---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to: tuition and fee remission or grants for certain veterans and their dependents enrolled in the University of Wisconsin System, a technical college, or a private nonprofit institution of higher education; and the University of Wisconsin System nonresident tuition exemption for certain veterans. (FE)"
description: "Relating to: tuition and fee remission or grants for certain veterans and their dependents enrolled in the University of Wisconsin System, a technical college, or a private nonprofit institution of higher education; and the University of Wisconsin System nonresident tuition exemption for certain veterans. (FE)"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wi"
legislature: "Wisconsin Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "AB 659"
citation: "Wisconsin AB 659 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Behnke", "Billings", "Brooks", "Dittrich", "Donovan", "Franklin", "Joers", "Kitchens", "Knodl", "Kreibich", "Kurtz", "Melotik", "Murphy", "Mursau", "Novak", "O'Connor", "Palmeri", "Piwowarczyk", "Steffen", "Udell", "Wichgers"]
version_count: 1
action_count: 42
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2025-11-19T06:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2026-04-02T05:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d87ed353-1b9c-4339-a0c7-f8032ecb4264"
source_url: "https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/reg/asm/bill/ab659"
source_hash: "dc5eeb7f04c89d892db5c614464a947fca4fb867353728bc459798223b91640e"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-wi"]
---

# Wisconsin AB 659 (2025) — Relating to: tuition and fee remission or grants for certain veterans and their dependents enrolled in the University of Wisconsin System, a technical college, or a private nonprofit institution of higher education; and the University of Wisconsin System nonresident tuition exemption for certain veterans. (FE)

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Bill Text** (committee substitute) — [source](https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/proposaltext/2025/REG/AB659)

## Votes

- Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2 — **3–2** (pass) · upper
- Senate Amendment 1 rejected, Ayes 18, Noes 15 — **18–15** (pass) · upper
- Report concurrence recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 16, Noes 0 — **16–0** (pass) · upper
- Report passage recommended by Committee on Colleges and Universities, Ayes 11, Noes 0 — **11–0** (pass) · lower
- PASSAGE — **94–2** (pass) · lower
- Assembly Amendment 1 laid on table, Ayes 55, Noes 41 — **55–41** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Behnke — primary (person)
- Billings — primary (person)
- Brooks — primary (person)
- Dittrich — primary (person)
- Donovan — primary (person)
- Franklin — primary (person)
- Joers — primary (person)
- Kitchens — primary (person)
- Knodl — primary (person)
- Kreibich — primary (person)
- Kurtz — primary (person)
- Melotik — primary (person)
- Murphy — primary (person)
- Mursau — primary (person)
- Novak — primary (person)
- O'Connor — primary (person)
- Palmeri — primary (person)
- Piwowarczyk — primary (person)
- Steffen — primary (person)
- Udell — primary (person)
- Wichgers — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2025-11-19T06:00:00+00:00** Introduced by Representatives Kitchens, Franklin, Kurtz, Steffen, Behnke, Billings, Brooks, Dittrich, Donovan, Joers, Knodl, Kreibich, Melotik, Murphy, Mursau, Novak, O'Connor, Piwowarczyk, Udell, Wichgers and Palmeri; cosponsored by Senator Wimberger `introduction`
- **2025-11-19T06:00:00+00:00** Read first time and referred to Committee on Colleges and Universities `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2025-11-21T06:00:00+00:00** Fiscal estimate received `receipt`
- **2025-11-21T06:00:00+00:00** Representative Subeck added as a coauthor
- **2025-11-21T06:00:00+00:00** Fiscal estimate received `receipt`
- **2025-11-24T06:00:00+00:00** Representative Ortiz-Velez added as a coauthor
- **2025-11-24T06:00:00+00:00** Fiscal estimate received `receipt`
- **2026-01-08T06:00:00+00:00** Public hearing held
- **2026-01-22T06:00:00+00:00** Executive action taken
- **2026-01-22T06:00:00+00:00** Report passage recommended by Committee on Colleges and Universities, Ayes 11, Noes 0 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-01-22T06:00:00+00:00** Referred to committee on Rules `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-09T06:00:00+00:00** Representative J. Jacobson added as a coauthor
- **2026-02-18T06:00:00+00:00** Made a special order of business at 11:27 AM on 2-19-2026 pursuant to Assembly Resolution 14
- **2026-02-19T06:00:00+00:00** Read a second time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-19T06:00:00+00:00** Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative Emerson
- **2026-02-19T06:00:00+00:00** Assembly Amendment 1 laid on table, Ayes 55, Noes 41 `deferral`
- **2026-02-19T06:00:00+00:00** Ordered to a third reading `reading-3`
- **2026-02-19T06:00:00+00:00** Rules suspended
- **2026-02-19T06:00:00+00:00** Read a third time and passed, Ayes 94, Noes 2 `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-02-19T06:00:00+00:00** Ordered immediately messaged
- **2026-02-23T06:00:00+00:00** Received from Assembly `receipt`
- **2026-02-25T06:00:00+00:00** Read first time and referred to committee on Senate Organization `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-25T06:00:00+00:00** Available for scheduling
- **2026-02-27T06:00:00+00:00** Withdrawn from committee on Senate Organization and rereferred to joint committee on Finance pursuant to Senate Rule 46(2)(c)
- **2026-03-03T06:00:00+00:00** Executive action taken
- **2026-03-03T06:00:00+00:00** Report concurrence recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 16, Noes 0 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-03-03T06:00:00+00:00** Available for scheduling
- **2026-03-16T05:00:00+00:00** Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2
- **2026-03-16T05:00:00+00:00** Placed on calendar 3-17-2026 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)
- **2026-03-17T05:00:00+00:00** Senate Amendment 1 offered by Senators Dassler-Alfheim, Larson, Carpenter, Drake, Habush Sinykin, Hesselbein, L. Johnson, Keyeski, Pfaff, Ratcliff, Roys, Smith, Spreitzer, Wall and Wirch
- **2026-03-17T05:00:00+00:00** Senators Hesselbein and Smith added as cosponsors
- **2026-03-17T05:00:00+00:00** Read a second time `reading-2`
- **2026-03-17T05:00:00+00:00** Senate Amendment 1 rejected, Ayes 18, Noes 15
- **2026-03-17T05:00:00+00:00** Ordered to a third reading `reading-3`
- **2026-03-17T05:00:00+00:00** Rules suspended to give bill its third reading
- **2026-03-17T05:00:00+00:00** Read a third time and concurred in `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-03-17T05:00:00+00:00** Ordered immediately messaged
- **2026-03-18T05:00:00+00:00** Received from Senate concurred in `receipt`
- **2026-03-24T05:00:00+00:00** Report correctly enrolled on 3-24-2026 `enrolled`
- **2026-04-01T05:00:00+00:00** Presented to the Governor on 4-1-2026 `executive-receipt`
- **2026-04-02T05:00:00+00:00** Report approved by the Governor on 4-2-2026. 2025 Wisconsin Act 155 `executive-signature`
- **2026-04-02T05:00:00+00:00** Published 4-3-2026 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d87ed353-1b9c-4339-a0c7-f8032ecb4264`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Wisconsin legislature records).