September 7–13, 2026
A quiet week for passed legislation touching Wisconsin, with all signed bills aimed elsewhere; the action shifts to what's coming up in Congress.
This was a light week for Wisconsin residents on the passed-bills side. Everything that cleared Congress and landed on the President's desk this week was federal in scope but narrow in local reach. One bill (HR 5366) does have a real-life hook worth knowing: if you or someone you know suffered losses in a federally declared disaster between late 2019 and early 2027, you can now deduct the full amount of those losses on your federal taxes, and any relief payments you received for wildfire losses are not counted as income. That's now law, signed by the President on Friday, September 11.
The rest of the signed bills this week don't reach into Wisconsin. Several dealt with matters outside the state: an EMS memorial timeline in Washington, D.C.; a transparency rule for a type of federal contract called "other transaction agreements" (which are spending deals that previously weren't posted publicly on USAspending.gov); and a land deed in Paducah, Kentucky.
Coming up next week:
Farm and food safety drill. Congress cleared committee on a bill (HR 9394) that would require the Department of Homeland Security to run a large-scale practice drill, involving federal, state, local, and private partners, to test how the country would respond to a biological attack on farms or the food supply. Wisconsin's agricultural sector would be part of that kind of exercise. The bill cleared committee and is headed to a House floor vote, though no firm date is set yet.
Free access to government documents. A bill (HR 9342) that locks in free public access to federal publications through libraries and online cleared committee and is awaiting a House floor vote. It also gives the Government Publishing Office new tools to put older documents online faster. No vote date has been set.
Shelter dogs for federal officers. A bill (HR 9327) called the PEARL Act would require U.S. Customs and Border Protection to adopt dogs from local animal shelters and train them as support animals for officers dealing with grief and trauma. The program would run for three years, starting within 60 days of passage. It cleared committee and is awaiting a House floor vote.
Two other federal bills cleared committee this week with no vote dates set: one dissolves an advisory panel on congressional record-keeping (HR 9360), and one transfers federal land in Nevada to state and local governments (HR 2317). Neither has a direct Wisconsin angle.
No Wisconsin state bills moved this week, and no firm state votes are scheduled in the coming days. If state legislation picks up, the next briefing will cover it.
See what's up for a vote now · Find your representatives