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Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

AB 797

Died at session end Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: grants for testing privately owned wells and providing education, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. (FE)

County — Finance County — Health department Municipality — Finance Municipality — Officers Natural resources department of — Environmental protection University of wisconsin — Stevens point Water — Pollution Wells

  1. Introduced, stopped here
  2. Passes Assembly, not reached
  3. Passes Senate, not reached
  4. Governor signs, not reached
  5. Law, not reached

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill requires the Department of Natural Resources to create and administer a program to provide grants, not to exceed $10,000 1) to any county, city, village, or town that contains privately owned wells or water supplies to test and map privately owned wells to assess groundwater quality and determine the extent of any contamination and to study and map geologic characteristics and well construction practices to determine any correlation between water quality, geology, and well construction and 2) to county health departments and county land and water conservation departments to provide education and outreach related to well testing. Applicants may apply for a grant individually or jointly with other applicants and may apply for both types of grants simultaneously. The recipient of a testing and mapping grant must share the results of its testing with DNR and the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point Center for Watershed Science and Education. The bill also requires cities, villages, and towns that contain privately owned wells or water supplies to inform its residents of the importance of regular well testing.

What it would cost

Fiscal estimates filed by state agencies, as official PDFs

Sponsors

Introduced by: Anderson (D) , Andraca (D) , Arney (D) , Bare (D) , Billings (D) , Brown (D) , Clancy (D) , Cruz (D) , DeSanto (D) , DeSmidt (D) , Doyle (D) , Emerson (D) , Fitzgerald (D) , Goodwin (D) , Haywood (D) , Hong (D) , Hysell (D) , J. Jacobson (D) , Joers (D) , Johnson (D) , Kirsch (D) , Madison (D) , Mayadev (D) , McCarville (D) , McGuire (D) , Miresse (D) , Moore Omokunde (D) , Neubauer (D) , Palmeri (D) , Phelps (D) , Prado (D) , Rivera-Wagner (D) , Roe (D) , Sheehan (D) , Sinicki (D) , Snodgrass (D) , Spaude (D) , Stroud (D) , Stubbs (D) , Subeck (D) , Taylor (D) , Tenorio (D) , Udell (D) , Vining (D)

15 cosponsors

Carpenter (D) , Dassler-Alfheim (D) , Drake (D) , Habush Sinykin (D) , Hesselbein (D) , Keyeski (D) , L. Johnson (D) , Larson (D) , Pfaff (D) , Ratcliff (D) , Roys (D) , Smith (D) , Spreitzer (D) , Wall (D) , Wirch (D)

Registered lobbying interests · 2

Organizations that registered lobbying activity on this bill with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Registration means interest, not a position for or against. Official record

Full history

  1. Dec 23, 2025 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Miresse, Palmeri, Billings, Andraca, Anderson, Arney, Bare, Brown, Clancy, Cruz, DeSanto, DeSmidt, Doyle, Emerson, Fitzgerald, Goodwin, Haywood, Hong, Hysell, J. Jacobson, Joers, Johnson, Kirsch, Madison, Mayadev, McCarville, Moore Omokunde, Neubauer, Phelps, Prado, Rivera-Wagner, Roe, Sheehan, Sinicki, Snodgrass, Spaude, Stroud, Stubbs, Subeck, Taylor, Tenorio, Udell, Vining and McGuire; cosponsored by Senators Smith, Spreitzer, Habush Sinykin, Carpenter, Dassler-Alfheim, Drake, Hesselbein, L. Johnson, Keyeski, Larson, Pfaff, Ratcliff, Roys, Wall and Wirch

  2. Dec 23, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Environment

  3. Jan 13, 2026 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Mar 23, 2026 · Assembly

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1