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Wisconsin Legislature: AB531: Bill Text
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AB531: Bill Text
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2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-4184/1
CMH:emw&wlj
2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 531
October 15, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives
Joers
,
McCarville
,
Andraca
,
Arney
,
Bare
,
DeSmidt
,
Fitzgerald
,
Goodwin
,
Hong
,
Johnson
,
Kirsch
,
Mayadev
,
Ortiz-Velez
,
Palmeri
,
Roe
,
Sheehan
,
Sinicki
,
Stubbs
,
Taylor
,
Tenorio
and
Udell
, cosponsored by Senators
Ratcliff
,
Habush Sinykin
,
Dassler-Alfheim
,
Hesselbein
,
Larson
,
Roys
,
Smith
and
Spreitzer
. Referred to Committee on State Affairs.
AB531,1,3
1
An Act
to create
20.455 (2) (de) and 165.985 of the statutes;
relating to:
2
grants for safe firearm disposal incentive programs and making an
3
appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill creates a program, administered by the Department of Justice, to award grants to counties or law enforcement agencies that implement a safe firearm disposal incentive program that meets certain criteria. The bill provides $200,000 for grants in each fiscal year and authorizes a position for the purpose of administering the grant program.
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:
AB531,1
4
Section
1
.
20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place,
5
insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated:
-
See PDF for table
AB531,2
6
Section
2
.
20.455 (2) (de) of the statutes is created to read:
AB531,2,9
7
20.455
(2)
(de)
Safe firearm disposal incentive grant program.
As a
8
continuing appropriation, the amounts in the schedule to provide grants to counties
9
or law enforcement agencies under s. 165.985.
AB531,3
10
Section
3
.
165.985 of the statutes is created to read:
AB531,2,14
11
165.985
Safe firearm disposal incentive grant program.
(1)
The
12
department of justice shall award grants from the appropriation account under s.
13
20.455 (2) (de) to counties or law enforcement agencies that implement a safe
14
firearm disposal incentive program in their jurisdictions.
AB531,2,16
15
(2)
A county or law enforcement agency is eligible for a grant under this
16
section if the county or agency does all of the following:
AB531,2,18
17
(a) Proposes and administers a plan to advertise the safe firearm disposal
18
incentive program.
AB531,2,21
19
(b) Proposes and administers a plan that has law enforcement personnel
20
administering the program. The plan may use grant funds to pay law enforcement
21
personnel for any overtime hours spent administering the program.
AB531,3,2
22
(c) Keeps any firearms received in the possession of the county or law
23
enforcement agency until the firearm is destroyed or, if working with the state
1
historical society regarding a historical firearm, is transferred to the state
2
historical society for preservation.
AB531,3,5
3
(d) Establishes and follows safeguards to prevent fraud in the program and to
4
prevent solicitation or other sales of firearms on the premises, including a parking
5
lot.
AB531,3,8
6
(e) Establishes and follows a process for utilizing a firearms dealer, as defined
7
in s. 175.35 (1) (ar), to inspect on-site a firearm received before providing payment
8
to an individual for the firearm.
AB531,3,11
9
(f) If the county or law enforcement agency provides payment for the firearm
10
in the form of a gift card or certificate, ensures the gift card or certificate cannot be
11
redeemed for a firearm or ammunition.
AB531,3,14
12
(3)
(a) A county or law enforcement agency applying to the department of
13
justice for a grant under this section shall include a proposed plan that complies
14
with the requirements under sub. (2).
AB531,3,17
15
(b) A grant recipient under this section shall submit a report to the
16
department of justice within 90 days of the conclusion of the safe firearm disposal
17
incentive program that includes all of the following:
AB531,3,19
18
1. The make, model, color, serial number, and total number of firearms
19
received and destroyed through the program.
AB531,3,21
20
2. Any recommendations for improving safe firearm disposal incentive
21
programs.
AB531,4,2
22
(4)
Grants awarded under this section may not supplant any other funds that
1
the grant recipient uses for safe firearm disposal incentive programs at the time the
2
grant is awarded.
AB531,4,5
3
(5)
By July 1, 2028, the department of justice shall submit a report to the
4
chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the legislature under s.
5
13.172 (2) that provides all of the following information:
AB531,4,7
6
(a) The number of counties and law enforcement agencies that received a
7
grant under this section.
AB531,4,10
8
(b) The number of firearms received through each safe firearm disposal
9
incentive program and the total number of firearms received through all safe
10
firearm disposal incentive programs.
AB531,4,12
11
(c) Recommendations on improving safe firearm disposal incentive programs
12
and the administration of grants under this section.
AB531,4,19
13
(6)
An individual who is submitting a firearm to a grant recipient under this
14
section is immune from prosecution for a violation under s. 941.29 if the individual
15
is on the specific property owned, leased, or used for the program, except that, if the
16
individual commits a crime while on the specific property, the individual may be
17
prosecuted for a violation under s. 941.29. Submission of a firearm to a grant
18
recipient under this section may not be used to establish probable cause for a
19
violation of s. 941.29.
AB531,4
20
Section
4
. Fiscal changes.
AB531,5,5
21
(
1
)
Grant administration.
In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the
22
appropriation to the department of justice under s. 20.455 (2) (a), the dollar amount
23
for fiscal year 2025-26 is increased by $85,000 to increase the authorized FTE
1
positions by 0.75 GPR position for a grant specialist and policy program analyst for
2
the program under s. 165.985. In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the
3
appropriation to the department of justice under s. 20.455 (2) (a), the dollar amount
4
for fiscal year 2026-27 is increased by $85,000 to provide funding for the position
5
authorized under this subsection.
AB531,5,6
6
(end)
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