Lawmakers applauded the family of the late Gail Zeemer after voting to concur in the passage of “Gail’s Law.” The bill expands insurance coverage for breast cancer screening. It passed with a unanimous 96-0 vote. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

During its final planned day of legislative business this year, the Wisconsin Assembly passed a bill to ensure health care coverage of screenings for women at high risk of breast cancer and a bill to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage to a year.

Republican lawmakers announced Wednesday evening that they would vote on the bills, breaking gridlock on the issues which for years was held up by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester). Vos, who announced his retirement at the beginning of the floor session Thursday, reversed his position and voted in favor of both bills.  

Each bill passed the Senate in nearly unanimous votes last year, and the Assembly concurring votes will send the bills to Gov. Tony Evers for a signature. 

Lawmakers honor Gail Zeemer as they pass breast cancer screening bill

SB 264 requires health insurance policies to provide coverage for diagnostic breast examinations and for supplemental breast screening examinations for women with dense breast tissue. The bill would require coverage to include no patient cost-sharing. 

The family of Gail Zeemer, a Neenah woman who spent time advocating for the legislation before her death from breast cancer in 2024, sat in the Assembly gallery. Zeemer, who had dense breast tissue, was diagnosed with cancer at a late stage after not receiving additional screening. She battled cancer for eight years and passed away in June 2024 at the age of 56.

Lawmakers applauded her family after voting to concur in the bill, named “Gail’s Law.” It passed in a unanimous 96-0 vote.  

Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa) spoke about listening to testimony from Zeemer during a hearing on the bill prior to her death in the Assembly Health committee.

“She was full of strength and determination,” Vining said. “This year, as we’ve heard testimony, her absence was felt in the room. Today is the day that she fought for, and I am so sorry that Gail is not here with us today. Gail’s law will save lives. It will prevent preventable deaths.”

“You didn’t give up. You didn’t take no for an answer,” Vining said of Zeemer’s family and other advocates for the bills.

Several lawmakers, including Rep. Nate Gustafson (R-Omro) and Rep. Amanda Nedweski (R-Pleasant Prairie), teared up as they spoke of their support for the legislation.

“It’s about families,” Nedweski said of the bill. “Too many husbands have lost their wives to breast cancer, too many parents have had to say goodbye to a daughter too soon, and too many children have seen their mother’s hair fall out and have had to cry themselves to sleep while their mothers went through chemo, surgery and radiation, sometimes only to be told the cancer is back, and there are no other options.” 

Nedweski said the bill takes an important step to “help children keep their moms.” 

“Mammography simply does not work for everyone,” she added. 

Nedweski said the bill is a “wise investment,” noting that it is why Texas and Florida have adopted similar policies. “Gail’s law is not only life-saving, it is cost-saving. Detecting cancer early not only drastically increases survival rates, it means that treatment costs will be lower for patients and for families.” 

Women with dense breast tissue have a higher risk of breast cancer and it can make it harder for radiologists to see cancer on mammograms, according to the American Cancer Society. 

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

Bipartisan support for the bill did not prevent partisan bickering during debate. Republican lawmakers complained in a press conference announcing the bill scheduling and again on the floor about Democratic lawmakers’ prior actions urging a vote.

Rep. Barbara Dittrich (R-Oconomowoc) said that the eight Republican Assembly lawmakers were the “true heroes who fought for where we are today.” 

“I celebrate them, rather than the tantrum throwing we saw leading up to this,” she said.

Others highlighted the bipartisan nature of the bills. 

Rep. Lee Snodgrass (D-Appleton) thanked Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R-Appleton), a key supporter of the legislation, and Rep. Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah), who called for lawmakers to go to partisan caucus to discuss the measure on Wednesday. GOP lawmakers credit discussion during the caucus for the recent breakthrough. 

“I know that this body is contentious often. I know that some of us don’t even like each other, but when we can come together and do something good for women’s health and the people of Wisconsin,” Snodgrass said, “it’s truly a victory.” 

Some lawmakers said that Wisconsin still needs to do more to ensure that people can access health care in the state.

Margaret Arney (D-Wauwatosa) called the passage of the bill a “victory” but a “small step on a long road.” 

“We need to seriously stare in the face of what it takes for people to afford health care,” Arney said. “All the people in Wisconsin deserve to have health security and I invite us to take that step together.” 

Postpartum Medicaid extension

Wisconsin is poised to become the 49th state to accept a federal expansion of Medicaid coverage for women for one year after they give birth after the state Assembly approved SB 23. 

The bill passed 95-1. Rep. Shae Sortwell (R-Two Rivers) is the only lawmaker who voted against the bill. 

Evers, who most recently called on lawmakers to pass the bill and send it to him at his State of the State address on Tuesday evening, is likely to sign it.

Pregnant women can receive Medicaid coverage in Wisconsin if they have an annual income of up to 306% of the federal poverty level, however, currently they risk losing that coverage 60 days after giving birth. 

Rep. Patrick Snyder (R-Weston), the lead Assembly author on the bill, said he picked up the “mantle” on the issue because of what he heard while knocking doors during the campaign cycle. A previous author on the bill was former Republican Rep. Donna Rozar, who lost her reelection bid in 2024. 

Snyder also doubled down on criticizing Democratic lawmakers for their efforts to force a vote on the issue. “I had a night’s sleep and I realized that a lot of my Democrat colleagues who I’m friends with are following orders,” he said. 

“Thank goodness we beat Arkansas,” Snyder said, referring to the only other state in the U.S. that has not extended postpartum Medicaid coverage for a year. “Strong families will mean strong Wisconsin. That’s what I put my faith in, not trying to score political points.” 

Rep. Deb Andraca (D-Whitefish Bay) struck a more cordial tone. 

“I want to thank everyone here who changed their mind,” Andraca said. “That’s not easy.”

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Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) announced Thursday that he will not seek another term in office, putting an end to his tenure as the state’s longest serving top Assembly leader. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) announced Thursday that he will not seek another term in office, putting an end to his tenure as the state’s longest serving top Assembly leader.

Vos, who is Wisconsin’s 75th Assembly speaker, made the announcement ahead of Assembly lawmakers’ last scheduled floor session of the spring. He was at times on the verge of tears as he spoke. 

“When I first walked into this chamber, I could not have imagined how deeply this institution would shape my life, or profoundly I would come to believe in its purpose,” Vos said. “As I announce that I will not be running for reelection in November, I am struck by how much this work has shaped me, how honored I am to have played a small part in democracy, and how proud I am to know that the state of our Legislature is strong.”

Vos said the decision wasn’t easy. Revealing that he had a heart attack in mid-November, he said the incident gave him a “sign” that pushed him in the “right direction.” He said his doctor has determined that he is “perfectly fine,” but needs to reduce his stress. 

“Let me tell you, this job is stressful,” Vos said.

Vos, 57, was born in Burlington in Racine County and lists the village of Rochester as his home community. He was first elected to the state Assembly in 2004 after serving for 10 years on the Racine County Board. He was first chosen by his caucus to serve as speaker in 2013. 

“I have always believed that our republic, in order to remain healthy, the Legislature must be the strongest branch of government, not because it should dominate, but because it represents,” Vos said. “When legislatures grow weak, the people’s voice grows faint, when executives govern by unilateral fiat or action or courts are forced to resolve political questions, it’s often because legislators fail to do their job. My work here in the state Capitol has been guided by the conviction that this body must never surrender its authority, its responsibility or its relevance.” 

Gov. Tony Evers, who was first elected in 2018 and has had a contentious relationship with Vos, said in a statement that Vos’ retirement “marks the end of an era in Wisconsin politics.” Evers also decided to not seek another term in office in 2026.  

“I’m grateful to have served as governor during Speaker Vos’ tenure. Although we’ve disagreed more often than we didn’t, I respect his candor, his ability to navigate complex policies and conversations, and his unrivaled passion for politics,” Evers said. 

Vos and Evers had a shaky start to their working relationship even before Evers’ swearing-in in 2019. Under the leadership of Vos, Republican lawmakers worked to strip the executive branch of a number of powers during the lame-duck legislative session after the 2018 election.

In recent years, Vos, the Republican-led Legislature and Evers have been in numerous court battles over who holds certain powers, especially as Evers used his partial veto powers to make significant changes to state budgets sent to him by Republicans. 

“We strengthened legislative oversight, even though our court has weakened it. We reaffirmed the power of the purse, even though some want to take it away, and insisted that major policy decisions be made by elected representatives accountable to voters, not unelected state employees,” Vos said. “The Wisconsin State Legislature is not just where laws are passed, it’s where democracy slows itself down on purpose. We debate in public, we answer to voters, we live with the consequences of our decisions, right or wrong.”

As Assembly lawmakers rushed to finish up their legislative work this session before they go home to campaign, Republicans were seeking a way to spend part, or nearly all, of the state’s $2.5 billion projected budget surplus, though the negotiations appeared paused as of Wednesday.

“Robin’s one-of-a-kind, so I wish whoever becomes the next Assembly Speaker well. They’ll no doubt have their work cut out for them. Being in public service is challenging and can be thankless work, most especially when you’re responsible for getting things done. I understand that better than most,” Evers said. “For your sacrifices and your service over the years, thank you, Mr. Speaker.”

At times during his tenure, Vos dug in his heels on issues even when they had widespread bipartisan support. On Wednesday evening, Vos finally relented on two women’s health bills that he had blocked from receiving a vote. His switch came under pressure from members of his own caucus and as Democratic lawmakers also called for a vote.

“No accomplishment in this building is ever the work of one person,” Vos said. 

In his farewell speech, Vos thanked his staff along with Republican and Democratic members of the Assembly, saying they have “argued fiercely and disagreed passionately.” He also acknowledged his constituents in the 63rd district, which he represented for 12 years, as well as the voters of  the new 33rd district. Vos quipped that it was now his district under the “Evers gerrymander” — referring to new voting maps passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor, which are widely seen as undoing the gerrymandered maps that previously allowed Republicans to hold disproportionate legislative majorities.

“Thank you for placing your trust in me time and time again over the past two decades. I am deeply humbled by the confidence in my ability to serve Racine and Walworth counties, to my friends and neighbors who stood with me from the very beginning and every step,” Vos said, adding that they even stayed through his “recall or whatever.” 

Vos was targeted for a recall election in 2024 by supporters of President Donald Trump after he angered them by not supporting calls to decertify former President Joe Biden’s win in Wisconsin in 2020 and by not supporting the impeachment of Meagan Wolfe, the administrator of the Wisconsin Elections Commission. 

 

Throughout Vos’ tenure as speaker, Republican lawmakers have held an iron grip on their control of the state Assembly with Republican lawmakers winning their seats under maps that were determined to be an unconstitutional gerrymander in 2023. 

Vos has not always gotten his way in negotiations. After the state Supreme Court ruling on the old voting maps, Vos first proposed that the state adopt an “Iowa-style redistricting commission,” which failed to get enough support in the state Senate, before agreeing to pass new maps proposed by Evers. 

Those new maps have put control of the Assembly and Senate up for grabs in 2026. 

Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman Brian Schimming said in a statement that Vos has “been influential to Republican politics for decades” and thanked him for his “his tireless service and dedication to Republican successes.” 

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Devin Remiker said Vos spent his tenure trying “his best” to make state government “dysfunctional and leave working people with higher costs and fewer rights.” He said history would remember him “as a little man who was only remarkable for his gift of still managing to punch down despite his own smallness.”

Vos is not the only Republican with retirement plans this session. Others include Rep. Dave Murphy, Sen. Steve Nass and Sen. Rob Hutton. 

“My time has lasted quite a while, but my service in this chamber will end when the new class of freshmen are sworn in,” Vos said. “I’ve been so honored to serve with all of you in this chamber, and I will miss many of you, but not all of you, but to those of you who I will miss, and actually all of you, I appreciate your service.” 

“I’ll miss the clowns, but not the circus,” he added.

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