Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

Wisconsin Senate Bill SB186 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-2625/1
3	3	MIM:cdc
4	4	2025 SENATE BILL 186
5	5	April 14, 2025 - Introduced by Senators JACQUE, TOMCZYK and SPREITZER,
6	6	cosponsored by Representatives SORTWELL, BEHNKE, BRILL, DONOVAN,
7	7	GOODWIN, GOEBEN, B. JACOBSON, KNODL, KREIBICH, MAXEY, MURSAU,
8	8	PENTERMAN, WICHGERS and KAUFERT. Referred to Committee on
9	9	Transportation and Local Government.
10	10	AN ACT to amend 16.25 (2), 16.25 (3) (a), 16.25 (3) (b), 16.25 (3) (c), 16.25 (3) (d),
11	11	16.25 (3) (e), 16.25 (3) (f), 16.25 (3) (j), 16.25 (3) (k) and 16.25 (4) (b); to create
12	12	16.25 (1) (ag) and 16.25 (3) (L) of the statutes; relating to: training
13	13	completion awards for volunteer firefighters.
14	14	Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
15	15	Under current law, the Department of Administration administers a service
16	16	award program to provide length-of-service awards to volunteer firefighters,
17	17	volunteer emergency medical responders, and volunteer emergency medical
18	18	services practitioners.
19	19	This bill expands the program to provide grants to volunteer fire departments
20	20	and volunteer fire companies to make training completion awards to volunteer
21	21	firefighters. Under the bill, in order to receive a grant, the municipality in which a
22	22	department or company is organized must have a municipal ordinance that
23	23	provides a 100 percent match. The completion award for a volunteer firefighter who
24	24	completes 60 hours of training is $500. The bill also requires that any money a
25	25	volunteer fire department or fire company receives beyond what it expends on
26	26	awards each calendar year must be returned to DOA for deposit in the general fund.
27	27	Finally, under the bill, DOA is required to provide a report to the legislature in the
28	28	sixth, seventh, and eighth years after the start of the program that includes the
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32	32	4 2025 - 2026 Legislature
33	33	SENATE BILL 186
34	34	- 2 - LRB-2625/1
35	35	MIM:cdc
36	36	SECTION 1
37	37	number of people who received the grant through the preceding year and the
38	38	number of those people who are still firefighters in Wisconsin.
39	39	For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
40	40	printed as an appendix to this bill.
41	41	The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
42	42	enact as follows:
43	43	SECTION 1. 16.25 (1) (ag) of the statutes is created to read:
44	44	16.25 (1) (ag) XCompletion service awardY means an award described in sub.
45	45	(3) (L).
46	46	SECTION 2. 16.25 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
47	47	16.25 (2) The department shall administer a program to provide grants for
48	48	completion service awards to volunteer firefighters, as described in sub. (3) (L), and
49	49	to provide length-of-service awards, described in 26 USC 457 (e) (11), to volunteer
50	50	fire fighters firefighters in municipalities that operate volunteer fire departments
51	51	or that contract with volunteer fire companies organized under ch. 181 or 213, to
52	52	emergency medical responders in any municipality that authorizes emergency
53	53	medical responders to provide emergency medical responder services, and to
54	54	volunteer emergency medical services practitioners in any municipality that
55	55	authorizes volunteer emergency medical services practitioners to provide
56	56	emergency medical technical services in the municipality. To the extent permitted
57	57	by federal law, the department shall administer the program so as to treat the
58	58	length-of-service awards as a tax-deferred benefit under the Internal Revenue
59	59	Code.
60	60	SECTION 3. 16.25 (3) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
61	61	16.25 (3) (a) All municipalities that operate volunteer fire departments or
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81	81	SENATE BILL 186
82	82	- 3 - LRB-2625/1
83	83	MIM:cdc
84	84	SECTION 3
85	85	that contract with a volunteer fire company organized under ch. 181 or 213, all
86	86	municipalities that authorize emergency medical responders to provide emergency
87	87	medical responder services, and all municipalities that authorize volunteer
88	88	emergency medical services practitioners to provide emergency medical technical
89	89	services are eligible to participate in the program with respect to length-of-service
90	90	awards.
91	91	SECTION 4. 16.25 (3) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
92	92	16.25 (3) (b) Annual contributions for length-of-service awards in an amount
93	93	determined by the municipality shall be paid by each municipality for each
94	94	volunteer fire fighter firefighter, emergency medical responder, and emergency
95	95	medical services practitioner who provides services for the municipality.
96	96	SECTION 5. 16.25 (3) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
97	97	16.25 (3) (c) The municipality may select from among the plans offered by
98	98	individuals or organizations under contract with the department under sub. (4) for
99	99	length-of-service awards for the volunteer fire fighters firefighters, emergency
100	100	medical responders, and emergency medical services practitioners who perform
101	101	services for the municipality. The municipality shall pay the annual contributions
102	102	directly to the individual or organization offering the plan selected by the
103	103	municipality.
104	104	SECTION 6. 16.25 (3) (d) of the statutes is amended to read:
105	105	16.25 (3) (d) The department shall provide the grants under par. (L) for
106	106	completion service awards, and the department shall provide a match equal to
107	107	twice the amount of all annual municipal contributions paid for length-of-service
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131	131	SENATE BILL 186
132	132	- 4 - LRB-2625/1
133	133	MIM:cdc
134	134	SECTION 6
135	135	awards for volunteer fire fighters firefighters, emergency medical responders, and
136	136	emergency medical services practitioners up to a state match of $390 per fiscal year,
137	137	other than contributions paid for the purchase of additional years of service under
138	138	par. (e), to be paid from the appropriation account under s. 20.505 (4) (er). This The
139	139	amount for matches for length-of-service awards shall be adjusted annually on July
140	140	1 to reflect any changes in the U.S. consumer price index for all urban consumers,
141	141	U.S. city average, as determined by the U.S. department of labor, for the 12-month
142	142	period ending on the preceding December 31. The department shall pay all
143	143	amounts that are matched under this paragraph for length-of-service awards to the
144	144	individuals and organizations offering the plans selected by the municipalities.
145	145	SECTION 7. 16.25 (3) (e) of the statutes is amended to read:
146	146	16.25 (3) (e) A municipality may purchase additional years of service for
147	147	volunteer fire fighters firefighters, emergency medical responders, and emergency
148	148	medical services practitioners to be used for length-of-service awards. The number
149	149	of additional years of service that may be purchased under this paragraph may not
150	150	exceed the number of years of volunteer fire fighting, emergency medical responder
151	151	service, or emergency medical technical service performed by the volunteer fire
152	152	fighter firefighter, emergency medical responder, or emergency medical services
153	153	practitioner for the municipality.
154	154	SECTION 8. 16.25 (3) (f) of the statutes is amended to read:
155	155	16.25 (3) (f) Except in the case of a volunteer fire fighter firefighter,
156	156	emergency medical responder, or emergency medical services practitioner or the
157	157	beneficiary of a volunteer fire fighter firefighter, emergency medical responder, or
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181	181	SENATE BILL 186
182	182	- 5 - LRB-2625/1
183	183	MIM:cdc
184	184	SECTION 8
185	185	emergency medical services practitioner eligible for a lump sum under par. (i), a
186	186	vesting period of 10 years of volunteer fire fighting, emergency medical responder
187	187	service, or emergency medical technical service for a municipality shall be required
188	188	before a volunteer fire fighter firefighter, emergency medical responder, or
189	189	emergency medical services practitioner may receive any benefits under the
190	190	program with respect to length-of-service awards.
191	191	SECTION 9. 16.25 (3) (j) of the statutes is amended to read:
192	192	16.25 (3) (j) The account of any volunteer fire fighter firefighter, emergency
193	193	medical responder, or emergency medical services practitioner who has not met all
194	194	of the vesting requirements under the program for a length-of-service award, who
195	195	has not provided volunteer fire fighting, emergency medical responder, or
196	196	emergency medical technical services for a municipality for a period of 12 months or
197	197	more, who does not meet any other program requirement for a length-of-service
198	198	award established by the municipality, and who has not been granted a leave of
199	199	absence by his or her supervisor shall be closed.
200	200	SECTION 10. 16.25 (3) (k) of the statutes is amended to read:
201	201	16.25 (3) (k) The department shall equitably allocate all moneys in length-of-
202	202	service award accounts of volunteer fire fighters firefighters, emergency medical
203	203	responders, and emergency medical services practitioners that have been closed to
204	204	the accounts of volunteer fire fighters firefighters, emergency medical responders,
205	205	and emergency medical services practitioners that have not been forfeited or closed.
206	206	SECTION 11. 16.25 (3) (L) of the statutes is created to read:
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229	229	SENATE BILL 186
230	230	- 6 - LRB-2625/1
231	231	MIM:cdc
232	232	SECTION 11
233	233	16.25 (3) (L) The department shall provide grants for completion service
234	234	awards. All of the following apply to the grants awarded under this paragraph:
235	235	1. A grant awarded under this paragraph shall be used by volunteer fire
236	236	departments and fire companies to make awards to volunteer firefighters of a
237	237	onetime payment of $250 after completion of 60 hours of training.
238	238	2. For a volunteer fire department or volunteer fire company to be eligible for
239	239	a grant under this paragraph, the municipality in which the department or
240	240	company is organized must, by ordinance, provide payments that match the
241	241	payments under subd. 1.
242	242	3. If a volunteer fire department or volunteer fire company receives a grant
243	243	that exceeds the amount of the awards it makes to volunteer firefighters under
244	244	subd. 1. in a calendar year, the department or company shall repay the excess
245	245	money to the department of administration for deposit in the general fund.
246	246	4. Six years after the effective date of this paragraph .... [LRB inserts date],
247	247	and for 2 years thereafter, on or before December 31, the department shall submit a
248	248	report to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) that
249	249	includes the number of individuals who received a grant under this paragraph
250	250	through the date of the report and the number of those individuals who are still
251	251	firefighters in this state as of the date of the report.
252	252	SECTION 12. 16.25 (4) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
253	253	16.25 (4) (b) The department may contract with any individual or
254	254	organization in the private sector that seeks to provide administrative services and
255	255	investment plans required for the program for length-of-service awards, other than
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278	278	23 2025 - 2026 Legislature
279	279	SENATE BILL 186
280	280	- 7 - LRB-2625/1
281	281	MIM:cdc
282	282	SECTION 12
283	283	services funded from the appropriation under s. 20.505 (4) (ec), if the individual or
284	284	organization fulfills the requirements and has the qualifications established by the
285	285	department under par. (a). Section 16.72 (2) (b) does not apply to any such contract.
286	286	(END)
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