Senate Bill 983
The definition of “veteran” for purposes of certain state veterans benefits
Topics: National Guard, Veteran
Stopped in committee
It never got a , so it never came up for a vote. The last day for votes this session was Mar 19, 2026. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.
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Introduced, passed
Feb 6, 2026
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. No public hearing was held.
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Senate vote, not reached
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Assembly vote, not reached
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Governor, not reached
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Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Mar 23, 2026: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
It never got a hearing in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Veteran and Military Affairs. The committee's chair at the time was André Jacque. Chairs decide which bills get a hearing. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.
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The same bill was also filed in the Assembly as AB 1006. That version died when the session ended.
Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
This bill expands the definition of “veteran” under state law to include any current or former member of the national guard who met the requirements for satisfactory completion of his or her initial term of obligated service and received an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions. The bill extends most veterans benefits to anyone who meets this expanded definition of veteran; however, admission to a state veterans home and burial in a veterans cemetery are not included benefits as those benefits are subject to federal regulation.
Who's behind it
4 senators are its . 2 are Democrats and 2 are Republicans.
22 more lawmakers .
See all 26 names Hide the names
Authors (4)
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- Kristin Dassler-Alfheim · Democrat, Senate
- Howard Marklein · Republican, Senate
- Patrick Testin · Republican, Senate
Signed on in support (22)
- Elijah Behnke · Republican, Assembly
- Brienne Brown · Democrat, Assembly
- Barbara Dittrich · Republican, Assembly
- Jodi Emerson · Democrat, Assembly
- Ben Franklin · Republican, Assembly
- Joy Goeben · Republican, Assembly
- Chanz Green · Republican, Assembly
- Rick Gundrum · Republican, Assembly
- Karen Hurd · Republican, Assembly
- Alex Joers · Democrat, Assembly
- Dean Kaufert · Republican, Assembly
- Dan Knodl · Republican, Assembly
- Tony Kurtz · Republican, Assembly
- Dave Maxey · Republican, Assembly
- Paul Melotik · Republican, Assembly
- Dave Murphy · Republican, Assembly
- Todd Novak · Republican, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Shelia Stubbs · Democrat, Assembly
- Duke Tucker · Republican, Assembly
- Randy Udell · Democrat, Assembly
- Chuck Wichgers · Republican, Assembly
What happened
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Mar 23, 2026
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Feb 16, 2026 to Mar 19, 2026
4 more representatives signed on in support.
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Feb 6, 2026
Sent to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Veteran and Military Affairs.
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Feb 6, 2026
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Feb 6, 2026 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Testin, Marklein, Carpenter and Dassler-Alfheim; cosponsored by Representatives Maxey, Kurtz, Franklin, Tucker, Behnke, Brown, Dittrich, Goeben, Green, Gundrum, Hurd, Kaufert, Knodl, Murphy, Novak, Sinicki, Stubbs and Wichgers
- Feb 6, 2026 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Veteran and Military Affairs
- Feb 16, 2026 · Senate
Representative Udell added as a cosponsor
- Feb 17, 2026 · Senate
Representative Melotik added as a cosponsor
- Mar 12, 2026 · Senate
Representative Joers added as a cosponsor
- Mar 19, 2026 · Senate
Representative Emerson added as a cosponsor
- 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.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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
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.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor