Inside the Capitol

In May, state legislative leaders approved the creation of several Legislative Council Study Committee, including a committee focused on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care. The Legislature creates study committees in each even-numbered year, once the legislative session has concluded. Each committee includes several legislators, one of whom serves as the chair, and also includes members of the general public. These committees generally hold several public hearings in Madison during which subject matter experts and members of the general public testify. The mission of these committees is to examine a particular issue and then work on drafting appropriate legislation to update and improve existing state laws on the topic.

The scope of the Study Committee on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Health Care is as follows:

• “The study committee is directed to study current and emerging uses of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in health care. As part of its review, the study committee shall consider the use of AI technology in the patient-provider relationship, including use in clinical care and communication facilitation.
• The study committee shall also consider the use of AI in interactions between insurers or medical assistance programs and patients. Finally, the study committee shall consider the use of AI between insurers or medical assistance programs and providers, including in health care coverage decision making. After these reviews, the study committee shall consider recommending legislation that addresses standards for the use of AI in health care services and insurance.”

This committee will likely hold its first meeting in the coming months in Madison and Hoven Consulting will monitor committee activities

Doctor Day 2026 will occur on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in downtown Madison. This year’s event will take a different approach. It will focus on advocacy education, the 2026 elections, and will address policy areas of importance to Wisconsin physicians. An updated, detailed agenda may be viewed on the Doctor Day website.

The registration form is now live on the Doctor Day website. Consider joining your physician colleagues in Madison in late June!

On May 11, Governor Tony Evers (D) announced that he had come to an agreement with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) on legislation to increase K-12 education funding and provide tax relief in response to the state’s $2.5 billion budget surplus. As originally introduced, the bill included the following provisions:

• $600 million for K-12 schools statewide, half of which is for special education and the other half is for general school funding – known as “general school aids” – which was intended to help reduce property taxes.
• $50 million in aid for the Wisconsin Technical College System, which was intended to reduce property taxes by the same amount.
• Eliminate the individual income tax on cash tips, which would have started in tax year 2026.
• Eliminate the individual income tax on overtime income, which would have started in tax year 2026.
• Individual income tax rebates for taxpayers who filed in tax year 2024 – individuals would have received $300, while married couples who filed jointly would have received $600.

The Legislature’s budget-writing Joint Finance Committee voted to advance this bill on May 12. On May 13, the Assembly amended the bill to include provisions expanding a property tax credit for veterans and their surviving spouses and creating a disaster assistance grant program in response to severe flooding and storms that have taken place in Wisconsin since August 2025. Subsequently, the Assembly passed this amended bill with a bipartisan 61-32 vote. However, the Senate then voted 15-18 to reject this amended bill.