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SB181 • 2025

a levy limit exemption for regional emergency medical systems and eligibility for the expenditure restraint incentive program

a levy limit exemption for regional emergency medical systems and eligibility for the expenditure restraint incentive program

Healthcare
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Senators Marklein, James, Cabral-Guevara, Nass, Pfaff, Spreitzer and Testin, cosponsored by Representatives Kurtz, Gustafson, Behnke, Dittrich, Donovan, Duchow, Franklin, Green, Kaufert, Kitchens, Maxey, Melotik, Moses, Mursau, Neubauer, Palmeri, Piwowarczyk, Steffen, Subeck, Udell, VanderMeer and Nedweski
Last action
2026-04-09
Official status
S - Enacted into law
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

a levy limit exemption for regional emergency medical systems and eligibility for the expenditure restraint incentive program

a levy limit exemption for regional emergency medical systems and eligibility for the expenditure restraint incentive program Status: S - Enacted into law

What This Bill Does

  • a levy limit exemption for regional emergency medical systems and eligibility for the expenditure restraint incentive program Status: S - Enacted into law

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-09 Sen.

    Report approved by the Governor on 4-8-2026. 2025 Wisconsin Act 212

  2. 2026-04-09 Sen.

    Published 4-9-2026

  3. 2026-04-02 Sen.

    Presented to the Governor on 4-2-2026

  4. 2026-03-19 Sen.

    Representative J. Jacobson added as a cosponsor

  5. 2026-02-26 Sen.

    Report correctly enrolled

  6. 2026-02-23 Sen.

    Received from Assembly concurred in

  7. 2026-02-19 Asm.

    Read a second time

  8. 2026-02-19 Asm.

    Ordered to a third reading

  9. 2026-02-19 Asm.

    Rules suspended

  10. 2026-02-19 Asm.

    Read a third time and concurred in, Ayes 92, Noes 1

  11. 2026-02-19 Asm.

    Ordered immediately messaged

  12. 2026-02-18 Asm.

    Made a special order of business at 11:09 AM on 2-19-2026 pursuant to Assembly Resolution 14

  13. 2026-02-04 Asm.

    Report concurrence recommended by Joint Committee on Finance , Ayes 15, Noes 0

  14. 2026-02-04 Asm.

    Referred to committee on Rules

  15. 2026-02-03 Asm.

    Executive action taken by joint committee on Finance

  16. 2026-01-30 Asm.

    Read first time and referred to joint committee on Finance

  17. 2026-01-22 Asm.

    Received from Senate

  18. 2026-01-21 Sen.

    Senator Spreitzer withdrawn as a coauthor

  19. 2026-01-21 Sen.

    Read a second time

  20. 2026-01-21 Sen.

    Senate Substitute Amendment 1 adopted

  21. 2026-01-21 Sen.

    Ordered to a third reading

  22. 2026-01-21 Sen.

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  23. 2026-01-21 Sen.

    Read a third time and passed, Ayes 30, Noes 3

  24. 2026-01-21 Sen.

    Ordered immediately messaged

  25. 2026-01-16 Sen.

    Placed on calendar 1-21-2026 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  26. 2025-11-12 Sen.

    Senate Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Senator Marklein

  27. 2025-11-11 Sen.

    Executive action taken

  28. 2025-11-11 Sen.

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Health , Ayes 5, Noes 0

  29. 2025-11-11 Sen.

    Available for scheduling

  30. 2025-07-03 Sen.

    Representative Joers added as a cosponsor

  31. 2025-05-14 Sen.

    Representative Emerson added as a cosponsor

  32. 2025-04-29 Sen.

    Fiscal estimate received

  33. 2025-04-25 Sen.

    Representative Stroud added as a cosponsor

  34. 2025-04-24 Sen.

    Representative Anderson added as a cosponsor

  35. 2025-04-23 Sen.

    Public hearing held

  36. 2025-04-23 Sen.

    Representative Andraca added as a cosponsor

  37. 2025-04-21 Sen.

    Senator Habush Sinykin added as a coauthor

  38. 2025-04-14 Sen.

    Introduced by Senators Marklein , James , Cabral-Guevara , Nass , Pfaff , Spreitzer and Testin ; cosponsored by Representatives Kurtz , Gustafson , Behnke , Dittrich , Donovan , Duchow , Franklin , Green , Kaufert , Kitchens , Maxey , Melotik , Moses , Mursau , Neubauer , Palmeri , Piwowarczyk , Steffen , Subeck , Udell , VanderMeer and Nedweski

  39. 2025-04-14 Sen.

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Health

Official Summary Text

a levy limit exemption for regional emergency medical systems and eligibility for the expenditure restraint incentive program
Status: S - Enacted into law

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Wisconsin Legislature: SB181: Bill Text

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Proposal Text
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SB181: Bill Text

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2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-2497/1
KP:emw
2025 SENATE BILL 181
April 14, 2025 - Introduced by Senators
Marklein
,
James
,
Cabral-Guevara
,
Nass
,
Pfaff
,
Spreitzer
and
Testin
, cosponsored by Representatives
Kurtz
,
Gustafson
,
Behnke
,
Dittrich
,
Donovan
,
Duchow
,
Franklin
,
Green
,
Kaufert
,
Kitchens
,
Maxey
,
Melotik
,
Moses
,
Mursau
,
Neubauer
,
Palmeri
,
Piwowarczyk
,
Steffen
,
Subeck
,
Udell
,
VanderMeer
and
Nedweski
. Referred to Committee on Health.
SB181,1,3
1
An Act

to amend
79.05 (2) (c);
to create
66.0602 (3) (o) of the statutes;
2
relating to:
a levy limit exemption for regional emergency medical systems
3
and eligibility for the expenditure restraint incentive program.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Generally, under current law, local levy limits are applied to the property tax levies that are imposed by political subdivisions. A political subdivision may not increase its levy by a percentage that exceeds its “valuation factor,” which is the greater of 0 percent or the percentage change in the political subdivision’s equalized value due to new construction, less improvements removed. Current law also contains a number of exceptions to the levy limit, such as amounts a county levies for a countywide emergency medical system, for a county children with disabilities education board, and for certain bridge and culvert construction and repair. This bill creates an additional exception to local levy limits. Under the bill, the amounts a city, village, town, or county levies for costs associated with regional emergency medical services, either through participation in a joint emergency services district or through one or more intergovernmental agreements to provide emergency medical services, or both, are exempt. Under the bill, “regional” means consisting of a service area that is at least 232 square miles or includes at least eight municipalities.
The bill also excludes expenditures of amounts levied for a regional emergency medical system that are exempt from local levy limits under the bill from being considered in determining eligibility for an expenditure restraint incentive program payment. Under current law, a municipality is eligible to receive an expenditure restraint incentive program payment if its property tax levy is greater than 5 mills and if the annual increase in its municipal budget, subject to certain exceptions, is less than the sum of factors based on inflation and the increased value of property in the municipality as a result of new construction.
For further information see the state and local 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:
SB181,1
1
Section
1
.
66.0602 (3) (o) of the statutes is created to read:
SB181,2,3
2
66.0602
(3)
(o) 1. In this paragraph, “regional” means consisting of a service
3
area that is at least 232 square miles or includes at least 8 municipalities.
SB181,2,11
4
2. Subject to subds. 3., 4., 5., and 6., the limit otherwise applicable under this
5
section does not apply to the amount, or a portion of that amount, that a political
6
subdivision levies in that year for costs associated with regional emergency medical
7
services, either through participation in a joint emergency medical services district
8
or through one or more intergovernmental agreements to provide emergency
9
medical services, or through both. The costs that are eligible for the exception to the
10
limit that is described in this subdivision include costs associated with regional
11
emergency medical services that are provided by a fire department.
SB181,3,2
12
3. The exception to the limit that is described in subd. 2. applies only if the
13
amount levied under subd. 2. for the current year increases, relative to the amount
14
levied under subd. 2. for the previous year, by a percentage that is less than or equal
15
to the percentage change in the U.S. consumer price index for all urban consumers,
16
U.S. city average, as determined by the U.S. department of labor, for the 12 months
17
ending on August 31 of the year of the levy, plus 5 percent. This subdivision does
1
not apply if the political subdivision did not levy an amount under subd. 2. for the
2
previous year.
SB181,3,6
3
4. The exception to the limit that is described in subd. 2. applies only if the
4
joint emergency medical services district or political subdivision, as applicable,
5
confirms to the department of revenue that the joint emergency medical services
6
district or political subdivision, as applicable, has a regional service area.
SB181,3,9
7
5. The exception to the limit that is described in subd. 2. applies only if a
8
contract or other agreement identifies one entity as responsible for coordination of
9
emergency medical services across the service area.
SB181,3,11
10
6. If a political subdivision levies an amount under subd. 2. for a year, no other
11
paragraph in this subsection applies to that amount.
SB181,2
12
Section
2
.
79.05 (2) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB181,4,16
13
79.05
(2)
(c) Its municipal budget; exclusive of principal and interest on long-
14
term debt and exclusive of revenue sharing payments under s. 66.0305, payments of
15
premiums under s. 66.0137 (5) (c) 1. and 1m.,
expenditures of amounts levied under
16
s. 66.0602 (3) (o),
revenues generated from a tax imposed under s. 77.701, payments
17
received under s. 79.038, expenditures of payments due to the termination of a tax
18
incremental district under s. 79.096 (3), recycling fee payments under s. 289.645,
19
expenditures of grant payments under s. 16.297 (1m), unreimbursed expenses
20
related to an emergency declared under s. 323.10, expenditures from moneys
21
received pursuant to P.L.
111-5
, grants received from the state or federal
22
government for the purpose of providing law enforcement, fire protection, or
23
emergency medical services, and expenditures made pursuant to a purchasing
24
agreement with a school district whereby the municipality makes purchases on
1
behalf of the school district; for the year of the statement under s. 79.015 increased
2
over its municipal budget as adjusted under sub. (6); exclusive of principal and
3
interest on long-term debt and exclusive of revenue sharing payments under s.
4
66.0305, payments of premiums under s. 66.0137 (5) (c) 1. and 1m.,
expenditures of
5
amounts levied under s. 66.0602 (3) (o),
revenues generated from a tax imposed
6
under s. 77.701, payments received under s. 79.038, expenditures of payments due
7
to the termination of a tax incremental district under s. 79.096 (3), recycling fee
8
payments under s. 289.645, expenditures of grant payments under s. 16.297 (1m),
9
unreimbursed expenses related to an emergency declared under s. 323.10,
10
expenditures from moneys received pursuant to P.L.
111-
5, grants received from the
11
state or federal government for the purpose of providing law enforcement, fire
12
protection, or emergency medical services, and expenditures made pursuant to a
13
purchasing agreement with a school district whereby the municipality makes
14
purchases on behalf of the school district; for the year before that year by less than
15
the sum of the inflation factor and the valuation factor, rounded to the nearest 0.10
16
percent.
SB181,3
17
Section

3
. Initial applicability.
SB181,4,20
18
(
1
) The treatment of s. 66.0602 (3) (o) first applies to a levy that is imposed in
19
December of the year of the first January 1 after the effective date of this
20
subsection.
SB181,4,21
21
(end)

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