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SB715 • 2025

climate control in state correctional institutions and county jails and houses of correction and making an appropriation

climate control in state correctional institutions and county jails and houses of correction and making an appropriation

Budget
Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor
Senators Roys and Larson, cosponsored by Representatives Phelps, Madison, Hong, Arney, Clancy, Tenorio, Bare, Joers, Moore Omokunde, Sinicki, Stroud, Stubbs and Udell
Last action
2026-03-23
Official status
S - Judiciary and Public Safety
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.

climate control in state correctional institutions and county jails and houses of correction and making an appropriation

climate control in state correctional institutions and county jails and houses of correction and making an appropriation Status: S - Judiciary and Public Safety

What This Bill Does

  • climate control in state correctional institutions and county jails and houses of correction and making an appropriation Status: S - Judiciary and Public Safety

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. 2026-03-23 Sen.

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

  2. 2026-03-20 Sen.

    Representative Mayadev added as a cosponsor

  3. 2026-01-13 Sen.

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. 2025-12-03 Sen.

    Representative Neubauer added as a cosponsor

  5. 2025-12-02 Sen.

    Introduced by Senators Roys and Larson ; cosponsored by Representatives Phelps , Madison , Hong , Arney , Clancy , Tenorio , Bare , Joers , Moore Omokunde , Sinicki , Stroud , Stubbs and Udell

  6. 2025-12-02 Sen.

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety

Official Summary Text

climate control in state correctional institutions and county jails and houses of correction and making an appropriation
Status: S - Judiciary and Public Safety

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Wisconsin Legislature: SB715: Bill Text

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Proposal Text
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SB715: Bill Text

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2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-5486/1
MJW:cjs&cdc
2025 SENATE BILL 715
December 2, 2025 - Introduced by Senators
Roys
and
Larson
, cosponsored by Representatives
Phelps
,
Madison
,
Hong
,
Arney
,
Clancy
,
Tenorio
,
Bare
,
Joers
,
Moore Omokunde
,
Sinicki
,
Stroud
,
Stubbs
and
Udell
. Referred to Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.
SB715,1,4
1
An Act

to repeal
20.410 (1) (ac);
to create
20.410 (1) (ac), 301.03 (16m),
2
302.075 and 302.076 of the statutes;
relating to:
climate control in state
3
correctional institutions and county jails and houses of correction and making
4
an appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill requires the warden or superintendent of a state correctional institution or the county sheriff or person in charge of a county jail or house of correction to ensure that the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning in the state correctional institution or county jail or house of correction are in working order and to ensure that the temperature in each housing unit is not less than 68 degrees Fahrenheit and not more than 76 degrees Fahrenheit at all times. The bill also requires the warden or superintendent of a state correctional institution or the county sheriff or person in charge of a county jail or house of correction to record the temperatures in all housing facility common areas and two random cells located in substantially different areas of each housing unit on any day that the outdoor temperature is below 10 degrees Fahrenheit or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit and requires the Department of Corrections to report that temperature data to the legislature on an annual basis.
The bill applies the temperature requirements in the bill to one-third of state correctional institutions on May 1, 2029; another one-third on May 1, 2031, and the final one-third of state correctional institutions and the county jails on May 1, 2035 and directs DOC to determine the order in which to install heating, ventilation, or air conditioning systems in the state correctional institutions to meet those deadlines and report that information to the legislature. This bill provides $500,000 to DOC in the 2025-26 fiscal year to complete the required report, $750,000 and 7.0 FTE positions to DOC in each year of the 2025-27 fiscal biennium to support updates to correctional institution heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, and provides a new $65,000,000 continuing appropriation beginning in the 2026-27 fiscal year to install and operate heating, ventilation, and air conditioning in state correctional institutions as required under the bill, which sunsets on May 1, 2031.
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:
SB715,1
1
Section
1
.
20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place,
2
insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated:
-
See PDF for table

SB715,2
8
Section

2
.
20.410 (1) (ac) of the statutes is created to read:
SB715,2,11
9
20.410
(1)
(ac)
Institutional heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.

10
As a continuing appropriation, the amounts in the schedule to install and operate
11
heating, ventilation, or air conditioning systems required under s. 302.075 (1).
SB715,3
12
Section

3
.
20.410 (1) (ac) of the statutes, as affected by 2025 Wisconsin Act
13
.... (this act), is repealed.
SB715,4
14
Section
4
.
301.03 (16m) of the statutes is created to read:
SB715,3,4
1
301.03
(16m)
(a) Submit to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature, for
2
distribution to the appropriate standing committees under s. 13.172 (3) an annual
3
report containing state correctional institution and county jail and house of
4
correction temperature data from the following sources:
SB715,3,6
5
1. The state correctional institution temperature data recorded under s.
6
302.075 (2).
SB715,3,8
7
2. The county jail and house of correction temperature data recorded under s.
8
302.076 (2).
SB715,3,15
9
(b) The department shall furnish each sheriff or person in charge of a county
10
jail or house of correction with instructions that specify the information that is
11
required to be reported under par. (a), a simple format in which to submit the
12
information, the time it is to be forwarded, the process for submitting it, the method
13
of classifying it, and any other matters that facilitate collection and compilation.
14
The format provided under this paragraph shall, to the greatest extent feasible,
15
minimize the time required by each person to submit the required information.
SB715,5
16
Section
5
.
302.075 of the statutes is created to read:
SB715,3,21
17
302.075

Prison climate control.

(1)
The warden or superintendent shall
18
ensure that the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning in the state correctional
19
institution are in working order and shall ensure that the temperature in each
20
housing unit of the state correctional institution is not less than 68 degrees
21
Fahrenheit and not more than 76 degrees Fahrenheit at all times.
SB715,4,2
22
(2)
On any day that the outdoor temperature is below 10 degrees Fahrenheit
1
or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the warden or superintendent shall record the
2
temperatures in all of the following areas of the state correctional institution:
SB715,4,3
3
(a) On each level, every housing facility common area.
SB715,4,5
4
(b) In each housing unit, two random cells that are located in substantially
5
different areas of the housing unit.
SB715,6
6
Section
6
.
302.076 of the statutes is created to read:
SB715,4,12
7
302.076

Climate control in a county jail or house of correction.

(1)

8
The sheriff or person in charge of a county jail or house of correction shall ensure
9
that the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning in the county jail or house of
10
correction are in working order and shall ensure that the temperature in each
11
housing unit of the county jail or house of correction is not less than 68 degrees
12
Fahrenheit and not more than 76 degrees Fahrenheit at all times.
SB715,4,16
13
(2)
On any day that the outdoor temperature is below 10 degrees Fahrenheit
14
or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the sheriff or person in charge of the county jail or
15
house of correction shall record the temperatures in all of the following areas of the
16
county jail or house of correction:
SB715,4,17
17
(a) On each level, every housing facility common area.
SB715,4,19
18
(b) In each housing unit, two random cells that are located in substantially
19
different areas of the housing unit.
SB715,7
20
Section
7
. Nonstatutory provisions.
SB715,4,23
21
(
1
) The department of corrections shall determine the order in which to
22
install heating, ventilation, or air conditioning in the state correctional institutions
23
to meet the requirements under s. 302.075 (1), as follows:
SB715,5,3
1
(
a
) The department of corrections shall identify one-third of the state
2
correctional institutions in which to install heating, ventilation, or air conditioning
3
by May 1, 2029.
SB715,5,6
4
(
b
) The department of corrections shall identify one-third of the state
5
correctional institutions in which to install heating, ventilation, or air conditioning
6
by May 1, 2031.
SB715,5,9
7
(
c
) The department of corrections shall identify one-third of the state
8
correctional institutions in which to install heating, ventilation, or air conditioning
9
by May 1, 2035.
SB715,5,18
10
(
2
) No later than the first day of the 13th month following the effective date of
11
this subsection, the department of corrections shall submit to the chief clerk of each
12
house of the legislature, for distribution to the appropriate standing committees in
13
the manner provided under s. 13.172 (3), a report describing how the department
14
will prioritize modification of the state correctional facilities as required under sub.
15
(
1
) to meet the temperature requirements under s. 302.075 (1) and identifying
16
strategies to meet the heating and cooling needs of inmates prior to the deadlines
17
under sub. (
1
), including using mobile water misters, issuing weather appropriate
18
garments, and providing ice.
SB715,8
19
Section
8
. Fiscal changes.
SB715,6,2
20
(
1
)
Report on modifications to heating, ventilation, and air
21
conditioning in state correctional institutions.
In the schedule under s.
22
20.005 (3) for the appropriation to the department of corrections under s. 20.410 (1)
1
(a), the dollar amount for fiscal year 2025-26 is increased by $500,000 to complete
2
the report required under
Section

7
(
2
) of this act.
SB715,6,13
3
(
2
)
Additional positions relating to heating, ventilation, and air
4
conditioning in state correctional institutions.
In the schedule under s.
5
20.005 (3) for the appropriation to the department of corrections under s. 20.410 (1)
6
(a), the dollar amount for fiscal year 2025-26 is increased by $750,000 to increase
7
the authorized FTE positions for the department by 7.0 GPR positions, which shall
8
include 2.0 engineer positions, 4.0 project manager positions, and 1.0 budget
9
analyst position to support updates to correctional institution heating, ventilation,
10
and air conditioning systems. In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the
11
appropriation to the department of corrections under s. 20.410 (1) (a), the dollar
12
amount for fiscal year 2026-27 is increased by $750,000 to provide funding for the
13
positions authorized under this subsection.
SB715,9
14
Section
9
. Initial applicability.
SB715,6,17
15
(
1
) The treatment of s. 302.075 (1) first applies to the state correctional
16
institutions identified by the department of corrections under
Section

7
(
1
) (
a
) of
17
this act on May 1, 2029.
SB715,6,20
18
(
2
) The treatment of s. 302.075 (1) first applies to the state correctional
19
institutions identified by the department of corrections under
Section

7
(
1
) (
b
) of
20
this act on May 1, 2031.
SB715,6,23
21
(
3
) The treatment of s. 302.075 (1) first applies to the state correctional
22
institutions identified by the department of corrections under
Section

7
(
1
) (
c
) of
23
this act on May 1, 2035.
SB715,10
1
Section
10
. Effective dates.
This act takes effect on the day after
2
publication, except as follows:
SB715,7,3
3
(
1
)

The treatment of s. 302.076 (1) takes effect on May 1, 2035.
SB715,7,4
4
(
2
)

The repeal of s. 20.410 (1) (ac) takes effect on May 1, 2031.
SB715,7,5
5
(end)

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