Wisconsin 2025 Regular Session Status: To Executive 21 R cosponsors

AB 597 — Relating to: a state matching grant program for recipients of federal per diem payments. (FE)

Last action — Published 4-3-2026

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Assembly
  4. ✓
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced October 27, 2025. It awaits signature.

Next likely step: the executive signs it into law or issues a veto.

Odds of enactment

High chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 74% · moderate confidence

  • To Executive

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 26 sponsors

    1 primary, 25 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (21 R).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 4 recorded votes so far.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

An Act to create 45.49 of the statutes;

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

48 added · 14 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendments to Assembly Bill 597 change how state matching grants are calculated for organizations assisting homeless veterans. Instead of a fixed grant of $25 per veteran per day, the new language now allows the grant to be "up to $25," and will be based on the actual costs incurred by the organizations. This change is important because it ensures that the state grants can be tailored to support organizations without jeopardizing their eligibility for federal funding, potentially increasing the resources available to help homeless veterans.

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Previous
Latest
- 2026 LEGISLATURE LRBa0630/1 MJW:cdc ASSEMBLY AMENDMENT 1, TO ASSEMBLY BILL 597 November 11, 2025 - Offered by RepresentatRANKLIN .
CORRECTED COPY 2 - 2026 LEGISLATURE LRB-5116/1 MJW:klm ASSEMBLY BILL 597 October 27, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives FRANKLIN, M OSES, HURD , SUMMERFIELD , ARMSTRONG , EHNKE , BRILL, DITTRIC, DONOVAN , GOEBEN , G REEN, B.
At the locations indicated, amend the bill as follows:
JACOBSON , KAUFERT, KNODL , O'CONNOR, PENTERMAN , SNYDER , SPIROS, T UCKER , W ICHGERS and M URSAU , cosponsored by Senators W IMBERGER , AMES, QUINN, TAFSHOLT and TOMCZYK .
1.
Referred to Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs.
Page 2, line 11:
A N A CT to create 45.49 of the statutes;
delete “$25” and substitute “up to $25”.
relating to:
2.
a state matching grant program for recipients of federal per diem payments.
Page 2, line 14:
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau Under current federal law, the federal Department of Veterans Affairs awards per diem payments to eligible organizations that furnish services to homeless veterans in an amount of up to $82.73 per day per veteran housed.
delete “that equals $25” and substitute “calculated based on the cost incurred”.
This bill creates a state matching grant program to provide state matching per diem payments to organizations that, on the date of their grant application, have been awarded federal per diem payments for the upcoming fiscal year.
3.
Under the bill, the state Department of Veterans Affairs may approve grants of $25 per day per veteran that may be housed, and must pay the grant awards on a quarterly basis in an amount that equals $25 per day per veteran housed by the eligible entity in the previous quarter.
Page 2, line 15:
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
after “quarter.” insert “The grant amount to be paid under this paragraph shall be the highest amount possible that will not reduce the full federal per diem amount that the eligible entity is entitled to receive, based on the entity’s per day per veteran cost of care, up to $25 per day per veteran.”.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
END )
S ECTION 1.
45.49 of the statutes is created to read:
- 2026 Legislature - 2 - LRB-5116/1 MJW:klm ASSEMBLY BILL 597 SECTION 1 45.49 State matching grants for recipients of federal per diem payments.
(1) D EFINITIO.
In this section, “eligible entity” means an eligible entity under 38 USC 2011 (d) other than the state that, on the date of application under this section, has been awarded per diem payments under 38 USC 2012 (a) for the upcoming fiscal year.
(2) M ATCHING PER DIEM PAYMENTS .
(a) The department may award state matching grants to eligible entities, in the order in which the applications are received, for services that qualify for federal per diem payments under 38 USC 2012.
(b) The department shall take applications for grants under this section on an annual basis, and may approve grants of $25 per day per veteran that the eligible entity is capable of housing, for up to 365 days per year.
(c) The department shall pay grants awarded to eligible entities under par.
(b) on a quarterly basis in an amount that equals $25 per day per veteran housed by the eligible entity in the previous quarter.
(END)
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Action History

  1. Published 4-3-2026

  2. Report approved by the Governor on 4-2-2026. 2025 Wisconsin Act 154

  3. Presented to the Governor on 4-1-2026

  4. Report correctly enrolled on 2-12-2026

  5. Received from Senate concurred in

  6. Ordered immediately messaged

  7. Senator Spreitzer added as a cosponsor

  8. Read a third time and concurred in

  9. Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  10. Ordered to a third reading

  11. Read a second time

  12. Placed on calendar 2-11-2026 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  13. Available for scheduling

  14. Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  15. Executive action taken

  16. Public hearing held

  17. Read first time and referred to committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families

  18. Received from Assembly

  19. Ordered immediately messaged

  20. Read a third time and passed, Ayes 98, Noes 0

  21. Rules suspended

  22. Ordered to a third reading

  23. Assembly Amendment 1 adopted

  24. Read a second time

  25. Representatives Ortiz-Velez and Stubbs added as coauthors

  26. Placed on calendar 11-19-2025 by Committee on Rules

  27. Referred to committee on Rules

  28. Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, Ayes 12, Noes 0

  29. Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, Ayes 12, Noes 0

  30. Executive action taken

  31. Assembly Amendment 2 offered by Representatives Sinicki, Tenorio, McCarville and Brown

  32. Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative Franklin

  33. Fiscal estimate received

  34. Representative Steffen added as a coauthor

  35. Public hearing held

  36. Read first time and referred to Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs

  37. Introduced by Representatives Franklin, Moses, Hurd, Summerfield, Armstrong, Behnke, Brill, Dittrich, Donovan, Goeben, Green, B. Jacobson, Kaufert, Knodl, O'Connor, Penterman, Snyder, Spiros, Tucker, Wichgers and Mursau; cosponsored by Senators Wimberger, James, Quinn, Stafsholt and Tomczyk

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 25 co-sponsors · 106 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (25)

Not signed on (106)

106 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 106 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Read a third time and passed

Passed 98 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 53000
Democrat 42001
Unaffiliated 3000
Total 98001
% of votes cast 99%0%0%1%
How each member voted (99)
Member Party Vote
JOHNSON — Yea
MOORE OMOKUNDE — Yea
SPEAKER — Yea
Anderson, Clinton Democrat Yea
Andraca, Deb Democrat Yea
Arney, Margaret Democrat Yea
Bare, Mike Democrat Yea
Billings, Jill Democrat Yea
Brown, Brienne Democrat Yea
Clancy, Ryan Democrat Yea
Cruz, Angelina Democrat Yea
DeSanto, Karen Democrat Yea
DeSmidt, Ben Democrat Yea
Doyle, Steve Democrat Yea
Emerson, Jodi Democrat Yea
Fitzgerald, Joan Democrat Yea
Goodwin, Russell Democrat Yea
Haywood, Kalan Democrat Yea
Hong, Francesca Democrat Yea
Hysell, Andrew Democrat Yea
Jacobson, Jenna Democrat Yea
Joers, Alex Democrat Yea
Kirsch, Karen Democrat Yea
Madison, Darrin Democrat Yea
Mayadev, Renuka Democrat Yea
McCarville, Maureen Democrat Yea
McGuire, Tip Democrat Yea
Miresse, Vincent Democrat Yea
Neubauer, Greta Democrat Yea
Ortiz-Velez, Sylvia Democrat Yea
Palmeri, Lori Democrat Yea
Phelps, Christian Democrat Yea
Prado, Priscilla Democrat Yea
Rivera-Wagner, Amaad Democrat Yea
Roe, Ann Democrat Yea
Sheehan, Joe Democrat Yea
Sinicki, Christine Democrat Yea
Snodgrass, Lee Democrat Yea
Spaude, Ryan Democrat Yea
Stroud, Angela Democrat Yea
Stubbs, Shelia Democrat Yea
Subeck, Lisa Democrat Yea
Taylor, Sequanna Democrat Not Voting
Tenorio, Angelito Democrat Yea
Udell, Randy Democrat Yea
Vining, Robyn Democrat Yea
Allen, Scott Republican Yea
Armstrong, David Republican Yea
August, Tyler Republican Yea
Behnke, Elijah Republican Yea
Born, Mark Republican Yea
Brill, Lindee Republican Yea
Brooks, Robert Republican Yea
Callahan, Calvin Republican Yea
Dallman, Alex Republican Yea
Dittrich, Barbara Republican Yea
Donovan, Bob Republican Yea
Duchow, Cindi Republican Yea
Franklin, Benjamin Republican Yea
Goeben, Joy Republican Yea
Green, Chanz Republican Yea
Gundrum, Rick Republican Yea
Gustafson, Nate Republican Yea
Hurd, Karen Republican Yea
Jacobson, Brent Republican Yea
Kaufert, Dean Republican Yea
Kitchens, Joel Republican Yea
Knodl, Daniel Republican Yea
Kreibich, Rob Republican Yea
Krug, Scott Republican Yea
Kurtz, Tony Republican Yea
Maxey, Dave Republican Yea
Melotik, Paul Republican Yea
Moses, Clint Republican Yea
Murphy, David Republican Yea
Mursau, Jeffrey Republican Yea
Nedweski, Amanda Republican Yea
Neylon, Adam Republican Yea
Novak, Todd Republican Yea
O'Connor, Jerry Republican Yea
Penterman, William Republican Yea
Petersen, Kevin Republican Yea
Piwowarczyk, Jim Republican Yea
Pronschinske, Treig Republican Yea
Rodriguez, Jessie Republican Yea
Snyder, Patrick Republican Yea
Sortwell, Shae Republican Yea
Spiros, John Republican Yea
Steffen, David Republican Yea
Summerfield, Rob Republican Yea
Swearingen, Rob Republican Yea
Tittl, Paul Republican Yea
Tranel, Travis Republican Yea
Tucker, Duke Republican Yea
Tusler, Ron Republican Yea
VanderMeer, Nancy Republican Yea
Wichgers, Chuck Republican Yea
Wittke, Robert Republican Yea
Zimmerman, Shannon Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

finance veterans
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does AB 597 do?
An Act to create 45.49 of the statutes;
Who sponsors AB 597?
AB 597 is sponsored by Wimberger, James, Quinn, Stafsholt, Tomczyk, Franklin, Benjamin (Republican), Moses, Clint (Republican), Hurd, Karen (Republican), Summerfield, Rob (Republican), Armstrong, David (Republican), Behnke, Elijah (Republican), Brill, Lindee (Republican), Dittrich, Barbara (Republican), Donovan, Bob (Republican), Goeben, Joy (Republican), Green, Chanz (Republican), Jacobson, Brent (Republican), Kaufert, Dean (Republican), Knodl, Daniel (Republican), O'Connor, Jerry (Republican), Penterman, William (Republican), Snyder, Patrick (Republican), Spiros, John (Republican), Tucker, Duke (Republican), Wichgers, Chuck (Republican), and Mursau, Jeffrey (Republican).
What is the current status of AB 597?
This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced October 27, 2025. It awaits signature.
Where can I track AB 597?
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