economic development corporation wisconsin Electric utility Industrial development Legislature — Tax exemptions joint survey committee on Sales tax — Exemption Sanitation and sewerage management Sunset

  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

This bill creates a sales and use tax exemption for various items, specified in further detail in the bill, used exclusively for a qualified nuclear fusion technology project certified by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. Under the bill, a “qualified nuclear fusion technology project” is a project that has the purpose of undertaking the controlled fusion of atomic nuclei or research thereupon.

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: Behnke (R) , Callahan (R) , Franklin (R) , Gustafson (R) , Kreibich (R) , Melotik (R) , Murphy (R) , Mursau (R) , Neylon (R) , Udell (D)

6 cosponsors

Armstrong (R) , Feyen (R) , Ratcliff and Smith , Spreitzer (D) , Steffen (R) , Subeck (D)

Registered lobbying interests · 5

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 Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on Ways and Means, Ayes 10, Noes 0

Passed 10–0 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.

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

Passed 10–0 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.

Assembly: Report of Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions received, Ayes 9, Noes 0

Passed 9–0 Feb 10, 2026 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 92–6 Feb 12, 2026 official source full page

Aye · 92

Not voting · 1

Senate: Report concurrence recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 14, Noes 0

Passed 14–0 Feb 16, 2026 official source full page

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

Senate: Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2

Passed 3–2 Mar 16, 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 30–3 Mar 17, 2026 official source full page

Full history

  1. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Franklin, Behnke, Callahan, Gustafson, Kreibich, Melotik, Murphy, Mursau, Neylon and Udell; cosponsored by Senator Feyen

  2. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Ways and Means

  3. Nov 21, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Subeck added as a coauthor

  4. Dec 4, 2025 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  5. Dec 8, 2025 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  6. Dec 17, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Armstrong added as a coauthor

  7. Jan 8, 2026 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  8. Jan 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative Franklin

  9. Jan 29, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative Franklin

  10. Feb 4, 2026 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on Ways and Means, Ayes 10, Noes 0

  11. Feb 4, 2026 · Assembly

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

  12. Feb 4, 2026 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  13. Feb 4, 2026 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  14. Feb 6, 2026 · Assembly

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

  15. Feb 6, 2026 · Assembly

    Senator Spreitzer added as a cosponsor

  16. Feb 9, 2026 · Assembly

    Executive action taken by joint survey committee on Tax Exemptions

  17. Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly

    Report of Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions received, Ayes 9, Noes 0

  18. Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 2-12-2026 by Committee on Rules

  19. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  20. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adopted

  21. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  22. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  23. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed, Ayes 92, Noes 6

  24. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  25. Feb 13, 2026 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  26. Feb 13, 2026 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to joint committee on Finance

  27. Feb 16, 2026 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  28. Feb 16, 2026 · Senate

    Report concurrence recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 14, Noes 0

  29. Feb 16, 2026 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  30. Mar 16, 2026 · Senate

    Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2

  31. Mar 16, 2026 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 3-17-2026 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  32. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Senators Ratcliff and Smith added as cosponsors

  33. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Read a second time

  34. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  35. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  36. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in, Ayes 30, Noes 3

  37. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  38. Mar 18, 2026 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  39. Mar 18, 2026 · Assembly

    Representative Steffen added as a coauthor

  40. Mar 23, 2026 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled on 3-23-2026

  41. Apr 1, 2026 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 4-1-2026

  42. Apr 2, 2026 · Assembly

    Report approved by the Governor on 4-2-2026. 2025 Wisconsin Act 165

  43. Apr 2, 2026 · Assembly

    Published 4-3-2026