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Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

AB 759

Became law Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: eligibility to receive occupational credentials for recipients of deferred action under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. (FE)

Immigration In memoriam Trades and occupations United states — Homeland security 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

Currently, federal law prohibits all but certain noncitizens from receiving any “state or local public benefit,” which is defined to include any “professional license, or commercial license provided by an agency of a state or local government.” However, federal law allows states to explicitly allow eligibility for certain public benefits. This bill allows certain individuals who are not U.S. citizens to receive credentials to practice certain occupations in this state if he or she meets all other requirements for the credential. Under the bill, an eligible individual is an individual to whom all of the following apply: 1) the individual has been granted deferred action under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; 2) the individual’s deferred action is not expired; and 3) the individual possesses an unexpired employment authorization document issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Any credential issued to an individual under the bill is only valid for the period of time during which the individual’s employment authorization document is valid.

What it would cost

Fiscal estimates filed by state agencies, as official PDFs

Sponsors

Introduced by: Allen (R) , Clancy (D) , Duchow (R) , Emerson (D) , Franklin (R) , Goodwin (D) , Hong (D) , Kirsch (D) , Kitchens (R) , Kreibich (R) , Krug (R) , McCarville (D) , Melotik (R) , Mursau (R) , Neubauer (D) , Novak (R) , Ortiz-Velez (D) , Prado (D) , Rivera-Wagner (D) , Rodriguez (R) , Sinicki (D) , Snyder (R) , Stroud (D) , Subeck (D)

14 cosponsors

Carpenter (D) , Hesselbein, Smith and Drake , J. Jacobson (D) , James (R) , Joers (D) , Larson (D) , Madison (D) , Miresse, Andraca, Hysell, Mayadev, Stubbs, Anderson and Tenorio , Moore Omokunde (D) , Phelps (D) , Ratcliff , Spreitzer (D) , Tomczyk (R) , Wirch (D)

Registered lobbying interests · 14

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 Regulatory Licensing Reform, Ayes 7, Noes 0

Passed 7–0 Jan 15, 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 Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development, Ayes 5, Noes 0

Passed 5–0 Mar 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 31–2 Mar 17, 2026 official source full page

Nay · 2

Full history

  1. Dec 17, 2025 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Kitchens, Snyder, Duchow, Franklin, Novak, Rodriguez, Krug, Allen, Ortiz-Velez, Rivera-Wagner, Clancy, Emerson, Goodwin, Hong, Kirsch, Kreibich, McCarville, Melotik, Mursau, Neubauer, Prado, Sinicki, Stroud and Subeck; cosponsored by Senators James, Tomczyk, Carpenter and Larson

  2. Dec 17, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Regulatory Licensing Reform

  3. Dec 30, 2025 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Jan 6, 2026 · Assembly

    Representative Phelps added as a coauthor

  5. Jan 7, 2026 · Assembly

    Representative Joers added as a coauthor

  6. Jan 14, 2026 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  7. Jan 14, 2026 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  8. Jan 14, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative Kitchens

  9. Jan 14, 2026 · Assembly

    Representative Moore Omokunde added as a coauthor

  10. Jan 15, 2026 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  11. Jan 15, 2026 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Regulatory Licensing Reform, Ayes 7, Noes 0

  12. Feb 13, 2026 · Assembly

    Representative Madison added as a coauthor

  13. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Made a special order of business at 9:32 PM on 2-19-2026 pursuant to Assembly Resolution 15

  14. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Representatives Miresse, Andraca, Hysell, Mayadev, Stubbs, Anderson and Tenorio added as coauthors

  15. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  16. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 adopted

  17. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  18. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  19. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed

  20. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Representative Ratcliff added as a cosponsor

  21. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  22. Feb 23, 2026 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  23. Feb 25, 2026 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development

  24. Mar 3, 2026 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  25. Mar 3, 2026 · Senate

    Senator Wirch added as a cosponsor

  26. Mar 11, 2026 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  27. Mar 11, 2026 · Senate

    Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  28. Mar 11, 2026 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  29. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Rules suspended to withdraw from committee on Senate Organization and take up

  30. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Read a second time

  31. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  32. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  33. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in, Ayes 31, Noes 2

  34. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Senators Hesselbein, Smith and Drake added as cosponsors

  35. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  36. Mar 18, 2026 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  37. Mar 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Senator Spreitzer added as a cosponsor

  38. Mar 20, 2026 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled on 3-20-2026

  39. Mar 20, 2026 · Assembly

    Representative J. Jacobson added as a coauthor

  40. Apr 2, 2026 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 4-2-2026

  41. Apr 9, 2026 · Assembly

    Report approved by the Governor on 4-9-2026. 2025 Wisconsin Act 240

  42. Apr 9, 2026 · Assembly

    Published 4-10-2026