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Wisconsin Legislature: SB558: Bill Text
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SB558: Bill Text
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2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-5154/1
JAM&MDE:cdc/wlj/skw
2025 SENATE BILL 558
October 22, 2025 - Introduced by Senators
Hutton
,
Habush Sinykin
,
Nass
and
Spreitzer
, cosponsored by Representatives
Knodl
,
Melotik
,
Donovan
,
Tranel
,
Piwowarczyk
,
Vining
,
Andraca
,
Johnson
and
Kreibich
. Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Veteran and Military Affairs.
SB558,1,2
1
An Act
to create
323.32 of the statutes;
relating to:
disaster assistance
2
grants.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
The bill requires the Department of Military Affairs to create a program to award grants to individuals and businesses that are adversely affected by a disaster that is the subject of a state of emergency declared by the governor on or after January 1, 2025.
Under the bill, a grant of not more than $25,000 may be awarded to an individual for the eligible disaster-related expenses of fixing or replacing personal property damaged by a disaster, home repair conducted by a contractor approved by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development that is necessary due to damage from a disaster, and temporary housing assistance.
Also under the bill, a grant of not more than $50,000 may be awarded to a business for the eligible disaster-related expenses of fixing or replacing the business’s property damaged by a disaster, repair to the business necessary due to damage from a disaster, payroll assistance, working capital, and other normal business operating expenses. “Business” is defined in the bill to mean business or financial institution authorized to conduct the activities of the business or financial institution in this state pursuant to a certificate of authority from the Department of Financial Institutions.
Under the bill, individuals and businesses must provide to DMA a receipt for any disaster-related eligible expenses for which they seek a grant; apply for the grant in the manner determined by DMA within 90 days after the governor declares an emergency or within 90 days after the date on which the bill becomes law, whichever is later; and sign and provide to DMA an affidavit committing to return to DMA any part of a grant received that is duplicated by the receipt of insurance money or other source of disaster-related assistance that is not a loan awarded directly by the federal government. Additionally, no grants for individuals or businesses may be awarded if the president of the United States has declared a major disaster to exist in this state and federal aid is made available to individuals and businesses in a manner similar to the grant program under this section. DMA must process applications for grants and award to qualified individuals and businesses a grant within 14 days of the individual’s or business’s application for the grant. However, DMA is not required to make a grant if it does not have sufficient funds available to do so.
The bill allows DMA to request supplemental funding from the Joint Committee on Finance in any year in which DMA estimates or concludes that it needs additional funding in order to award grants relating to all eligible requests it receives.
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:
SB558,1
1
Section
1
.
323.32 of the statutes is created to read:
SB558,2,3
2
323.32
Disaster assistance for individuals and businesses grant
3
programs.
(1)
Definitions.
In this section:
SB558,2,6
4
(a) “Business” means a business or financial institution authorized to conduct
5
the activities of the business or financial institution in this state pursuant to a
6
certificate of authority from the department of financial institutions.
SB558,2,7
7
(b) “Household” has the meaning given in s. 287.17 (1) (h).
SB558,2,12
8
(2)
Creation and administration.
(a) The department of military affairs
9
shall create a program to award grants to individuals who are adversely affected by
10
a disaster-related state of emergency declared by the governor under s. 323.10 on or
11
after January 1, 2025, for the purpose of meeting the individuals’ disaster-related
12
expenses.
SB558,3,4
1
(b) The department of military affairs shall create a program to award grants
2
to businesses that are adversely affected by a disaster-related state of emergency
3
declared by the governor under s. 323.10 on or after January 1, 2025, for the
4
purpose of meeting the businesses’ disaster-related expenses.
SB558,3,9
5
(3)
Grants to individuals.
(a)
Grants awarded.
1. Subject to subd. 2., the
6
department of military affairs shall award grants to individuals eligible under par.
7
(c) who are adversely affected by a disaster-related state of emergency declared by
8
the governor under s. 323.10 on or after January 1, 2025, for the purpose of meeting
9
the individuals’ disaster-related expenses.
SB558,3,11
10
2. The department of military affairs is not obligated to award a grant under
11
subd. 1. if it does not have sufficient funds available to award the grant.
SB558,3,16
12
(b)
Eligible expenses.
Expenses eligible to be met by a grant under this
13
subsection shall be limited to the expenses of fixing or replacing personal property
14
damaged by the disaster, home repair conducted by a contractor approved by the
15
federal department of housing and urban development that is necessary due to
16
damage from the disaster, and temporary housing assistance.
SB558,3,18
17
(c)
Individual eligibility.
Except as provided in par. (d), an individual is
18
eligible for a grant under par. (a) if all of the following apply:
SB558,3,22
19
1. The individual applies for the grant in a manner as determined by the
20
department of military affairs and within 90 days after a disaster-related state of
21
emergency declared by the governor under s. 323.10 or within 90 days after the
22
effective date of this subdivision .... [LRB inserts date], whichever is later.
SB558,3,24
23
2. The individual provides to the department of military affairs a receipt for
24
any disaster-related eligible expenses for which the individual seeks a grant.
SB558,4,5
1
3. The individual signs and provides to the department of military affairs an
2
affidavit committing to return to the department of military affairs any part of the
3
grant that is or becomes duplicated by the individual’s receipt of insurance money
4
or other source of disaster-related assistance that is not a loan awarded directly by
5
the federal government.
SB558,4,8
6
(d)
Grant limits.
1. The department of military affairs may not award more
7
than $25,000 in grants to a single household in relation to a single disaster-related
8
state of emergency declared by the governor under s. 323.10.
SB558,4,11
9
2. No grants may be awarded under this subsection to individuals who are
10
adversely affected by a disaster-related state of emergency declared by the governor
11
under s. 323.10 if all of the following apply:
SB558,4,14
12
a. The president of the United States has declared a major disaster to exist in
13
this state, and the major disaster is the same disaster that forms the basis of the
14
disaster-related state of emergency declared by the governor under s. 323.10.
SB558,4,17
15
b. Federal aid is made available to individuals who are adversely affected by
16
the major disaster declared by the president of the United States in a manner
17
similar to the grant program under this subsection.
SB558,4,22
18
(4)
Grants to Businesses.
(a)
Grants awarded.
1. Subject to subd. 2, the
19
department of military affairs shall award grants to businesses eligible under par.
20
(c) that are adversely affected by a disaster-related state of emergency declared by
21
the governor under s. 323.10 on or after January 1, 2025, for the purpose of meeting
22
the businesses’ disaster-related expenses.
SB558,4,24
23
2. The department of military affairs is not obligated to award a grant under
24
subd. 1. if it does not have sufficient funds available to award the grant.
SB558,5,5
1
(b)
Eligible expenses.
Expenses eligible to be met by a grant under this
2
subsection shall be limited to the expenses of fixing or replacing a business’s
3
property damaged by the disaster, repair to the business necessary due to damage
4
from the disaster, payroll assistance, working capital, and other normal business
5
operating expenses.
SB558,5,7
6
(c)
Business eligibility.
Except as provided in par. (d), a business is eligible for
7
a grant under par. (a) if all of the following apply:
SB558,5,8
8
1. The business operates in this state.
SB558,5,11
9
2. The business has been damaged as a result of the business’s operation in a
10
portion of the state included in the governor’s disaster-related state of emergency
11
declaration made under s. 323.10.
SB558,5,15
12
2. The business applies for the grant in a manner as determined by the
13
department of military affairs and within 90 days after a disaster-related state of
14
emergency declared by the governor under s. 323.10 or within 90 days after the
15
effective date of this subdivision .... [LRB inserts date], whichever is later.
SB558,5,19
16
3. The business provides to the department of military affairs a receipt for any
17
disaster-related eligible expenses for which the business seeks a grant and for
18
which the business has incurred as a result of the disaster underlying the
19
governor’s state of emergency declaration made under s. 323.10.
SB558,5,24
20
4. A person with a controlling interest in the business signs and provides to
21
the department of military affairs an affidavit committing to return to the
22
department of military affairs any part of the grant that is or becomes duplicated by
23
the business’s receipt of insurance money or other source of disaster-related
24
assistance that is not a loan awarded directly by the federal government.
SB558,6,3
1
(d)
Grant limits.
1. The department of military affairs may not award more
2
than $50,000 in grants to a single business in relation to a single disaster-related
3
state of emergency declared by the governor under s. 323.10.
SB558,6,6
4
2. No grants may be awarded under this subsection to businesses that are
5
adversely affected by a disaster-related state of emergency declared by the governor
6
under s. 323.10 if all of the following apply:
SB558,6,9
7
a. The president of the United States has declared a major disaster to exist in
8
this state, and the major disaster is the same disaster that forms the basis of the
9
disaster-related state of emergency declared by the governor under s. 323.10.
SB558,6,12
10
b. Federal aid is made available to the businesses that are adversely affected
11
by the major disaster declared by the president of the United States in a manner
12
similar to the grant program under this subsection.
SB558,6,19
13
(5)
Department of military affairs duties and powers.
(a)
Grant
14
processing.
Subject to subs. (3) (d) and (4) (d), the department of military affairs
15
shall process an application for a grant under sub. (3) (a) 1. or (4) (a) 1. and award
16
the grant to those eligible under sub. (3) (c) or (4) (c) for the individual’s or
17
business’s eligible disaster-related expenses under sub. (3) (b) or (4) (b), as
18
applicable, within 14 days of the individual’s or the business’s application for the
19
grant.
SB558,7,2
20
(b)
Additional funding.
In any fiscal year in which the department of military
21
affairs determines that it does not have sufficient funds to award as many grants as
22
eligible individuals or businesses, the department of military affairs may request
23
under s. 13.101 (3) that the joint committee on finance supplement a department of
1
military affairs appropriation account with additional funds for the purpose of
2
making grants.
SB558,7,3
3
(end)
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