WI AB 659

enacted

Relating to: tuition and fee remission or grants for certain veterans and their dependents enrolled in the University of Wisconsin System, a technical college, or a private nonprofit institution of higher education; and the University of Wisconsin System nonresident tuition exemption for certain veterans. (FE)

Wisconsin · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

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Quick answers

Did WI AB 659 pass?

Yes. WI AB 659 has been enacted into law. Latest recorded action (2026-04-02): Published 4-3-2026

What is WI AB 659 about?

WI AB 659 is a bill in the 2025-2026 Regular Session titled “Relating to: tuition and fee remission or grants for certain veterans and their dependents enrolled in the University of Wisconsin System, a technical college, or a private nonprofit institution of higher education; and the University of Wisconsin System nonresident tuition exemption for certain veterans. (FE)”.

Who sponsors WI AB 659?

Palmeri, Wichgers, Udell and 18 others are the primary sponsors of WI AB 659, joined by 1 cosponsor.

Introduced: 2025-11-19
Latest action: 2026-04-02 — Published 4-3-2026
Bill type: bill
Last updated: —

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

Newest first

2026-04-02
Published 4-3-2026
became-law
2026-04-02
Report approved by the Governor on 4-2-2026. 2025 Wisconsin Act 155
executive-signature
2026-04-01
Presented to the Governor on 4-1-2026
executive-receipt
2026-03-24
Report correctly enrolled on 3-24-2026
enrolled
2026-03-18
Received from Senate concurred in
receipt
2026-03-17
Ordered immediately messaged
2026-03-17
Read a third time and concurred in
passage,reading-3
2026-03-17
Rules suspended to give bill its third reading
2026-03-17
Ordered to a third reading
reading-3
2026-03-17
Senate Amendment 1 rejected, Ayes 18, Noes 15
amendment-failure
2026-03-17
Read a second time
reading-2
2026-03-17
Senators Hesselbein and Smith added as cosponsors
2026-03-17
Senate Amendment 1 offered by Senators Dassler-Alfheim, Larson, Carpenter, Drake, Habush Sinykin, Hesselbein, L. Johnson, Keyeski, Pfaff, Ratcliff, Roys, Smith, Spreitzer, Wall and Wirch
amendment-introduction
2026-03-16
Placed on calendar 3-17-2026 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)
2026-03-16
Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2
2026-03-03
Available for scheduling
2026-03-03
Report concurrence recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 16, Noes 0
committee-passage-favorable
2026-03-03
Executive action taken
2026-02-27
Withdrawn from committee on Senate Organization and rereferred to joint committee on Finance pursuant to Senate Rule 46(2)(c)
referral-committee
2026-02-25
Available for scheduling
2026-02-25
Read first time and referred to committee on Senate Organization
reading-1,referral-committee
2026-02-23
Received from Assembly
receipt
2026-02-19
Ordered immediately messaged
2026-02-19
Read a third time and passed, Ayes 94, Noes 2
passage,reading-3
2026-02-19
Rules suspended
2026-02-19
Ordered to a third reading
reading-3
2026-02-19
Assembly Amendment 1 laid on table, Ayes 55, Noes 41
amendment-deferral,deferral
2026-02-19
Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative Emerson
amendment-introduction
2026-02-19
Read a second time
reading-2
2026-02-18
Made a special order of business at 11:27 AM on 2-19-2026 pursuant to Assembly Resolution 14
2026-02-09
Representative J. Jacobson added as a coauthor
2026-01-22
Referred to committee on Rules
referral-committee
2026-01-22
Report passage recommended by Committee on Colleges and Universities, Ayes 11, Noes 0
committee-passage-favorable
2026-01-22
Executive action taken
2026-01-08
Public hearing held
2025-11-24
Fiscal estimate received
receipt
2025-11-24
Representative Ortiz-Velez added as a coauthor
2025-11-21
Fiscal estimate received
receipt
2025-11-21
Representative Subeck added as a coauthor
2025-11-21
Fiscal estimate received
receipt
2025-11-19
Read first time and referred to Committee on Colleges and Universities
reading-1,referral-committee
2025-11-19
Introduced by Representatives Kitchens, Franklin, Kurtz, Steffen, Behnke, Billings, Brooks, Dittrich, Donovan, Joers, Knodl, Kreibich, Melotik, Murphy, Mursau, Novak, O'Connor, Piwowarczyk, Udell, Wichgers and Palmeri; cosponsored by Senator Wimberger
introduction

Versions

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Documents

Votes

Report passage recommended by Committee on Colleges and Universities, Ayes 11, Noes 0
2026-01-22 · pass · 11-0
Assembly Amendment 1 laid on table, Ayes 55, Noes 41
2026-02-19 · pass · 55-41
PASSAGE
2026-02-19 · pass · 94-2
Member-level votes (96)
- ALLEN: yes
- ANDERSON: yes
- ANDRACA: yes
- ARMSTRONG: yes
- ARNEY: yes
- AUGUST: yes
- BARE: yes
- BEHNKE: yes
- BILLINGS: yes
- BORN: yes
- BRILL: yes
- BROOKS: yes
- BROWN: yes
- CALLAHAN: yes
- CLANCY: yes
- CRUZ: no
- DALLMAN: yes
- DESANTO: yes
- DESMIDT: yes
- DITTRICH: yes
- DONOVAN: yes
- DOYLE: yes
- DUCHOW: yes
- FITZGERALD: yes
- FRANKLIN: yes
- GOEBEN: yes
- GOODWIN: yes
- GREEN: yes
- GUNDRUM: yes
- GUSTAFSON: yes
- HAYWOOD: yes
- HONG: yes
- HURD: yes
- HYSELL: yes
- JACOBSON, B: yes
- JACOBSON, J: yes
- JOERS: yes
- KAUFERT: yes
- KIRSCH: yes
- KITCHENS: yes
- KNODL: yes
- KREIBICH: yes
- KRUG: yes
- KURTZ: yes
- MADISON: yes
- MAXEY: yes
- MAYADEV: yes
- MCCARVILLE: yes
- MCGUIRE: yes
- MELOTIK: yes
- MIRESSE: yes
- MOORE OMOKUNDE: yes
- MOSES: yes
- MURPHY: yes
- MURSAU: yes
- NEDWESKI: yes
- NEUBAUER: yes
- NEYLON: yes
- NOVAK: yes
- O'CONNOR: yes
- ORTIZ-VELEZ: yes
- PALMERI: no
- PENTERMAN: yes
- PETERSEN: yes
- PHELPS: yes
- PIWOWARCZYK: yes
- PRONSCHINSKE: yes
- RIVERA-WAGNER: yes
- RODRIGUEZ: yes
- ROE: yes
- SHEEHAN: yes
- SINICKI: yes
- SNODGRASS: yes
- SNYDER: yes
- SORTWELL: yes
- SPAUDE: yes
- SPIROS: yes
- STEFFEN: yes
- STROUD: yes
- STUBBS: yes
- SUBECK: yes
- SUMMERFIELD: yes
- SWEARINGEN: yes
- TAYLOR: yes
- TENORIO: yes
- TITTL: yes
- TRANEL: yes
- TUCKER: yes
- TUSLER: yes
- UDELL: yes
- VANDERMEER: yes
- VINING: yes
- WICHGERS: yes
- WITTKE: yes
- ZIMMERMAN: yes
- SPEAKER: yes
Report concurrence recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 16, Noes 0
2026-03-03 · pass · 16-0
Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2
2026-03-16 · pass · 3-2
Senate Amendment 1 rejected, Ayes 18, Noes 15
2026-03-17 · pass · 18-15

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/reg/asm/bill/ab659

Attribution

Data from openstates_api_sync, retrieved 2026-10-31T20:49:06.222847Z

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