Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session
Relating to: repealing expired programs within the Department of Veterans Affairs; definition, terminology, and grammatical changes for the Department of Veterans Affairs, mental health services for post-traumatic stress disorder; reporting on rules proposed by the Department of Veterans Affairs; asset calculation for determining eligibility for veterans assistance payments; and deceased veterans’ graves (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Veterans Affairs).
Mental health Military personnel Statutes — Revision Veteran Veteran — Relief Veterans affairs department of
- Introduced, completed
- Passes Assembly, completed
- Passes Senate, completed
- Governor signs, completed
- Law, completed
Unfamiliar terms? Glossary
What this bill does
Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill makes the following terminology and grammatical changes to the statutory provisions regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs:
1. The bill defines “council” to mean the Council on Veterans Programs.
2. The bill updates references to DVA.
3. The bill changes various references to DVA’s website from “Internet website” to “website” to conform to current style and clarifies what information must be published on the website.
4. The bill changes “armed forces of the United States” and “armed forces of the U.S.” to “U.S. armed forces.”
5. The bill clarifies the meaning of “life insurance” for purposes of calculating the value of a veteran’s assets when determining eligibility for veteran assistance payments.
6. The bill changes several instances of “shall not” to “are not” or “may not” to conform with current statutory drafting conventions.
7. The bill makes grammatical changes to the statute regarding eligibility requirements for admission to a skilled nursing facility at a veterans home.
8. The bill makes grammatical changes to the statute regarding a county veterans service commission chairperson.
The bill also repeals two grant programs, one that expired in 2007 and one that expired in 2011, from the statutes governing DVA.
The bill clarifies that DVA, in providing information to service members and veterans on the availability of post-traumatic stress disorder services, may provide information on and referrals to either medical services or mental health services.
The bill changes the procedure that the Board of Veterans Affairs must follow with respect to reporting on rules proposed by DVA.
The bill makes a clarifying change to the statute regarding information that the Department of Veterans Affairs may compile about deceased veterans’ graves.
The bill updates outdated references to federal law concerning disabled veterans.
For further information, see the
Notes
provided by the Law Revision Committee of the Joint Legislative Council.
Sponsors
Introduced by: Law Revision Committee
1 cosponsors
Carpenter (D)
Votes
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 pageNo individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.
Full history
- Jan 28, 2026 · Assembly
Introduced by Law Revision Committee
- Jan 28, 2026 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Rules
- Feb 5, 2026 · Assembly
Placed on calendar 2-10-2026 by Committee on Rules
- Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly
Read a second time
- Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly
Ordered to a third reading
- Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly
Rules suspended
- Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly
Read a third time and passed
- Feb 10, 2026 · Assembly
Ordered immediately messaged
- Feb 10, 2026 · Senate
Received from Assembly
- Feb 11, 2026 · Senate
Available for scheduling
- Feb 11, 2026 · Senate
Read first time and referred to committee on Senate Organization
- Mar 16, 2026 · Senate
Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2
- Mar 16, 2026 · Senate
Placed on calendar 3-17-2026 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)
- Mar 17, 2026 · Senate
Read a second time
- Mar 17, 2026 · Senate
Ordered to a third reading
- Mar 17, 2026 · Senate
Rules suspended to give bill its third reading
- Mar 17, 2026 · Senate
Read a third time and concurred in
- Mar 17, 2026 · Senate
Senator Carpenter added as a cosponsor
- Mar 17, 2026 · Senate
Ordered immediately messaged
- Mar 18, 2026 · Assembly
Received from Senate concurred in
- Mar 25, 2026 · Assembly
Report correctly enrolled on 3-25-2026
- Mar 26, 2026 · Assembly
Presented to the Governor on 3-26-2026
- Mar 27, 2026 · Assembly
Report approved by the Governor on 3-27-2026. 2025 Wisconsin Act 138
- Mar 27, 2026 · Assembly
Published 3-28-2026