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Bills from the 2025–26 session

Senate Bill 59

Tuition and fee remission for certain veterans and their dependents enrolled in the University of Wisconsin System or a technical college. (FE)

Topics: Technical college, University of Wisconsin: Tuition, Veteran: Education

Stopped before the full Senate voted

The recommended passing it, but the full Senate never voted on it. The last day for votes this session was Mar 19, 2026. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Feb 21, 2025

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Senate vote, stopped here

    Stopped here. The full Senate never voted on it.

  4. Assembly vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 23, 2026: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

Read the bill

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The same bill was also filed in the Assembly as AB 47. That version died when the session ended.

What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

This bill modifies the residency requirement for the tuition and fee remission program for certain veterans and their spouses and children enrolled in University of Wisconsin System schools and technical colleges.

Under current law, if certain criteria are met, veterans and their spouses and 17- to 25-year-old children are eligible for full remission of tuition and fees at UW System schools and technical colleges for up to eight semesters or 128 credits, whichever is longer. Under the veterans fee remission program, the veteran must be a resident of this state when he or she entered military service or be a resident of this state for at least five consecutive years immediately before the veteran registers at a UW System school or technical college. Under the fee remission program for the spouse or child of a veteran who suffered service-connected death or disability, the veteran must have been a resident of this state when he or she entered military service or one of the following must apply: 1) if the veteran, while a resident of this state, died on active duty, died as the result of a service-connected disability, or died in the line of duty while on active or inactive duty for training purposes, the veteran must have resided in this state for at least five consecutive years while an adult, or 2) if the veteran received at least a 30 percent service-connected disability rating, the veteran must have resided in this state for at least five consecutive years immediately before the veteran’s spouse or child registers at a UW System school or technical college. In addition, if a veteran was not a resident of this state when he or she entered military service, the veteran’s spouse or child is eligible for tuition and fee remission only if the spouse or child has resided in this state for at least five consecutive years immediately before the spouse’s or child’s enrollment in a UW System school or technical college.

Read the full summary

This bill eliminates the five-year durational residency requirement for veterans and their spouses and children under the tuition and fee remission program under circumstances in which the veteran was not a resident of this state when he or she entered military service. Under the bill, if the veteran was not a resident of this state when he or she entered military service, the veteran is still eligible for the tuition and fee remission program if the veteran is a resident of this state immediately before the veteran registers at a UW System school or technical college. Also under the bill, if the veteran was not a resident of this state when he or she entered military service, the veteran’s spouse and children are still eligible for the tuition and fee remission program if the spouse or child resided in this state immediately before the spouse or child registers at a UW System school or technical college and if the veteran, as described in 1), above, resided in this state at any time while an adult or the veteran, as described in 2), above, resided in this state immediately before the veteran’s spouse or child registers at a UW System school or technical college. If the applicable requirements for fee remission are met, the veteran or the veteran’s spouse or child is eligible for fee remission regardless of whether the veteran or veteran’s spouse or child would otherwise qualify as a resident student for tuition or fee purposes.

Who's behind it

2 senators are its ⁠. All 2 are Republicans.

12 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 14 names

Authors (2)

Signed on in support (12)

What it would cost

State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

Versions and amendments

Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.

How lawmakers voted

There were 2 votes on this bill.

Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges vote on an amendment

Passed, 5 to 0 · Oct 24, 2025

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report adoption of Senate Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, Ayes 5, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges vote to recommend it

Passed, 5 to 0 · Oct 24, 2025

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, Ayes 5, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Mar 23, 2026

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Oct 30, 2025

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  3. Oct 24, 2025

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 5 to 0.

  4. Oct 24, 2025

    “Report adoption of Senate Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, Ayes 5, Noes 0” (the official wording)

  5. Oct 15, 2025

    The committee held a public hearing.

  6. Mar 17, 2025

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  7. Mar 5, 2025

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  8. Feb 21, 2025

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges.

  9. Feb 21, 2025

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Feb 21, 2025 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Jacque and Tomczyk; cosponsored by Representatives Murphy, Maxey, Armstrong, Brill, Gundrum, Kreibich, Mursau, O'Connor, Sinicki, Wichgers and Tusler

  2. Feb 21, 2025 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges

  3. Mar 5, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Mar 17, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  5. Apr 8, 2025 · Senate

    Senate Amendment 1 offered by Senator Jacque

  6. Oct 15, 2025 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  7. Oct 24, 2025 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  8. Oct 24, 2025 · Senate

    Report adoption of Senate Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  9. Oct 24, 2025 · Senate

    Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  10. Oct 24, 2025 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  11. Oct 30, 2025 · Senate

    Representative Tucker added as a cosponsor

  12. Mar 23, 2026 · Senate

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

Terms on this page

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote