The State Senate met today for what may be its final floor session of the 2025-2026 legislative session. The March 17 calendar included six proposals introduced by State Rep. Dave Armstrong (R-Rice Lake), each of which the Senate has approved.
“My priorities this session have been addressing Wisconsin’s housing and childcare shortages,” Representative Armstrong said. “I’m excited and grateful that these bills made it over the finish line.”
“The lack of affordable housing is a statewide problem – urban, suburban, and rural,” Representative Armstrong continued. “Not only are young and not-so-young Wisconsin residents wondering if they’ll ever be able to own their own homes and raise families, but businesses are having trouble recruiting employees. And at the other end, older homeowners who would like to sell because their houses are now too big for their needs or have property tax bills too large for fixed incomes often find themselves stuck because they don’t have smaller options to move to. If these trends continue, this is bad news for Wisconsin’s demographic and economic future.”
The Senate approved the following Armstrong-led housing bills on March 17:
- Assembly Bill 182, which updates the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, including a carve-out for developments in rural areas
- Assembly Bill 194, which reduces barriers to participation in several competitive loan programs the 2023-2024 Legislature created to encourage workforce and senior housing development
- Assembly Bill 375, which updates Wisconsin’s Historic Tax Credit program to encourage the preservation and rehabilitation of historic properties, including residential rentals
- Senate Bill 480 (as amended by the Assembly), which allows communities to create residential tax increment districts to defray residential infrastructure costs for modestly sized, owner-occupied one- and two-family houses
On the childcare front, the Senate concurred in Senate Bill 376 (as amended by the Joint Finance Committee and the Assembly), which creates a state tax credit for businesses who provide childcare services for their employees, either in-house or through an outside provider. The state credit mirrors an existing federal tax credit that expanded under the Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“Even if a family can afford to buy a house in a community, they’re going to think twice if there’s no affordable childcare,” Representative Armstrong said. “SB 376 gives employers an incentive to expand childcare opportunities, which would not only benefit their own employees directly and be a great recruiting tool, but also could free up existing slots for others. It’s a win-win!”
The Senate also approved Representative Armstrong’s Assembly Bill 670, which equalizes sales-tax treatment for certain biotech or manufacturing research, regardless of whether it is in-house or outsourced. This would benefit not only contract research facilities, but also the businesses that hire them and Wisconsin’s reputation for innovation.
These proposals, along with the other Assembly proposals the Senate approved today, will now go to Governor Evers for his consideration.
“Each of the proposals I introduced received bipartisan Senate support today,” Representative Armstrong said. “After all, housing and childcare issues affect Republican and Democratic households alike, so I am optimistic that Governor Evers will sign them into law.”
