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Wisconsin Legislature: SB546: Bill Text
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SB546: Bill Text
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2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-5086/1
MJW:cdc
2025 SENATE BILL 546
October 17, 2025 - Introduced by Senator
Wimberger
, cosponsored by Representatives
Steffen
,
Kurtz
,
Allen
,
Behnke
,
Dittrich
,
Donovan
,
Franklin
,
Goeben
,
Gundrum
,
B. Jacobson
,
Kitchens
,
Knodl
,
Kreibich
,
Melotik
,
Murphy
,
Mursau
,
Neylon
and
O'Connor
. Referred to Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.
SB546,1,3
1
An Act
to amend
753.06 (2) (a), 753.06 (8) (a) and 753.06 (9) (h) of the statutes;
2
relating to:
authorizing additional circuit court and criminal justice system
3
positions.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, Kenosha County has eight circuit court branches, Brown County has eight circuit court branches, and Menominee and Shawano Counties have two circuit court branches. This bill adds four circuit court branches: one in Brown County beginning August 1, 2027, one in Menominee and Shawano Counties beginning August 1, 2027, one in Brown County beginning August 1, 2028, and one in Kenosha County beginning August 1, 2028.
This bill provides position authority for many court and criminal justice system employees in the 2027-29 biennium, as follows:
1. Beginning August 1, 2027, two judges.
2. Beginning August 1, 2028, two judges.
3. Beginning August 1, 2027, two court reporters.
4. Beginning August 1, 2028, two court reporters.
5. Beginning July 1, 2027, 30.5 assistant district attorneys.
6. Beginning July 1, 2028, 34 assistant district attorneys.
7. Beginning July 1, 2027, 13 assistant state public defenders.
8. Beginning July 1, 2028, nine assistant state public defenders.
9. Beginning July 1, 2027, 23 state public defender support staff positions.
10. Beginning July 1, 2028, 18 state public defender support staff positions.
The bill requires the director of state courts, the district attorneys, and the public defender board to include a request for funding for the positions authorized under this bill in their 2027-29 biennial budget requests.
This bill also requires the director of state courts, the public defender board, and the district attorneys to submit to the legislature by December 31, 2032 a report that analyzes the workload and assesses the personnel needs for their operations.
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:
SB546,1
1
Section
1
.
753.06 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB546,2,3
2
753.06
(2)
(a) Kenosha County. The circuit has 8 branches.
Commencing
3
August 1, 2028, the circuit has 9 branches.
SB546,2
4
Section
2
.
753.06 (2) (a) of the statutes, as affected by 2025 Wisconsin Act ....
5
(this act), is amended to read:
SB546,2,7
6
753.06
(2)
(a) Kenosha County. The circuit has
8 branches. Commencing
7
August 1, 2028, the circuit has
9 branches.
SB546,3
8
Section
3
.
753.06 (8) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB546,2,10
9
753.06
(8)
(a) Brown County. The circuit has 8 branches.
Commencing
10
August 1, 2027, the circuit has 9 branches.
SB546,4
11
Section
4
.
753.06 (8) (a) of the statutes, as affected by 2025 Wisconsin Act ....
12
(this act), section
3
, is amended to read:
SB546,2,14
13
753.06
(8)
(a) Brown County. The circuit has
8
9
branches. Commencing
14
August 1,
2027,
2028,
the circuit has
9
10
branches.
SB546,5
15
Section
5
.
753.06 (8) (a) of the statutes, as affected by 2025 Wisconsin Act ....
16
(this act), section
4
, is amended to read:
SB546,3,2
1
753.06
(8)
(a) Brown County. The circuit has
9 branches. Commencing
2
August 1, 2028, the circuit has
10 branches.
SB546,6
3
Section
6
.
753.06 (9) (h) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB546,3,5
4
753.06
(9)
(h) Menominee and Shawano
counties
Counties
. The circuit has 2
5
branches.
Commencing August 1, 2027, the circuit has 3 branches.
SB546,7
6
Section
7
.
753.06 (9) (h) of the statutes, as affected by 2025 Wisconsin Act ....
7
(this act), is amended to read:
SB546,3,9
8
753.06
(9)
(h) Menominee and Shawano Counties. The circuit has
2
9
branches. Commencing August 1, 2027, the circuit has
3 branches.
SB546,8
10
Section
8
. Nonstatutory provisions.
SB546,3,11
11
(
1
)
Election of circuit judges.
SB546,3,17
12
(
a
)
Brown County.
The initial election of the circuit judge for branch 9 of the
13
circuit court for Brown County shall be at the spring election of 2027 for a term
14
commencing August 1, 2027, and ending July 31, 2033. The initial election of the
15
circuit judge for branch 10 of the circuit court for Brown County shall be at the
16
spring election of 2028 for a term commencing August 1, 2028, and ending July 31,
17
2034.
SB546,3,21
18
(
b
)
Menominee and Shawano Counties.
The initial election of the circuit judge
19
for branch 3 of the circuit court for Menominee and Shawano Counties shall be at
20
the spring election of 2027 for a term commencing August 1, 2027, and ending July
21
31, 2033.
SB546,3,24
22
(
c
)
Kenosha County.
The initial election of the circuit judge for branch 9 of the
23
circuit court for Kenosha County shall be at the spring election of 2028 for a term
24
commencing August 1, 2028, and ending July 31, 2034.
SB546,4,1
1
(
2
)
Circuit judge positions.
SB546,4,5
2
(
a
)
Brown County branch 9.
The authorized FTE positions for the circuit
3
courts are increased by 1.0 GPR circuit judge position on August 1, 2027, to be
4
funded from the appropriation under s. 20.625 (1) (a), to provide one circuit judge in
5
branch 9 in Brown County.
SB546,4,9
6
(
b
)
Brown County branch 10.
The authorized FTE positions for the circuit
7
courts are increased by 1.0 GPR circuit judge position on August 1, 2028, to be
8
funded from the appropriation under s. 20.625 (1) (a), to provide one circuit judge in
9
branch 10 in Brown County.
SB546,4,13
10
(
c
)
Menominee and Shawano Counties.
The authorized FTE positions for the
11
circuit courts are increased by 1.0 GPR circuit judge position on August 1, 2027, to
12
be funded from the appropriation under s. 20.625 (1) (a), to provide one circuit judge
13
in branch 3 in Menominee and Shawano Counties.
SB546,4,17
14
(
d
)
Kenosha County.
The authorized FTE positions for the circuit courts are
15
increased by 1.0 GPR circuit judge position on August 1, 2028, to be funded from the
16
appropriation under s. 20.625 (1) (a), to provide one circuit judge in branch 9 in
17
Kenosha County.
SB546,4,18
18
(
3
)
Court reporter positions.
SB546,4,22
19
(
a
)
Brown County branch 9.
The authorized FTE positions for the circuit
20
courts are increased by 1.0 GPR court reporter positions on August 1, 2027, to be
21
funded from the appropriation under s. 20.625 (1) (a), to provide one court reporter
22
in branch 9 in Brown County.
SB546,5,2
23
(
b
)
Brown County branch 10.
The authorized FTE positions for the circuit
24
courts are increased by 1.0 GPR court reporter positions on August 1, 2028, to be
1
funded from the appropriation under s. 20.625 (1) (a), to provide one court reporter
2
in branch 10 in Brown County.
SB546,5,6
3
(
c
)
Menominee and Shawano Counties.
The authorized FTE positions for the
4
circuit courts are increased by 1.0 GPR court reporter positions on August 1, 2027,
5
to be funded from the appropriation under s. 20.625 (1) (a), to provide one court
6
reporter in branch 3 in Menominee and Shawano Counties.
SB546,5,10
7
(
d
)
Kenosha County.
The authorized FTE positions for the circuit courts are
8
increased by 1.0 GPR court reporter positions on August 1, 2028, to be funded from
9
the appropriation under s. 20.625 (1) (a), to provide one court reporter in branch 9
10
in Kenosha County.
SB546,5,14
11
(
4
)
Court system biennial budget request.
The 2027-29 biennial budget
12
request to the department of administration from the director of state courts for the
13
court system shall include funding for the 4 circuit judge positions and 4 circuit
14
court reporter positions authorized under subs. (
2
) and (
3
).
SB546,5,15
15
(
5
)
Assistant district attorneys positions.
SB546,5,20
16
(
a
)
Assistant district attorneys in 2027.
The authorized FTE positions for the
17
department of administration are increased by 30.5 GPR positions on July 1, 2027,
18
to be funded from the appropriation under s. 20.475 (1) (d), for the purpose of
19
increasing the authorized FTE assistant district attorney positions to be
20
apportioned as follows to the prosecutorial units for the following counties:
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