04/07/2026
From: Assistant Deputy Secretary, WDVA
As you may have read or heard, the legislature has finished their work and is not expected to come back to the floor except to possibly vote on a tax relief package. Over the course of the 107th Wisconsin Legislative Session, 1185 bills were introduced in the Senate, and 1238 bills were introduced in the Assembly. 185 of those bills passed both houses. The Governor has signed 116 of them into law and has vetoed 25. One Veteran specific bill that the Governor has already signed:
• 2025 Senate Bill 38 (Act 50) personalized registration plate fees for gold star family special registration plates. The change will be enacted on July 1, 2026. See more information here.
Six additional veteran and military service-related bills have passed both houses and are waiting to be sent to the Governor. They will go over on April 2nd if they haven’t been sent by that date. The Governor is expected to sign all these bills when they reach his desk:
• 2025 Assembly Bill 597 which creates a matching $25 grant program for the private VA Funded Homeless Transition programs. The bills will have no impact on WDVA’s ability to serve homeless veterans, but we will be required to administer the grants. The legislation requires WDVA to approve grants up to $25 per day per veteran on a quarterly basis based on the number of veterans housed by the eligible entity in the previous quarter.
o At this point in time, only four entities in the state would be eligible for the grant: Porchlight Inc., in Madison; Rock Valley Community Programs, Inc., in Janesville; Center for Veterans Issues Ltd., in Milwaukee; and Guest House of Milwaukee, Inc.
o It is up to $25 dollars per day because the bill includes a provision that specifies that the amount of the grant shall be the highest amount possible that will not reduce the full federal per diem amount that the eligible entity is entitled to receive.
• 2025 Senate Bill 387 which allows Guard and Reserve Members to put veteran status on their operators’ licenses or identification cards. WDVA’s Veterans Benefits Team has been working with the CTVSO Association on creating the framework to implement the change soon after the bill is signed.
• 2025 Senate Bill 810 which increases the stipend payment for Military Funeral Honors from $50 to $100. The bill was amended to make Hmong Lao fighters who were naturalized under the Hmong Veterans’ Naturalization Act of 2000, eligible for Military Funeral Honors.
• 2025 Assembly Bill 913 provides for tax equity with active-duty military pay by creating a subtraction for National Guard and Reserve pay.
• 2025 Assembly Bill 659 modifies the residency requirement for the Wisconsin GI Bill and the Wisconsin Veterans Grant for Private Nonprofit Schools from 5 years to three. This change will happen in time for the fall semester of 2026.
• 2025 Assembly Bill 935 repeals statutory references to expired WDVA programs and makes updates and grammatical changes to definitions and adopts standardized and current terminology in WDVA statutes.
Two initiatives that were priorities for many of our partner Veteran Service Organizations did not pass either house of the legislature -
• Increased funding for the UW Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project.
o 2025 Assembly Bill 428 / 2025 Senate Bill 411 – Senator Jacque/Rep. Franklin Bills
o 2025 Assembly Bill 641 / 2025 Senate Bill 615 - Senator Hesselbein/Rep. Sinicki Bills
• Reducing the eligibility threshold to claim the veterans and surviving spouses’ property tax credit.
o 2025 Assembly Bill 686 / 2025 Senate Bill 664 - Senator Habush Sinykin/Rep. Doyle Bills
o 2025 Assembly Bill 428 / 2025 Senate Bill 411 – Senator Jacque/Rep. Franklin Bills
Veterans were well represented in the legislature this biennium, exceeding the 7 percent figure for the general population. 11 out of 99 Assembly Representatives were Veterans (approx. 11 percent) coming from the Army, Army Reserves, Air Force, Navy, National Guard, and Wisconsin Army National Guard. And 4 of the 33 State Senators were Veterans (approx. 12 percent) coming from the Army, Army Reserve, Marine Corps, and Wisconsin Air National Guard.
On behalf of Secretary Bond and everyone at WDVA, I want to express our appreciation to the legislators, both veteran and veteran supporters, who worked closely with us on veterans issues this session. And I want to express our appreciation to Governor Tony Evers for his steadfast support of veterans and their families over the course of his years serving as governor of the great state of Wisconsin. We know there is always more to do for our veterans. WDVA remains committed to the mission of working with our many local, regional, and statewide partners to deliver the eligible veteran services and benefits our veterans have earned.
Please join me in saying thank you to our veterans for service and sacrifice to our state and our nation.
Sincerely,
Joey Hoey
Assistant Deputy Secretary, WDVA
