Wisconsin 2025 Regular Session Status: Introduced 1 R cosponsors

SB 428 — Relating to: county public works notice and competitive bidding thresholds. (FE)

Last action — Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

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

This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced September 18, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Prognosis

Stalled 32% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • Introduced

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 3 sponsors

    1 primary, 2 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 R).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 2 recorded votes so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

An Act to renumber and amend 59.52 (29) (a); to create 59.52 (29) (c) 2., 59.52 (29) (c) 3. and 59.52 (29) (e) of the statutes;

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

78 added · 12 removed

Plain-language change summary

The changes in Bill SB 428 increase the amount of money that counties can spend on public works projects without needing to seek competitive bids, raising the notice requirement from $5,000 to $10,000 and the bidding threshold from $25,000 to $50,000. Additionally, these amounts will be adjusted every five years to keep pace with inflation. The bill also introduces exceptions for specific types of projects, such as those providing housing for certain individuals and those composed of improvements donated by private parties, making it easier for counties to manage certain public works initiatives. This update is significant as it aims to streamline county contracting processes and reduce administrative burdens.

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- 2026 LEGISLATURE LRBs0208/1 EVM:ajk&skw SENATE SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT 1, TO SENATE BILL 428 December 4, 2025 - Offered by SenatOMCZYK .
- 2026 LEGISLATURE LRB-4804/1 EVM:emw SENATE BILL 428 September 18, 2025 - Introduced by Senator T OMCZYK , cosponsored by Representatives O'CONNOR and NOVAK .
A N A CT to create 59.52 (29m) of the statutes;
Referred to Committee on Transportation and Local Government.
A N A CT to renumber and amend 59.52 (29) (a);
to create 59.52 (29) (c) 2., 59.52 (29) (c) 3.
and 59.52 (29) (e) of the statutes;
exception to county contracting requirements.
county public works notice and competitive bidding thresholds.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau Under current law, if the estimated cost of a county public works project is between $5,000 and $25,000, the county must generally provide a notice before it contracts.
SECTION 1.
If the estimated cost exceeds $25,000, a county must solicit bids and award the contract to the lowest responsible bidder.
59.52 (29m) of the statutes is created to read:
This bill increases the notice threshold to $10,000 and the bidding threshold to $50,000 and adjusts these amounts quinquennially for inflation.
59.52 (29m) E XCEPTION TO PUBLIC WORK REQUIREMENTS .
The bill also provides exceptions to these bidding requirements for 1) public work for the purpose of providing housing for persons placed on supervised release as sexually violent persons and 2) improvements that are constructed by a private person and donated to a county after the completion of construction.
Subsection (29) does not apply to public work for the purpose of providing housing for persons placed on supervised release under s.
With regard to the latter, a similar exception for donated improvements currently exists for improvements donated to a city or village.
For further information see the local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
- 2026 Legislature - 2 - LRB-4804/1 EVM:emw SENATE BILL 428 SECTION 1 The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
S ECTION 1.
59.52 (29) (a) of the statutes is renumbered 59.52 (29) (a) 1.
and amended to read:
59.52 (29) (a) 1.
All public work, including any contract for the construction, repair, remodeling, or improvement of any public work, building, or furnishing of supplies or material of any kind where the estimated cost of such work will exceed $25,000 the bidding threshold under par.
(e) 1.
a.
shall be let by contract to the lowest responsible bidder.
3.
Any public work, the estimated cost of which does not exceed $25,000 the bidding threshold under par.
(e) 1.
a., shall be let as the board may direct.
4.
If the estimated cost of any public work is between $5,000 the notice threshold under par.
(e) 1.
b.
and $25,000 the bidding threshold under par.
(e) 1.
a., the board shall give a class 1 notice under ch.
985 before it contracts for the work or shall contract with a person qualified as a bidder under s.
66.0901 (2).
2.
A contract, the estimated cost of which exceeds $25,000 the bidding threshold under par.
(e) 1.
a., shall be let and entered into under s.
66.0901, except that the board may by a three-fourths vote of all the members entitled to a seat provide that any class of public work or any part thereof may be done directly by the county without submitting the same for bids.
(c) 1.
Show all 73 changed rows (33 more)
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This subsection does not apply to public construction if the materials for such a the project are donated or if the labor for such a the project is provided by volunteers.
(d) This subsection does not apply to highway contracts which the county - 2026 Legislature - 3 - LRB-4804/1 EVM:emw SENATE BILL 428 SECTION 1 highway committee or the county highway commissioner is authorized by law to let or make, which shall be let or made under s.
83.04.
S ECTION 2.
59.52 (29) (c) 2.
of the statutes is created to read:
59.52 (29) (c) 2.
This subsection does not apply to the construction by a private person of an improvement that is donated to the county after the completion of construction.
S ECTION 3.
59.52 (29) (c) 3.
of the statutes is created to read:
59.52 (29) (c) 3.
This subsection does not apply to public work for the purpose of providing housing for persons placed on supervised release under s.
END )
S ECTION 4.
59.52 (29) (e) of the statutes is created to read:
59.52 (29) (e) 1.
Beginning on the effective date of this subdivision ....
[LRB inserts date}, the thresholds under par.
(a) are the following:
a.
For general public works contract bidding, $50,000.
b.
For general public works contract notice, $10,000.
2.
On the 5th year commencing after the effective date of this subdivision ....
[LRB inserts date], and each subsequent 5th year, the thresholds under subd.
1.
shall be increased by a percentage equal to the percentage change in the U.S.
consumer price index for the previous 5 years, as determined by the federal department of labor, rounded to the nearest multiple of $1,000.
S ECTION 5.
Initial applicability.
(1) This act first applies to bids solicited on the effective date of this subsection.
(END)
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Action History

  1. Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

  2. Senate Substitute Amendment 2 offered by Senator Tomczyk

  3. Available for scheduling

  4. Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Transportation and Local Government, Ayes 3, Noes 2

  5. Report adoption of Senate Substitute Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Transportation and Local Government, Ayes 3, Noes 2

  6. Executive action taken

  7. Public hearing held

  8. Senate Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Senator Tomczyk

  9. Fiscal estimate received

  10. Public hearing held

  11. Read first time and referred to Committee on Transportation and Local Government

  12. Introduced by Senator Tomczyk; cosponsored by Representatives O'Connor and Novak

Sponsors

  • O'Connor · Cosponsor
  • Novak · Cosponsor
  • Cory Tomczyk · Primary

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 2 co-sponsors · 129 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (2)

  • O'Connor
  • Novak

Not signed on (129)

129 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 129 →

"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

Subjects

public-safety housing transportation
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 SB 428 do?
An Act to renumber and amend 59.52 (29) (a); to create 59.52 (29) (c) 2., 59.52 (29) (c) 3. and 59.52 (29) (e) of the statutes;
Who sponsors SB 428?
SB 428 is sponsored by O'Connor, Novak, and Tomczyk, Cory (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 428?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced September 18, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 428?
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