The Wisconsin State Assembly wrapped up its work for the legislative session late on Friday. It passed numerous bills impacting Wisconsin farmers and rural communities. The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and the Wisconsin Ag Coalition have the details below.
The Assembly passed the following bills that have already cleared the Senate and now head to Governor Evers for signature or veto:
- Senate Bill (SB) 474 allows soy-based firefighting foam to qualify for Department of Natural Resources fire suppression grants, expanding market opportunities for Wisconsin soybean growers and providing a PFAS-free product to firefighters.
- SB 501 creates a veterinary loan repayment program for new veterinarians who commit to large animal practices in rural communities, helping address ongoing workforce shortages.
- SB 783 provides commercial driver’s license (CDL) training grants to help Wisconsin businesses offset the educational costs of employee training.
The Assembly also passed the following measures that still require Senate approval before going to the Governor:
- Assembly Bill (AB) 131 provides access to $125 million in cleanup and drinking water grants for communities impacted by PFAS contamination and includes liability protections for innocent farmers and landowners who unknowingly accepted materials contaminated with PFAS.
- AB 679 creates new permits for transporting grain, feed and fertilizer on six-axle, 91,000-pound trucks to improve efficiency and reduce transportation costs.
- SB 622 keeps Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection program fees flat after proposed increases that would have significantly raised costs for farmers, truckers and livestock dealers.
- AB 956 creates an exemption for certain agricultural warehouses from sprinkler system requirements to prevent potential pollution of surface and groundwater.
- AB 664 prohibits Wisconsin schools from serving margarine in place of butter.
- AB 411 establishes a Farmland Link program to help facilitate farm transitions from retiring farmers to the next generation.
Both legislative chambers also passed AB 554, requiring clear labeling of lab-grown meat products to ensure consumer transparency and fair competition for Wisconsin livestock farmers. The bill now awaits action from Gov. Evers.
FoodShare Makes It, Too
The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association applauded the Assembly for passing legislation to stabilize the FoodShare program and ensure continued access to nutritious dairy products.
Bipartisan approval of Assembly Bill 180 advances a $69 million investment to shore up Wisconsin’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known in the state as FoodShare. The funding responds to recent federal policy changes shifting 75 percent of SNAP administrative costs to states beginning Oct. 1. Without legislative action, Wisconsin could face federal penalties exceeding $200 million annually, depending on error rates.
“FoodShare is both a hunger relief program and a powerful economic engine,” says Rebekah Sweeney, Senior Director of Programs & Policy for WCMA. “Spending tens of millions now to avoid losing up to hundreds of millions of dollars later – and to protect more than $1 billion in annual federal food purchasing power – is fiscal responsibility. It protects taxpayers, families, farmers, and food manufacturers across Wisconsin.”
Each year, more than $1 billion in FoodShare benefits are redeemed at Wisconsin grocery stores. A substantial share of those dollars, hundreds of millions, is spent on Wisconsin-produced and Wisconsin-processed foods, including dairy products. That spending supports demand for Wisconsin milk, jobs in cheese plants and dairy processing facilities, trucking and cold storage networks, and retail jobs in rural towns and urban neighborhoods alike.
The bill also establishes limits on the use of FoodShare dollars to purchase certain products – soda and candy, and via an amendment, it safeguards dairy-rich protein bars from being inadvertently misclassified as candy under an old statutory definition.
PFAS Clarity Gets The Okay
Lawmakers also approved AB 131, unlocking more than $130 million in PFAS remediation funding and providing critical clarity regarding PFAS liability under Wisconsin law. WCMA members strongly support its provisions to ensure that food processors operating in compliance with Wisconsin DNR permits are not unfairly subjected to liability for PFAS contamination they did not cause.
Many Wisconsin dairy processors manage wastewater under permits issued by the Wisconsin DNR, including Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits that establish strict monitoring and reporting requirements to protect water quality. The Assembly-approved language appropriately exempts farms and food processing facilities from PFAS liability when wastewater management was conducted in compliance with those permits.
“Dairy processors are committed to environmental stewardship and to maintaining the trust of the communities where we operate,” Sweeney said. “This legislation strikes an appropriate balance, protecting water quality while providing regulatory certainty to businesses that follow the rules. Clear standards strengthen compliance, support investment, and sustain the rural communities that depend on dairy processing jobs.”
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