Wisconsin 2025 Regular Session Status: To Executive Bipartisan · 13 D · 11 R cosponsors

AB 759 — Relating to: eligibility to receive occupational credentials for recipients of deferred action under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. (FE)

Last action — Published 4-10-2026

  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 December 17, 2025. It awaits signature.

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

Odds of enactment

Moderate chance

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

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

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

Prognosis

Likely to advance 90% · high confidence

  • To Executive

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 28 sponsors

    1 primary, 27 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (13 D · 11 R) — cross-party backing.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 3 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 995.40 of the statutes;

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

105 added · 14 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendment to Assembly Bill 759 specifies that eligibility for certain occupational credentials is limited to individuals who were granted deferred action under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program for the first time on or before June 15, 2012. This means that those who receive DACA status after that date will no longer be able to obtain these credentials. This change matters because it narrows the pool of eligible applicants, potentially impacting many individuals who hoped to qualify for professional licenses.

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- 2026 LEGISLATURE LRBa0782/1 MED:cdc ASSEMBLY AMENDMENT 1, TO ASSEMBLY BILL 759 January 14, 2026 - Offered by RepresentatiITCHENS.
- 2026 LEGISLATURE LRB-0929/1 JPC:cdc ASSEMBLY BILL 759 December 17, 2025 - Introduced by RepresentativeITCHENS, NYDER , DUCHOW , F RANKLIN, NOVAK, RODRIGUEZ, KRUG, ALLEN, ORTIZ-ELEZ, RIVERA-WAGNER , C LANCY, EMERSON , GOODWIN , H ONG, K IRSCH, KREIBICH, M CC ARVILLE, M ELOTIK, M URSAU , NEUBAUER , PRADO , SINICK, S TROUD and S UBECK , cosponsored by SenatorsAMES , OMCZYK , ARPENTER and LARSON .
At the locations indicated, amend the bill as follows:
Referred to Committee on Regulatory Licensing Reform.
1.
A N A CT to create 995.40 of the statutes;
Page 4, line 17:
relating to:
delete lines 17 to 20 and substitute:
eligibility to receive occupational credentials for recipients of deferred action under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
“(9) This section applies only to an individual who was granted deferred action for the first time under the deferred action for childhood arrivals program that was established by the federal department of homeland security on June 15, 2012, and does not apply to any individual who is granted deferred action for the first time under that program after the effective date of this subsection ....
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau Currently, federal law prohibits all but certain noncitizens from receiving any “state or local public benefit,” which is defined to include any “professional license, or commercial license provided by an agency of a state or local government.” However, federal law allows states to explicitly allow eligibility for certain public benefits.
[LRB insert date].”.
This bill allows certain individuals who are not U.S.
(END )
citizens to receive credentials to practice certain occupations in this state if he or she meets all other requirements for the credential.Under the bill, an eligible individual is an individual to whom all of the following apply:
1) the individual has been granted deferred action under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program of the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security;
2) the individual’s deferred action is not expired;
and 3) the individual possesses an unexpired employment authorization document issued by the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security.
Any credential issued to an individual under the bill is only valid for the period of time during which the individual’s employment authorization document is valid.
- 2026 Legislature - 2 - LRB-0929/1 JPC:cdc ASSEMBLY BILL 759 SECTION 1 For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
S ECTION 1.
995.40 of the statutes is created to read:
995.40 Eligibility of certain individuals who are not U.S.
citizens for occupational authorization.
(1) In this section:
(a) “Affiliated credentialing board” has the meaning given in s.
15.01 (1g).
(b) “Department” has the meaning given in s.
15.01 (5).
“Department” includes the state superintendent of public instruction.
(c) “Division” has the meaning given in s.
15.01 (6).
(d) “Examining board” has the meaning given in s.
15.01 (7).
(e) “Independent agency” has the meaning given in s.
15.01 (9).
“Independent agency” includes the commissioner of insurance.
(f) “Issuing authority” means the department, division, independent agency, examining board, section of an examining board, or affiliated credentialing board that issues an occupational authorization.
(g) “Occupational authorization” means any credential, license, certificate, permit, registration, or approval that is issued to an individual by any department, division, independent agency, examining board, section of an examining board, or affiliated credentialing board.
(2) Pursuant to 8 USC 1621 (d), an individual who is not a U.S.
citizen is eligible to receive any occupational authorization despite the individual’s citizenship status if all of the following apply:
- 2026 Legislature - 3 - LRB-0929/1 JPC:cdc ASSEMBLY BILL 759 S ECTION 1 (a) The individual has been granted deferred action under the deferred action for childhood arrivals program of the federal department of homeland security.
(b) The individual’s deferred action under the deferred action for childhood arrivals program of the federal department of homeland security is not expired.
(c) The individual possesses an unexpired employment authorization document issued by the federal department of homeland security.
Show all 52 changed rows (12 more)
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(3) Nothing in this section affects any requirement or qualification for an applicant to obtain an occupational authorization that is not related to the citizenship status of the applicant.
(4) For each individual who applies for an occupational authorization and to whom this section applies, the issuing authority shall verify the individual’s employment authorization document issued by the federal department of homeland security through the systematic alien verification for entitlements program operated by the federal department of homeland security or an equivalent program designated by the federal department of homeland security prior to issuing an occupational authorization.
(5) If an individual's employment authorization is withdrawn, the individual shall cease practice under the individual's occupational authorization and immediately notify the issuing authority.
(6) Any occupational authorization issued to an individual to whom this section applies shall be valid only for the period of time during which the individual’s employment authorization document issued by the federal department of homeland security is valid.
If an individual's employment authorization expires - 2026 Legislature - 4 - LRB-0929/1 JPC:cdc ASSEMBLY BILL 759 SECTION 1 prior to the renewal date specified for the occupational authorization that the individual is applying for under state law, the issuing authority shall provide a credential expiration date corresponding to the date that the individual's employment authorization expires.
An individual may renew a credential that expires due to the expiration of the individual's employment authorization by renewing the individual's employment authorization, notifying the issuing authority that his or her employment authorization was renewed, and satisfying any other requirements for renewal of the individual's occupational authorization.
(7) An issuing authority may adjust the fees associated with an occupational authorization to correspond to the increased cost of collecting numeric identifiers for verification that are required under federal law.
An issuing authority may only adjust fees under this subsection to recoup the exact cost of collecting numeric identifiers for verification that are required under federal law.
(8) Nothing in this section may be construed to grant eligibility to an individual for any public benefits other than receiving an occupational authorization.
(9) This section does not apply to any individual who is granted deferred action under the deferred action for childhood arrivals program of the federal department of homeland security following the effective date of this subsection ....
[LRB insert date].
(END)
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Action History

  1. Published 4-10-2026

  2. Report approved by the Governor on 4-9-2026. 2025 Wisconsin Act 240

  3. Presented to the Governor on 4-2-2026

  4. Representative J. Jacobson added as a coauthor

  5. Report correctly enrolled on 3-20-2026

  6. Senator Spreitzer added as a cosponsor

  7. Received from Senate concurred in

  8. Ordered immediately messaged

  9. Senators Hesselbein, Smith and Drake added as cosponsors

  10. Read a third time and concurred in, Ayes 31, Noes 2

  11. Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  12. Ordered to a third reading

  13. Read a second time

  14. Rules suspended to withdraw from committee on Senate Organization and take up

  15. Available for scheduling

  16. Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  17. Executive action taken

  18. Senator Wirch added as a cosponsor

  19. Public hearing held

  20. Read first time and referred to committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development

  21. Received from Assembly

  22. Ordered immediately messaged

  23. Representative Ratcliff added as a cosponsor

  24. Read a third time and passed

  25. Rules suspended

  26. Ordered to a third reading

  27. Assembly Amendment 1 adopted

  28. Read a second time

  29. Representatives Miresse, Andraca, Hysell, Mayadev, Stubbs, Anderson and Tenorio added as coauthors

  30. Made a special order of business at 9:32 PM on 2-19-2026 pursuant to Assembly Resolution 15

  31. Representative Madison added as a coauthor

  32. Referred to committee on Rules

  33. Report passage recommended by Committee on Regulatory Licensing Reform, Ayes 7, Noes 0

  34. Representative Moore Omokunde added as a coauthor

  35. Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative Kitchens

  36. Executive action taken

  37. Public hearing held

  38. Representative Joers added as a coauthor

  39. Representative Phelps added as a coauthor

  40. Fiscal estimate received

  41. Read first time and referred to Committee on Regulatory Licensing Reform

  42. Introduced by Representatives Kitchens, Snyder, Duchow, Franklin, Novak, Rodriguez, Krug, Allen, Ortiz-Velez, Rivera-Wagner, Clancy, Emerson, Goodwin, Hong, Kirsch, Kreibich, McCarville, Melotik, Mursau, Neubauer, Prado, Sinicki, Stroud and Subeck; cosponsored by Senators James, Tomczyk, Carpenter and Larson

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 27 co-sponsors · 104 not signed on · 2 voted No

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (27)

Not signed on (104)

104 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 104 →

"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 concurred in

Passed 31 Yea · 2 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 16200
Democrat 12000
Unaffiliated 3000
Total 31200
% of votes cast 94%6%0%0%
How each member voted (33)
Member Party Vote
JOHNSON — Yea
DASSLER-ALFHEI — Yea
HABUSH SINYKIN — Yea
Carpenter, Tim Democrat Yea
Drake, Dora Democrat Yea
Hesselbein, Dianne Democrat Yea
Keyeski, Sarah Democrat Yea
Larson, Chris Democrat Yea
Pfaff, Brad Democrat Yea
Ratcliff, Melissa Democrat Yea
Roys, Kelda Democrat Yea
Smith, Jeff Democrat Yea
Spreitzer, Mark Democrat Yea
Wall, Jamie Democrat Yea
Wirch, Robert Democrat Yea
Bradley, Julian Republican Yea
Cabral-Guevara, Rachael Republican Yea
Felzkowski, Mary Republican Yea
Feyen, Dan Republican Yea
Hutton, Rob Republican Yea
Jacque, André Republican Nay
Jagler, John Republican Yea
James, Jesse Republican Yea
Kapenga, Chris Republican Yea
LeMahieu, Devin Republican Yea
Marklein, Howard Republican Yea
Nass, Steve Republican Nay
Quinn, Romaine Republican Yea
Stafsholt, Rob Republican Yea
Testin, Patrick Republican Yea
Tomczyk, Cory Republican Yea
Wanggaard, Van Republican Yea
Wimberger, Eric Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

immigration labor
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Frequently asked questions

What does AB 759 do?
An Act to create 995.40 of the statutes;
Who sponsors AB 759?
AB 759 is sponsored by James, Tomczyk, Carpenter, Larson, Kitchens, Joel (Republican), Snyder, Patrick (Republican), Duchow, Cindi (Republican), Franklin, Benjamin (Republican), Novak, Todd (Republican), Rodriguez, Jessie (Republican), Krug, Scott (Republican), Allen, Scott (Republican), Ortiz-Velez, Sylvia (Democrat), Rivera-Wagner, Amaad (Democrat), Clancy, Ryan (Democrat), Emerson, Jodi (Democrat), Goodwin, Russell (Democrat), Hong, Francesca (Democrat), Kirsch, Karen (Democrat), Kreibich, Rob (Republican), McCarville, Maureen (Democrat), Melotik, Paul (Republican), Mursau, Jeffrey (Republican), Neubauer, Greta (Democrat), Prado, Priscilla (Democrat), Sinicki, Christine (Democrat), Stroud, Angela (Democrat), and Subeck, Lisa (Democrat).
What is the current status of AB 759?
This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced December 17, 2025. It awaits signature.
Where can I track AB 759?
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