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Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

AB 778

Became law Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: eligibility for the Transform Milwaukee Jobs program and the Transitional Jobs program. (FE)

Children and families department of Employment Milwaukee county Public assistance

  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 law, the Department of Children and Families administers temporary wage subsidy programs for individuals who meet all of the following qualifications: 1) are at least 18 years old and, if over 25 years old, are the parent or primary relative caregiver of a child under the age of 18; 2) have a household income below 150 percent of the poverty line; 3) have been unemployed for at least four weeks; 4) are ineligible to receive unemployment insurance benefits; 5) are not participating in a Wisconsin Works employment position; and 6) satisfy applicable substance abuse screening, testing, and treatment requirements.

This bill modifies the qualifications for participating in the programs by removing the requirement that the individual has been unemployed for at least four weeks and by specifying that anyone who has not filed for unemployment benefits or who has filed but is ineligible for unemployment benefits may participate.

What it would cost

Fiscal estimates filed by state agencies, as official PDFs

Sponsors

Introduced by: Allen (R) , Behnke (R) , Dittrich (R) , Donovan (R) , Goodwin (D) , Gundrum (R) , Kaufert (R) , Melotik (R) , Mursau (R) , O'Connor (R) , Ortiz-Velez (D) , Penterman (R) , Piwowarczyk (R) , Prado (D) , Rodriguez (R) , Steffen (R)

4 cosponsors

Carpenter (D) , Drake (D) , Knodl (R) , Wanggaard (R)

Registered lobbying interests · 4

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 Workforce Development, Labor, and Integrated Employment, Ayes 9, Noes 0

Passed 9–0 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 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: 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.

Full history

  1. Dec 17, 2025 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Rodriguez, Donovan, Ortiz-Velez, Allen, Behnke, Dittrich, Goodwin, Gundrum, Kaufert, Melotik, Mursau, O'Connor, Penterman, Piwowarczyk, Prado and Steffen; cosponsored by Senator Wanggaard

  2. Dec 17, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Workforce Development, Labor, and Integrated Employment

  3. Dec 22, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Knodl added as a coauthor

  4. Jan 6, 2026 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  5. Jan 8, 2026 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  6. Jan 14, 2026 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  7. Jan 15, 2026 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Workforce Development, Labor, and Integrated Employment, Ayes 9, Noes 0

  8. Jan 15, 2026 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  9. Jan 23, 2026 · Assembly

    Senator Carpenter added as a cosponsor

  10. Feb 5, 2026 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 2-10-2026 by Committee on Rules

  11. Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  12. Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  13. Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  14. Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed

  15. Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  16. Feb 10, 2026 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  17. Feb 11, 2026 · Senate

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

  18. Feb 27, 2026 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  19. Mar 3, 2026 · Senate

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

  20. Mar 3, 2026 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  21. Mar 16, 2026 · Senate

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

  22. Mar 16, 2026 · Senate

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

  23. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Read a second time

  24. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  25. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  26. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in

  27. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Senator Drake added as a cosponsor

  28. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  29. Mar 18, 2026 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  30. Mar 23, 2026 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled on 3-23-2026

  31. Apr 1, 2026 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 4-1-2026

  32. Apr 2, 2026 · Assembly

    Report approved by the Governor on 4-2-2026. 2025 Wisconsin Act 176

  33. Apr 2, 2026 · Assembly

    Published 4-3-2026