May 2026 HWZ TLW Article
The state legislature recently finished its business for the 2025-26 legislative session, adjourning after sending a slew of bills to the Governor for his signature or veto.
A number of proposals that TLW actively monitored saw resolution in one form or another.
Among them was an attempt to repeal the recently-enacted law regulating wedding barns. The law, which is now in full effect, offers wedding barn owners two different licensure options while putting reasonable limits on how many events they can hold per month/year. While the attempt to reverse the progress made on this public safety issue was not successful, it does signal that there will likely be attempts in the future to revisit and weaken the law.
Another high-profile piece of legislation aimed to create a regulatory framework for sales of hemp-derived products in Wisconsin. The bill included common-sense provisions such as establishing a minimum age for purchase, implementing consumer protection guidelines, and requiring state and local licensing and permitting. Numerous stakeholders were involved in the development of the proposal, including TLW, as all three tiers (manufacture, distribution, and retail) would be impacted by a new law. The bill did not ultimately pass but we do expect to see a similar proposal next session.
Online sports betting is now on a path to being legal in Wisconsin after Gov. Evers signed a controversial piece of legislation into law. The new law allows Wisconsin’s federally-recognized Native American tribes to offer internet-based sports gaming as long as certain conditions are met. All eleven of the state’s tribes supported the measure. The opposition came from established online sportsbook operators such as FanDuel, DraftKings, etc., who would still be prohibited from operating their sportsbook platforms in the state.
Finally, there were discussions around a policy that would allow for home delivery of alcohol through third-party delivery companies, such as Instacart, Uber Eats and DoorDash. TLW pushed for reasonable training, supervision and licensing requirements, arguing that delivery drivers would be servers of alcohol under the new law, and thus need some level of accountability to ensure public safety. Ultimately the advocates for the legislation – primarily Class A retailers such as grocery stores – did not pursue legislation, but we do expect to see the issue come up again next session.
As of this writing, legislative leaders are considering coming back to Madison for one more day to vote on a bill that would include some form of tax relief as well as additional funds for K-12 public schools. Details of that proposal are still being negotiated with Governor Evers.
While it is rare for the legislature to convene again after it formally adjourns, it can do so by calling what is known as an “extraordinary session.”
It is notable that when the 2027-28 session begins in January of next year, there will be a new Governor (Evers is retiring), Speaker of the Assembly (Rep. Robin Vos, R-Burlington, is retiring), and a new Senate Majority Leader (Sen. Devin LeMahieu, R-Sheboygan is retiring). And being that Wisconsin always is a swing/purple state, current GOP majorities in the legislature may flip to Democratic majorities depending how things shake out in November.
Regardless, TLW and its lobbying team will be ready to work with any political makeup of policymakers to ensure small business owners have a seat at the table and TLW members’ interests are protected.