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Wisconsin Legislature: AB1018: Bill Text
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AB1018: Bill Text
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2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-4132/1
EHS:skw
2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 1018
February 6, 2026 - Introduced by Representatives
Joers
,
Mayadev
,
Spaude
,
Anderson
,
Andraca
,
Arney
,
Bare
,
Billings
,
Brown
,
Clancy
,
DeSmidt
,
Emerson
,
Fitzgerald
,
Hong
,
J. Jacobson
,
Johnson
,
Kirsch
,
Madison
,
McCarville
,
Miresse
,
Moore Omokunde
,
Neubauer
,
Palmeri
,
Phelps
,
Rivera-Wagner
,
Roe
,
Sheehan
,
Sinicki
,
Snodgrass
,
Stroud
,
Stubbs
,
Tenorio
,
Udell
,
Vining
,
DeSanto
,
Goodwin
,
Subeck
and
Taylor
, cosponsored by Senators
L. Johnson
,
Ratcliff
,
Dassler-Alfheim
,
Drake
,
Hesselbein
,
Larson
,
Spreitzer
,
Roys
,
Habush Sinykin
and
Wirch
. Referred to Committee on Children and Families.
AB1018,1,5
1
An Act
to repeal
49.155 (1m) (c) 1d. b.;
to renumber and amend
49.155 (1m)
2
(c) 1d. a.;
to amend
49.155 (1m) (c) 1. (intro.), 49.155 (1m) (c) 1h., 49.155 (1m)
3
(c) 1m., 49.155 (1m) (c) 2. and 49.155 (1m) (c) 3.;
to create
20.437 (2) (ct) of the
4
statutes;
relating to:
income eligibility for Wisconsin Shares child care
5
subsidy and making an appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill expands income eligibility for Wisconsin Shares and appropriates a sum sufficient in general purpose revenue each fiscal year to fund this expansion.
Under current law, Wisconsin Shares is a part of the Wisconsin Works (W-2) program, which the Department of Children and Families administers. The W-2 program provides work experience and benefits for low-income custodial parents who are at least 18 years old. Under current law, an individual who is the parent of a child under the age of 13 or, if the child is disabled, under the age of 19 who needs child care services to participate in various education or work activities, and who satisfies other eligibility criteria, may receive a child care subsidy for child care services under Wisconsin Shares.
Under current law, one of the general eligibility criteria for receiving a child care subsidy under Wisconsin Shares is that the individual has a family gross income at or below 200 percent of the poverty line. Under the bill, this income eligibility threshold is changed to at or below 85 percent of the state median income.
Under current law, if an individual is already receiving a Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy and the individual’s family income exceeds the maximum eligible income of 200 percent of the poverty line, the individual will continue to be eligible for the subsidy until or unless the individual’s family income exceeds 85 percent of the state median income. Until that time when the individual’s income exceeds 85 percent of the state median income, the individual’s copayment minimum for the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy will increase on a sliding scale based on the amount that the individual’s family income increases. The bill maintains this continued eligibility if an individual’s family income exceeds 85 percent of the state median income and extends the cap to 100 percent of the state median income, but the bill eliminates the sliding scale increase to the individual’s copayment minimum.
The bill appropriates $1,250,000 in general program revenue to implement the Wisconsin Shares eligibility changes in the bill.
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:
AB1018,1
1
Section
1
.
20.437 (2) (ct) of the statutes is created to read:
AB1018,2,6
2
20.437
(2)
(ct)
Wisconsin Works child care eligibility expansion.
A sum
3
sufficient for paying child care subsidies under s. 49.155 to individuals who are
4
eligible for those subsidies under s. 49.155 (1m) (c) 1d. but not under s. 49.155 (1m)
5
(c) 1. and, if no other funding for this purpose is available, to individuals who are
6
eligible for those subsidies under s. 49.155 (1m) (c) 1.
AB1018,2
7
Section
2
.
49.155 (1m) (c) 1. (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB1018,3,4
8
49.155
(1m)
(c) 1. (intro.) Except as provided in subds. 1d., 1g., 1h., 1m., 2.,
9
and 3., the gross income of the individual’s family is at or below
200
85
percent of
10
the
poverty line
state median income
for a family the size of the individual’s family.
11
In calculating the gross income of the family, the department or county department
12
or agency determining eligibility shall include court-ordered child or family support
1
payments received by the individual, if those support payments exceed $1,250 per
2
month, and income described under s. 49.145 (3) (b) 1. and 3., except that, in
3
calculating farm and self-employment income, the department or county
4
department or agency determining eligibility shall include the sum of the following:
AB1018,3
5
Section
3
.
49.155 (1m) (c) 1d. a. of the statutes is renumbered 49.155 (1m) (c)
6
1d. and amended to read:
AB1018,3,19
7
49.155
(1m)
(c) 1d. Notwithstanding sub. (5) (b), if the individual is already
8
receiving a child care subsidy under this section and the gross income of the
9
individual’s family exceeds
200
85
percent of the
poverty line
state median income
10
for a family the size of the individual’s family, the
individual’s copayment amount
11
under sub. (5) increases by $1 for every $3 by which the individual’s family’s gross
12
income exceeds 200 percent of the poverty line for a family the size of the
13
individual’s family. Beginning in fiscal year 2024-25, to the extent that the
14
individual’s family’s gross income exceeds 200 percent of the poverty line for a
15
family the size of the individual’s family, the individual’s copayment amount under
16
sub. (5) increases by $1 for every $5
individual shall continue to be eligible for the
17
child care subsidy under this section until the gross income of the individual’s
18
family exceeds 100 percent of the state median income for a family the size of the
19
individual’s family
.
AB1018,4
20
Section
4
.
49.155 (1m) (c) 1d. b. of the statutes is repealed.
AB1018,5
21
Section
5
.
49.155 (1m) (c) 1h. of the statutes is amended to read:
AB1018,4,6
22
49.155
(1m)
(c) 1h. If the individual is a relative of the child, is providing care
23
for the child under a court order, and is receiving payments under s. 48.57 (3m) or
24
(3n) on behalf of the child, the child’s biological or adoptive family has a gross
1
income that is at or below
200
85
percent of the
poverty line
state median income
.
2
In calculating the gross income of the child’s biological or adoptive family, the
3
department or county department or agency determining eligibility shall include
4
court-ordered child or family support payments received by the individual, if those
5
support payments exceed $1,250 per month, and income described under s. 49.145
6
(3) (b) 1. and 3.
AB1018,6
7
Section
6
.
49.155 (1m) (c) 1m. of the statutes is amended to read:
AB1018,4,16
8
49.155
(1m)
(c) 1m. If the individual was eligible under s. 49.132 (4) (a), 1995
9
stats., for aid under s. 49.132, 1995 stats., and received aid under s. 49.132, 1995
10
stats., on September 30, 1997, but lost aid solely because of the application of s.
11
49.132 (6), 1995 stats., the gross income of the individual’s family is at or below
200
12
85
percent of the
poverty line
state median income
for a family the size of the
13
individual’s family. This subdivision does not apply to an individual whose family’s
14
gross income at any time on or after September 30, 1997, is more than
200
85
15
percent of the
poverty line
state median income
for a family the size of the
16
individual’s family.
AB1018,7
17
Section
7
.
49.155 (1m) (c) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:
AB1018,5,2
18
49.155
(1m)
(c) 2. If the individual was eligible under s. 49.132 (4) (am), 1995
19
stats., for aid under s. 49.132, 1995 stats., and received aid under s. 49.132, 1995
20
stats., on or after May 10, 1996, but lost eligibility solely because of increased
21
income, the gross income of the individual’s family is at or below
200
85
percent of
22
the
poverty line
state median income
for a family the size of the individual’s family.
23
This subdivision does not apply to an individual whose family’s gross income
1
increased to more than
200
85
percent of the
poverty line
state median income
for a
2
family the size of the individual’s family.
AB1018,8
3
Section
8
.
49.155 (1m) (c) 3. of the statutes is amended to read:
AB1018,5,11
4
49.155
(1m)
(c) 3. If the individual was eligible for a child care subsidy under
5
s. 49.191 (2), 1997 stats., on or after May 10, 1996, and received a child care subsidy
6
on or after May 10, 1996, but lost the subsidy solely because of increased income,
7
the gross income of the individual’s family is at or below
200
85
percent of the
8
poverty line
state median income
for a family the size of the individual’s family.
9
This subdivision does not apply to an individual whose family’s gross income
10
increased to more than
200
85
percent of the
poverty line
state median income
for a
11
family the size of the individual’s family.
AB1018,9
12
Section
9
. Fiscal changes.
AB1018,5,16
13
(
1
)
In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the appropriation to the department
14
of children and families under s. 20.437 (1) (a), the dollar amount for fiscal year
15
2026-27 is increased by $1,250,000 to implement the changes to eligibility for the
16
child care subsidies under s. 49.155 made in this act.
AB1018,5,17
17
(end)
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