Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB187 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
2	2	LRB-0217/1
3	3	MIM:cdc
4	4	2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 187
5	5	April 15, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives SORTWELL, BEHNKE, BRILL,
6	6	DONOVAN, GOEBEN, GOODWIN, B. JACOBSON, KNODL, KREIBICH, MAXEY,
7	7	MURSAU, PENTERMAN, WICHGERS and KAUFERT, cosponsored by Senators
8	8	JACQUE, TOMCZYK and SPREITZER. Referred to Committee on Local
9	9	Government.
10	10
11	11	*AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE*
12	12	AN ACT to amend 16.25 (2), 16.25 (3) (a), 16.25 (3) (b), 16.25 (3) (c), 16.25 (3) (d),
13	13	16.25 (3) (e), 16.25 (3) (f), 16.25 (3) (j), 16.25 (3) (k) and 16.25 (4) (b); to create
14	14	16.25 (1) (ag) and 16.25 (3) (L) of the statutes; relating to: training
15	15	completion awards for volunteer firefighters.
16	16	Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
17	17	Under current law, the Department of Administration administers a service
18	18	award program to provide length-of-service awards to volunteer firefighters,
19	19	volunteer emergency medical responders, and volunteer emergency medical
20	20	services practitioners.
21	21	This bill expands the program to provide grants to volunteer fire departments
22	22	and volunteer fire companies to make training completion awards to volunteer
23	23	firefighters. Under the bill, in order to receive a grant, the municipality in which a
24	24	department or company is organized must have a municipal ordinance that
25	25	provides a 100 percent match. The completion award for a volunteer firefighter who
26	26	completes 60 hours of training is $500. The bill also requires that any money a
27	27	volunteer fire department or fire company receives beyond what it expends on
28	28	awards each calendar year must be returned to DOA for deposit in the general fund.
29	29	Finally, under the bill, DOA is required to provide a report to the legislature in the
30	30	sixth, seventh, and eighth years after the start of the program that includes the
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34	34	4 2025 - 2026 Legislature
35	35	ASSEMBLY BILL 187
36	36	- 2 - LRB-0217/1
37	37	MIM:cdc
38	38	SECTION 1
39	39	number of people who received the grant through the preceding year and the
40	40	number of those people who are still firefighters in Wisconsin.
41	41	For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
42	42	printed as an appendix to this bill.
43	43	The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
44	44	enact as follows:
45	45	SECTION 1. 16.25 (1) (ag) of the statutes is created to read:
46	46	16.25 (1) (ag) XCompletion service awardY means an award described in sub.
47	47	(3) (L).
48	48	SECTION 2. 16.25 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
49	49	16.25 (2) The department shall administer a program to provide grants for
50	50	completion service awards to volunteer firefighters, as described in sub. (3) (L), and
51	51	to provide length-of-service awards, described in 26 USC 457 (e) (11), to volunteer
52	52	fire fighters firefighters in municipalities that operate volunteer fire departments
53	53	or that contract with volunteer fire companies organized under ch. 181 or 213, to
54	54	emergency medical responders in any municipality that authorizes emergency
55	55	medical responders to provide emergency medical responder services, and to
56	56	volunteer emergency medical services practitioners in any municipality that
57	57	authorizes volunteer emergency medical services practitioners to provide
58	58	emergency medical technical services in the municipality. To the extent permitted
59	59	by federal law, the department shall administer the program so as to treat the
60	60	length-of-service awards as a tax-deferred benefit under the Internal Revenue
61	61	Code.
62	62	SECTION 3. 16.25 (3) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
63	63	16.25 (3) (a) All municipalities that operate volunteer fire departments or
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83	83	ASSEMBLY BILL 187
84	84	- 3 - LRB-0217/1
85	85	MIM:cdc
86	86	SECTION 3
87	87	that contract with a volunteer fire company organized under ch. 181 or 213, all
88	88	municipalities that authorize emergency medical responders to provide emergency
89	89	medical responder services, and all municipalities that authorize volunteer
90	90	emergency medical services practitioners to provide emergency medical technical
91	91	services are eligible to participate in the program with respect to length-of-service
92	92	awards.
93	93	SECTION 4. 16.25 (3) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
94	94	16.25 (3) (b) Annual contributions for length-of-service awards in an amount
95	95	determined by the municipality shall be paid by each municipality for each
96	96	volunteer fire fighter firefighter, emergency medical responder, and emergency
97	97	medical services practitioner who provides services for the municipality.
98	98	SECTION 5. 16.25 (3) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
99	99	16.25 (3) (c) The municipality may select from among the plans offered by
100	100	individuals or organizations under contract with the department under sub. (4) for
101	101	length-of-service awards for the volunteer fire fighters firefighters, emergency
102	102	medical responders, and emergency medical services practitioners who perform
103	103	services for the municipality. The municipality shall pay the annual contributions
104	104	directly to the individual or organization offering the plan selected by the
105	105	municipality.
106	106	SECTION 6. 16.25 (3) (d) of the statutes is amended to read:
107	107	16.25 (3) (d) The department shall provide the grants under par. (L) for
108	108	completion service awards, and the department shall provide a match equal to
109	109	twice the amount of all annual municipal contributions paid for length-of-service
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133	133	ASSEMBLY BILL 187
134	134	- 4 - LRB-0217/1
135	135	MIM:cdc
136	136	SECTION 6
137	137	awards for volunteer fire fighters firefighters, emergency medical responders, and
138	138	emergency medical services practitioners up to a state match of $390 per fiscal year,
139	139	other than contributions paid for the purchase of additional years of service under
140	140	par. (e), to be paid from the appropriation account under s. 20.505 (4) (er). This The
141	141	amount for matches for length-of-service awards shall be adjusted annually on July
142	142	1 to reflect any changes in the U.S. consumer price index for all urban consumers,
143	143	U.S. city average, as determined by the U.S. department of labor, for the 12-month
144	144	period ending on the preceding December 31. The department shall pay all
145	145	amounts that are matched under this paragraph for length-of-service awards to the
146	146	individuals and organizations offering the plans selected by the municipalities.
147	147	SECTION 7. 16.25 (3) (e) of the statutes is amended to read:
148	148	16.25 (3) (e) A municipality may purchase additional years of service for
149	149	volunteer fire fighters firefighters, emergency medical responders, and emergency
150	150	medical services practitioners to be used for length-of-service awards. The number
151	151	of additional years of service that may be purchased under this paragraph may not
152	152	exceed the number of years of volunteer fire fighting, emergency medical responder
153	153	service, or emergency medical technical service performed by the volunteer fire
154	154	fighter firefighter, emergency medical responder, or emergency medical services
155	155	practitioner for the municipality.
156	156	SECTION 8. 16.25 (3) (f) of the statutes is amended to read:
157	157	16.25 (3) (f) Except in the case of a volunteer fire fighter firefighter,
158	158	emergency medical responder, or emergency medical services practitioner or the
159	159	beneficiary of a volunteer fire fighter firefighter, emergency medical responder, or
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182	182	23 2025 - 2026 Legislature
183	183	ASSEMBLY BILL 187
184	184	- 5 - LRB-0217/1
185	185	MIM:cdc
186	186	SECTION 8
187	187	emergency medical services practitioner eligible for a lump sum under par. (i), a
188	188	vesting period of 10 years of volunteer fire fighting, emergency medical responder
189	189	service, or emergency medical technical service for a municipality shall be required
190	190	before a volunteer fire fighter firefighter, emergency medical responder, or
191	191	emergency medical services practitioner may receive any benefits under the
192	192	program with respect to length-of-service awards.
193	193	SECTION 9. 16.25 (3) (j) of the statutes is amended to read:
194	194	16.25 (3) (j) The account of any volunteer fire fighter firefighter, emergency
195	195	medical responder, or emergency medical services practitioner who has not met all
196	196	of the vesting requirements under the program for a length-of-service award, who
197	197	has not provided volunteer fire fighting, emergency medical responder, or
198	198	emergency medical technical services for a municipality for a period of 12 months or
199	199	more, who does not meet any other program requirement for a length-of-service
200	200	award established by the municipality, and who has not been granted a leave of
201	201	absence by his or her supervisor shall be closed.
202	202	SECTION 10. 16.25 (3) (k) of the statutes is amended to read:
203	203	16.25 (3) (k) The department shall equitably allocate all moneys in length-of-
204	204	service award accounts of volunteer fire fighters firefighters, emergency medical
205	205	responders, and emergency medical services practitioners that have been closed to
206	206	the accounts of volunteer fire fighters firefighters, emergency medical responders,
207	207	and emergency medical services practitioners that have not been forfeited or closed.
208	208	SECTION 11. 16.25 (3) (L) of the statutes is created to read:
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231	231	ASSEMBLY BILL 187
232	232	- 6 - LRB-0217/1
233	233	MIM:cdc
234	234	SECTION 11
235	235	16.25 (3) (L) The department shall provide grants for completion service
236	236	awards. All of the following apply to the grants awarded under this paragraph:
237	237	1. A grant awarded under this paragraph shall be used by volunteer fire
238	238	departments and fire companies to make awards to volunteer firefighters of a
239	239	onetime payment of $250 after completion of 60 hours of training.
240	240	2. For a volunteer fire department or volunteer fire company to be eligible for
241	241	a grant under this paragraph, the municipality in which the department or
242	242	company is organized must, by ordinance, provide payments that match the
243	243	payments under subd. 1.
244	244	3. If a volunteer fire department or volunteer fire company receives a grant
245	245	that exceeds the amount of the awards it makes to volunteer firefighters under
246	246	subd. 1. in a calendar year, the department or company shall repay the excess
247	247	money to the department of administration for deposit in the general fund.
248	248	4. Six years after the effective date of this paragraph .... [LRB inserts date],
249	249	and for 2 years thereafter, on or before December 31, the department shall submit a
250	250	report to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) that
251	251	includes the number of individuals who received a grant under this paragraph
252	252	through the date of the report and the number of those individuals who are still
253	253	firefighters in this state as of the date of the report.
254	254	SECTION 12. 16.25 (4) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
255	255	16.25 (4) (b) The department may contract with any individual or
256	256	organization in the private sector that seeks to provide administrative services and
257	257	investment plans required for the program for length-of-service awards, other than
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280	280	23 2025 - 2026 Legislature
281	281	ASSEMBLY BILL 187
282	282	- 7 - LRB-0217/1
283	283	MIM:cdc
284	284	SECTION 12
285	285	services funded from the appropriation under s. 20.505 (4) (ec), if the individual or
286	286	organization fulfills the requirements and has the qualifications established by the
287	287	department under par. (a). Section 16.72 (2) (b) does not apply to any such contract.
288	288	(END)
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