“All they do is critique process and complain about things,” Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said of his Democratic colleagues. “But we're getting bills done.” (Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

The Wisconsin State Senate met for a floor session for the first time in over 90 days, advancing bills that would ban cellphones in schools, require coverage of breast cancer screenings for women at high risk and allow candidates to remove themselves from ballots. 

Ahead of the session, Senate Democrats criticized their Republican colleagues for the sparse number of floor days and for the issues they chose to take up. 

“We are feeling the effects of the big, ugly bill on our families, our farmers and our neighbors who need food assistance or who are covered by Medicaid,” Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) said at a press conference. She was referencing the federal law approved over the summer that made cuts to the SNAP and Medicaid programs to help pay for tax cuts. “So what is the Republican agenda today? Nothing that addresses any of those concerns. The fact that some Republicans are here at all in this building is pretty unusual.” 

The Democrats displayed a poster that showed the number of times the Senate has met per legislative session from 2003 to 2025. Tuesday was the first time the Senate has been on the floor since July, when lawmakers passed the current state budget. 

During the current two-year session, the Senate has held seven floor sessions. In 2019, the Senate met 13 times on the floor. 

“We are on the path to become one of the least active state Senates in Wisconsin’s history. It’s irresponsible and reckless, but this is the Republican majority,” Sen. Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee) said, adding that Tuesday also marks the 14th day of the federal government shutdown.

According to WISN 12, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has said there is enough funding for WIC and FoodShare benefits through October, but those programs will face shortfalls if the shutdown continues into November. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has said he would consider  taking executive action if the shutdown continues.

“Congressional Republicans are refusing to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that would prevent Wisconsinites from seeing their monthly insurance premiums doubled next year,” Drake said. “There is not one item on our calendar today aimed at making health care more affordable for Wisconsinites or to lower costs for Wisconsin families.”

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) said that compared to the Assembly, the Senate typically takes up a larger schedule of bills when it comes in. The Assembly has met three times this fall. 

“All they do is critique process and complain about things,” LeMahieu said of his Democratic colleagues. “But we’re getting bills done.” 

LeMahieu added that the Senate is going to meet in November, January, February and March before the end of the legislative session. Legislators will “keep looking at different things” to address gaps caused by the federal government shutdown, he added.

Cellphone ban bill

The Senate voted 29-4 to concur in a bill that will require school districts across the state to adopt a cellphone ban policy. The four opposing votes came from Democrats.

Under AB 2, school districts’ policies would need to ban cellphones during instructional times. School boards would be required  to implement the new policy by July 2026 and would need to include exceptions for emergencies, for educational purposes and cases involving student health care, individualized education plans (IEPs) or 504 plans (learning environment accommodations). 

“These are devices that are taking away from our kids’ learning, and folks are asking us to do something about it,” Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R-Appleton) said at a press conference ahead of the session.

A recent Marquette Law School poll found that 89% of voters support banning cellphones during class periods. The poll also found that 72% of voters support banning cellphones throughout the school day, including lunch and between classes. 

“Wisconsin wants this. Wisconsin is asking for this,” Cabral-Guevara said on the floor. 

According to NPR, at least 31 states and Washington D.C. had adopted a cellphone ban as of September. 

According to a recent Wisconsin Policy Forum report, cellphone policies vary widely across the state, though most school districts already restrict student cellphone usage to common areas. 

Sen. Melissa Ratcliff (D-Cottage Grove) listed a number of concerns about the bill, including whether the bill would impede parents’ ability to communicate with their children when there are safety concerns and would hinder local control. 

“Why are we, the state, worried about taking away kids’ cellphones before we enact legislation that prevents kids from having access to guns and prevents mass shootings?” Ratcliff asked. “While I understand the intent behind this bill, which is to reduce distraction in the classroom, we cannot ignore the profound and tragic reality of our current times. This measure, though well-meaning, would be a dangerous step backward in ensuring the immediate safety of our children, especially in the wake of recent horrific shootings.”

Cabral Guevara noted that the bill includes an exception for emergencies. 

The bill passed the Assembly in February, so it will now go to Evers’ desk.

Lawmakers also concurred in AB 5, which would implement new requirements for allowing residents to inspect textbooks, curriculum or instructional materials. 

Wisconsinites currently have the ability to submit open records requests to school districts to receive school materials. Under the bill, school districts would need to comply with requests within 14 days and textbooks would need to be listed online. 

This is the third session where lawmakers have pursued this policy. The 2023-25 version of the bill passed the Assembly, but never received a vote in the Senate. The 2021-23 version was vetoed by Evers. 

The current iteration of the bill passed the Assembly earlier this year.

Breast cancer screening coverage

Lawmaker advanced a bill that would require health insurance policies to provide coverage for diagnostic breast examinations and for supplemental breast screening examinations for an individual who has dense breast tissue. It would require that coverage include no patient cost-sharing.

The bill, SB 264, passed 32-1. Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) was the lone opposing vote. 

According to KFF, breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer among women in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer death. According to the American Cancer Society, women with dense breast tissue have a higher risk of breast cancer. Dense breast tissue can also make it harder for radiologists to see cancer on mammograms. 

Cabral-Guevara said she started work on the bill when a constituent of hers, Gail Zeamer, came to her about the issue. Previous versions have failed two times before. 

Zeamer was diagnosed with cancer at a late stage. She had dense breast tissue and didn’t receive additional screening. She battled cancer for eight years and passed away in June 2024 at the age of 56.

During the press conference, Cabral-Guevara said that “40% of the women in Wisconsin have dense breasts… if you’re one of those 40%, you do need a secondary screening to be truly covered to determine if you do not have breast cancer.” 

“In memory of Gail, who has passed, as well as all the other women that have been affected by breast cancer living as well as deceased,”  she added,  “this bill is a true testament that we can work together here in this Capitol building and get things done.” 

Wisconsin already requires that insurance policies provide coverage for two mammograms for women between the ages of 45 and 49 and annual screenings for women over the age of 50. Insurance companies are not required to cover additional screenings for women with dense breast tissue or at higher risk. 

Speaking in favor of the bill, LeMahieu shared that his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer and she has dense breast tissue. He said they have been on a journey to deal with the diagnosis. 

“There are people who don’t know their risk that they have dense breast tissue. They don’t know that a simple mammogram might not catch it. Fortunately, she did her research,” LeMahieu said. “My wife is the exact type of person this bill is intended to help.”

The bill is now in the Assembly where the Health, Aging, and Long-Term Care Committee is scheduled to have a public hearing on it Wednesday. 

Allowing candidates to remove their name from ballots

The Senate also concurred in AB 35 in a 19-14 vote. The bill would make it easier for candidates to remove their names from ballots in Wisconsin. Sen. Kristin Dassler-Alfheim (D-Appleton) joined Republicans in favor.

Lawmakers introduced the bill after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was not allowed to remove himself from the Wisconsin presidential ballot in 2024 after he dropped out and endorsed President Donald Trump. Currently, candidates can only have their names removed if they are dead. 

Sens. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) proposed adding additional language so that the law would only apply if someone hadn’t been bribed to get out of a race. 

“There are instances in our recent past where candidates have been taken aside and promised positions if they agree to drop their candidacy, so if we want to make sure we have the integrity of free and fair elections without the interference of corrupting influence. This is one small step in that,” Larson said. 

His amendment was voted down by Republicans. 

Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) said he has similar concerns about someone being pressured out of a race and also concerns about how the withdrawal mechanism would practically work. 

“Once [a] primary is done and somebody has won and their name is going to be printed on the general election ballot, if you take their name off, then you have now denied voters potentially a choice between one of the two parties, and there’s no mechanism in this bill to actually replace that party’s nominee on the ballot,” Spreitzer said. “If there were such a mechanism — and other states have that — I’d be open to something like this, but here, there could be a situation where a safe Democratic seat or a safe Republican seat ends up without a name.”

Candidates withdrawing from national or statewide races would have to pay the Wisconsin Elections Commission a $1,000 fee. Non-statewide candidates would need to pay $250. Under the bill, a person would face a Class G felony with a maximum penalty of up to $25,000 and imprisonment for up to 10 years if they intentionally filed a false statement withdrawing a person’s candidacy. 

Other bills advanced by the Senate: 

• SB 214, which would allow health care providers with a credential from another state to provide telehealth care services in Wisconsin. It passed 18-15 along party lines and will now go to the Assembly. 
• AB 39, which would require state employees to return to in-person work for at least 80% of their time, passed 17-16 with Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) joining Democrats against it. It passed the Assembly in September and will now go to Evers. 
• AB 162, which would require state agencies to collect a series of metrics on training and workforce development programs, including the unemployment rates and median earnings of participants six months after they graduate from a program. The Senate concurred along party lines. It now goes to Evers.
• AB 168, which would allow felony fraud claims related to unemployment to be prosecuted up to eight years after a crime was committed, passed along party lines. The  current statute of limitations is six years.
• AB 169, which would allow an employer to report to the Department of Workforce Development an unemployment recipient who declines or fails to show up to a job interview or declines a job offer. A report could be used to determine benefits. It will now go to Evers.

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The memorial service is held for conservative political activist Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium on Sept. 21, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. The Wisconsin Legislature held a contentious floor debate before passing a joint resolution honoring Kirk Tuesday.(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The Wisconsin Senate and Assembly passed a joint resolution honoring the life of Charlie Kirk, the right-wing activist and ally to President Donald Trump who was assassinated last month. Debate was intense as Democrats said the resolution should have focused on condemning political violence, rather than honoring Kirk’s legacy. 

Senate approves without political violence condemnation

The first iteration of the resolution, offered by Sen. Andre Jacque (R-New Franken), focused on Kirk’s life, saying Kirk “dedicated his life with unwavering conviction to advancing the timeless principles of faith, liberty, and truth” through his organization Turning Point USA and that his “powerful voice, seen in his writings, broadcasts and countless speeches, challenged complacency, awakened courage, and emboldened millions to take up the cause of freedom with renewed strength and clarity.” 

“Beyond his public mission, Charlie Kirk was first and foremost a devoted husband and loving father, fiercely committed to his wife and their two young children, whom he treasured as the heart of his life,” the resolution stated. “The brutal and senseless act that claimed his life has shaken our hearts, leaving an immense void not only in his family but across our nation, which looked to him as a steadfast champion for liberty… the Wisconsin Legislature honors Charlie Kirk’s extraordinary life and legacy with deepest gratitude, recognizing his fearless devotion to God, his unshakable love of family, and his tireless service to country.” 

Democratic Senators objected to the lack of a condemnation of political violence as well as the positive light the resolution cast on Kirk’s legacy. They introduced an amendment  that would have focused the resolution on condemning the assassination and political violence wholesale. 

“Your resolution doesn’t mention political violence at all. It is just about what a great guy Charlie Kirk was,” Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) said. “That’s not what’s going to bring 33 senators here today together… What could have brought 33 senators here together is the universal condemnation of the assassination.” 

“The Wisconsin Legislature strongly condemns the assassination of Charlie Kirk and extends their deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,” the Democratic proposed resolution stated. “Democracy in the United States depends on the peaceful and civil debate of ideas—not intimidation, violence, or assassination.”

Republican senators rejected the proposal, saying it wasn’t relevant to the resolution at hand. 

The rejection kickstarted heated debate about Kirk’s legacy. 

“I find myself reflecting on the stark contrast between my celebration and the heartbreaking truth that today would have been Charlie Kirk’s 32nd birthday. Charlie Kirk should have had many more birthdays,” Jacque said. “Through Turning Point USA, he challenged a generation, not to surrender to cynicism or drift into apathy, but to stand firm in their beliefs… He was a voice of clarity in a time of confusion, and that voice so full of passion and purpose was silenced in unspeakable act of violence.” 

Sen. LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee) started her remarks by quoting Kirk nine times. 

“Quote one,” Johnson said. ‘The American Democrat party hates this country. They wanna see it collapse. They love it when America becomes less white.’ Quote two: ‘If I’m dealing with somebody in customer service, who’s a moronic black woman, I wonder, is she there because of her excellence or is she there because of affirmative action?’’ Quote three: ‘I have a very, very radical view on this, we made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s.’” 

“Tell me, which one of you is willing to stand up and publicly admit that you or your constituents support this foolishness?” Johnson asked. She then called Kirk’s comments racist. 

Johnson said that Kirk’s legacy was emboldening people with his “hatred” and turning “them loose to be open to accepting their own racism and affirming their bigotry.” 

“My heart goes out to his wife and to his babies. My heart aches for them, but the empathy that I have for his family, Charlie never spared or even thought about extending that type of empathy to people who look like me,” Johnson said. “Choosing to whitewash his legacy and death does not erase who he was or what he stood for.” 

Sen. Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee) agreed. 

“I will support any resolution condemning his assassination, political violence, because it is the right thing to do, but I will not honor any legacy that undermines the advancement and equality of all Americans,” Drake said.

Republican lawmakers, including Jacque and Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield), said that Democratic lawmakers were taking the quotes out of context.

Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) said he thought the resolution should have focused on condemning political violence and expressed concerns about the way that Kirk’s death was being used by some to go after perceived political opponents. He started reading from an article about the Elkhorn associate principal who was targeted after conservative influencers falsely claimed she had made posts on social media about Kirk’s death. 

Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) ruled Larson out of order and shut off his microphone. 

The Senate ultimately voted 18-15 along party lines to advance the resolution.

Assembly amends resolution 

The Assembly voted 54-42 to concur in the resolution after it was amended to condemn political violence and included some of the language that Democrats had in their proposal. 

The resolution did not go as far as Assembly Democrats suggested. A proposal from them also aimed to condemn the assassinations of both Kirk and former Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives Melissa Hortman. 

Assembly Assistant Minority Leader Kalan Haywood (D-Milwaukee) noted that Black History Month resolutions written by the Black Legislative Caucus have often faced difficult paths in the Republican-led Legislature. He specifically mentioned the year when the inclusion of civil rights activist and former quarterback Colin Kaepernick on a resolution kept it from coming to the floor.

Haywood said Kaepernick was “demonized for taking a silent knee to protest police brutality.” 

“I have watched several times as Black History Month resolutions and other resolutions recognizing people of color from Wisconsin and their history have been put under a magnifying glass and faced the most intense scrutiny,” Haywood said. “These resolutions over the last seven years have either been left off the calendar or threatened to not be included on the calendar because of the smallest quote, post or like your members find uncomfortable… What is the bar? Is there a different bar for people of color from Wisconsin and their lives and legacies to be recognized and honored by this body?” 

Haywood read off some of the quotes that Kirk made over the course of his life, echoing Johnson.

“These are quotes from Charlie Kirk, who was not a Wisconsinite, nor [did he] have any meaningful ties to our great state or any contributions to our state, and yeah, you are using his name and his death to score political points from Fox News and your far-right donors,” Haywood said. “Your resolution doesn’t even mention condemning political violence. This is all performative theater.”

Haywood said that Republicans were dividing people.

Rep. William Penterman (R-Hustisford) clarified that his amendment did include language about the increasing threats of violence that public figures are facing. He then noted that Kirk would have turned 32 on Tuesday.  

“Most of us in this body are over 32. I myself am not yet,” Penterman said. “As a human being, he had two young kids. He was married. Just having experienced the birth of my second child between last session and this and witnessing that miracle, my heart goes out to his wife, to his kids, and his family. He was a person. He was a husband. He cared about his community. He cared about Turning Point USA… His impact has been felt here in this state and will continue to be.”

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Assembly Republican and Democratic authors announced competing bills at a joint press conference last week. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

Wisconsin lawmakers are once again trying to make changes to the state’s elections system, including allowing elections clerks to start processing absentee ballots the day before Election Day, though partisan divisions on how the changes should be made are already showing. 

Assembly Republican and Democratic authors announced competing bills at a joint press conference last week, saying they are starting a conversation around the proposals and aim to get them done this session. It’s unclear whether those conversations will end in new laws ahead of the 2026 elections, which will include a spring Supreme Court election, a high-profile, open race for governor and state legislative races where control is up for grabs. 

“There’s not a lot new in here,” Assistant Majority Leader Scott Krug (R-Rome) said. “We’ve gone through a lot of these things before, but we’re here to talk about things that should matter to every Wisconsinite, whether you’re Republican, Democrat or independent, about having faith and confidence in your elections from the beginning of the process all the way through to the end.”

Krug said his proposals would help ensure three things for voters: the “person who’s voting next to them is who they say they are,” that the “person is eligible to vote” and that they know “who won the damn election before they go to bed.”

One bill, Krug said, would take a “comprehensive look at how we approach absentee voting in the state of Wisconsin.” This would include allowing for processing of absentee ballots to start on the  Monday before Election Day and regulating drop boxes in Wisconsin. 

“Absentee voting is here to stay, so we want to make sure that we include a process where we can actually get these results across the finish line before we go to bed,” Krug said. He added that by pairing the issue with drop boxes regulations in his new bill he hopes it will “draw all legislators to the table.”  

Election clerks have called for change for years. Currently in Wisconsin, elections workers aren’t allowed to start processing absentee ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day. This has led to extended processing times, especially in the larger cities including Milwaukee — bolstering suspicions among  Republicans since 2018 about  late night “ballot dumps” in Democratic cities. 

Despite passing the Assembly, a bill to implement Monday processing died last legislative session due to opposition in the Senate. 

In addition to reviving Monday processing, Krug promoted new standards for drop boxes.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court reversed a decision that had banned drop boxes in Wisconsin until the new ruling in July 2024. Some Republicans, though not Krug, were critical of the decision. 

“People who are in our communities who see drop boxes on the corner want to know if they have security, that they have standards, that they’re being used the same across the state of Wisconsin,” Krug said. “I know we don’t all agree on what those provisions and those standards should be, but we’ll have a good conversation about that.”

Another bill, Krug said, would eliminate the “ballot drawdown” process from Wisconsin statute and replace it with a process known as “risk-limiting audits.” The drawdown is used when there is a numerical discrepancy and as a result a ballot may be randomly selected and removed from the vote count. 

“Clerical errors can lead to an actually legal ballot being tossed out,” Krug said. “We’ve got to get rid of the drawdown.”

Risk limiting audits are a statistically based audit technique, which audits a certain number of ballots depending on the margin of victory in a given election, has been growing in popularity in recent years, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The bill language for Krug’s first two bills is not available.

Krug said AB 312, which was introduced earlier this year, is also included in his package. The bill would require absentee voting sites to be open for at least 20 hours during the period for voting absentee in-person. 

“There’s going to be a limited number of session days going into the fall and spring,” Krug said, adding that it could be difficult to get “27 or 30 election bills” across the finish line individually. 

“Time is of the essence,” Krug said for getting the changes done before 2026 fall elections.

While the lawmakers held their press conference jointly, Rep. Lee Snodgrass (D-Appleton) said she is not currently supportive of Krug’s bills but that having the conversation is important. 

“I think it’s over bloated,” Snodgrass said about Krug’s “Monday processing” proposal. “I’d like to see a cleaner bill.”

“We are meeting the moment. Our country, and our state has never been more divided and more contentious. The partisan divide has become not just contentious, but even hostile,” Snodgrass said, adding that she and Krug want to “model that civil conversations in debate can happen in the same room, from the same podium and with the same goal in mind despite diverging ideas.” 

Senate Democrat critical of Krug’s legislation

In addition to Assembly Democrats not being on board with Republican election proposals, there already appear to be some obstacles in the Senate.

While speaking to reporters after the Assembly press conference, Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) criticized Krug’s Monday processing proposal, saying he was “very disappointed” with the new version as it contains a “poison pills” meant to satisfy the right-wing portion of his party. 

“The Monday processing concept has always been a good idea on its own merits, but it’s never been about the right to vote. It has always been about efficiencies for our clerks and our election officials to process ballots more smoothly,” Spreitzer said. “None of those things are about voting rights, and I’m not willing to trade those things for undermining people’s voting rights.” 

Spreitzer said the dropbox restrictions are “nonstarters” that would “functionally ban them in most communities.” A bill draft, according to VoteBeat, includes a ban on clerks fixing errors on ballots and guidelines for dropboxes, including where to place them, how to secure them, how to collect ballots and how to keep records of when they’re emptied as well as requiring they be under a continuous, livestreamed video feed. 

“I don’t know where these ideas are coming from, but it’s got to be from the extreme part of the Republican caucus, and I just don’t think these are what we should be putting forward related to our elections,” Spreitzer said. 

Spreitzer said Monday processing may not happen until Democrats have control, given the recent version of the bill.

“It may mean that we need to wait for a Democratic majority to pass this,” Spreitzer said. Senate Republicans currently hold a 17-15 majority. Democrats are hoping to change that in 2026 and need to win at least two additional seats to flip control of the chamber for the first time in over 15 years.

Waiting would delay any changes to 2027 at the earliest. 

Democratic bills

Snodgrass, alongside three of her Assembly Democratic colleagues, introduced proposals that have overlapping goals with Krug’s legislation last week.

Snodgrass said the Democratic package is meant to focus on “strengthening our democracy” by increasing access, educating people and providing the resources necessary to ensure that all eligible electors can vote. She said they specifically want to remove barriers to voting, not impose them.

One bill would require elected state officials to serve as poll workers during their first term and once every three years after that to help increase their understanding of the state’s election administration. 

“There’s no better way of learning than doing so,” Snodgrass said, adding that the bill would help elected officials be a “voice to talk about how Wisconsin’s elections are secure.” 

A pair of bills seek to ensure that polling places and voting are more accessible by requiring that election officials have one hour of voter accessibility training, and requiring election officials use the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s accessibility checklist at each polling place and uniform signs with  instructions for curbside voting. Several of the bills focus on helping young people in the state participate in elections. 

One bill would require that at least one special school registration deputy be present at each public high school in the state so eligible students can register to vote at school during the day. One bill would require high schools to give voter registration forms and nonpartisan voting information to students who are eligible to vote. 

The Department of Public Instruction would be required, under one bill, to develop a curriculum on the electoral process and voting. The agency would also have to mandate at least one hour of voter education instruction annually for K-12 students. 

“Too often, young people want to get involved, but don’t know how,” Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire) said. “By making voter registration and civic information part of the high school experience, we eliminate barriers and send a clear message, your voice matters, and your vote counts. This bill is not about partisanship. It’s about participation. It’s about preparing students to step confidently into adulthood, not just as graduates, but as citizens ready to shape their communities and their future.”

The package also includes a constitutional amendment proposal that would allow 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they will be 18 by the general election. Another bill would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister to vote if they turn 18 before the next election.

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