Jun 3, 2026 – The Joint Legislative Council has recently begun the 2026 study committee review process. These study committees provide a unique opportunity for legislators and members of the public with issue-area expertise to collaborate on complex, topical issues and provide guidance and solutions to the Wisconsin Legislature. Legislative proposals or supreme court rule proposals are often the final work product of these committees.
Study committees cover a wide range of topics, including some that may be of interest to members of the State Bar of Wisconsin, notably the district attorney funding formula and cryptocurrency. These committees are staffed by Legislative Council attorneys and provide expert testimony and presentations throughout the committee meetings. Materials, often including research memos and presentations, are available to the public on the respective committee’s website.
The State Bar encourages members of the legal community with expertise in study committee topics to consider volunteering to serve on a study committee. The contribution of your knowledge and service is extremely valuable to the legislature and to the people of the state of Wisconsin.
If you wish to submit your name for consideration for membership on one of these committees, please fill out the
online application. Committee membership will be finalized in the next few weeks, so please apply soon.
The 2026 study committee topics and scopes include:
The study committee is directed to review the weighted caseload formula currently used to determine how the state funds district attorneys’ offices. The committee shall review how caseloads are measured to determine whether district attorneys’ offices are adequately staffed and how positions are allocated based on the weighted caseload formula. The committee shall consider other issues relating to the weighted caseload formula, including whether the formula accurately reflects the offices’ workloads and whether the formula has unintended consequences that do not serve the interests of justice. After these reviews, the committee shall recommend legislation relating to the weighted caseload formula that provides efficient and accurate methods to appropriately fund district attorneys’ offices.
The study committee shall review the service of cryptocurrency staking, which involves the use of a third-party to commit a person’s cryptocurrency in order to support the security and operations of certain blockchain protocols. In the course of this review, the study committee shall evaluate whether the state’s securities laws should apply to such services or whether other requirements may be more appropriate and recommend legislation necessary to effectuate that determination. The study committee may also review other current and potential uses of cryptocurrency and recommend legislation regarding the use and development of cryptocurrency that encourages innovation and adequately protects the public from any risks associated with such technology.
The study committee is directed to review state and federal laws and policies impacting floodplain restoration projects in Wisconsin. The committee shall identify barriers that these laws and policies may pose to floodplain restoration projects and make recommendations for changes to Wisconsin law that reduce these barriers and that encourage best practices in floodplain restoration projects. In making its recommendations, the committee shall consider floodplain management approaches adopted in other jurisdictions. The committee may also recommend changes to state law that may be enabled by changes to federal law under the Floodplain Enhancement and Recovery Act, legislation currently pending before Congress.
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.
The study committee is directed to review the benefits state law currently provides to veterans and determine whether the term “veteran” should be redefined to provide a more uniform use of the term throughout the statutes, expanded to include individuals who have served in the military but do not meet current applicable definitions of “veteran,” or both. In conducting this review, the committee shall examine the definition of “veteran” under s. 45.01 (12), Stats., as well as other statutory definitions or eligibility criteria that define the scope of who is entitled to particular benefits provided to former members of the military. The study committee shall also consider the purposes for which individuals who formerly served in a reserve component of the U.S. armed forces or the National Guard but do not meet current definitions of “veteran” should be included within this term.
The study committee is directed to conduct a recodification of subch. II, ch. 157, Stats., relating to cemeteries, and subchs. VII and IX, ch. 440, Stats., relating to crematory authorities and cemetery authorities, salespersons, and preneed sellers, to include reorganizing the sections in a logical manner, renumbering and retitling sections, consolidating related provisions, modernizing language, resolving ambiguities in language, making other necessary organizational changes, and making minor substantive changes. The study committee may recommend mechanisms for providing guidance on these subchapters, written concisely and in language clearly understood by those required to comply with them, as well as legislation addressing the abandonment of cemeteries and the burial of human remains on noncemetery property.
The special committee is directed to study issues relating to American Indians and the American Indian tribes and bands in this state and develop specific recommendations and legislative proposals relating to these issues. [s. 13.83 (3), Stats.]
Lynne Davis, is a lobbyist with the State Bar of Wisconsin. She can be reached by
email, or by phone at (608) 852-3603.
The study committees typically meet in Madison at or near the State Capitol. Once the committee chairs and members have had the opportunity to discuss the charge of the study committee, a more detailed meeting schedule will be established. As a general rule, beginning in the summer, the committees generally meet once a month in daylong meetings with the goal of concluding their work by the fall.
For more information on the various committees, and to follow their work throughout the process, please visit the Legislature’s study committee
website.
If you have questions about the study committees, contact the State Bar’s Government Relations team – Cale Battles,
cbattles@wisbar.org or Lynne Davis,
ldavis@wisbar.org.
What You Can Do: State Bar Advocacy Network
State Bar members are encouraged to send a message to their lawmakers expressing support on legislative topics which positively affect the legal system using the
Advocacy Network. Pre-written email messages are editable to suit your own thoughts and opinions and help to demonstrate the breadth of support for policies that prioritize access to justice. You can also "Choose Your Own" to craft messages to any of your elected officials, from President of the United States down to your local municipal officials.
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