Green Bay Reporter

A bill authored by State Rep. Shae A. Sortwell in the Wisconsin Assembly seeks to expand the volunteer firefighter service award program to include training completion grants and establish related funding conditions, according to the Wisconsin State Assembly.

According to the Wisconsin State Legislature's official website, the bill was described as follows: "training completion awards for volunteer firefighters. (FE)".

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill modifies the existing service award program for volunteer firefighters, expanding it to include training completion awards. Under the bill, volunteer fire departments and companies may receive grants to offer a $250 completion award to volunteer firefighters who finish 60 hours of training. A key condition for grant eligibility is that the municipality must pass an ordinance providing a 100% match of the award. If a department or company obtains funds surpassing award expenses within a year, it must return the surplus to the Department of Administration for deposit into the general fund. Additionally, six years after the bill's enactment and continuing for two additional years, the Department of Administration is required to report annually to the legislature, detailing the number of firefighters who have received the grant and how many remain active in Wisconsin.

The bill was co-authored by Senator André Jacque (Republican-1st District), Representative Lindee Rae Brill (Republican-27th District), Representative Bob G. Donovan (Republican-61st District), Representative Joy L. Goeben (Republican-5th District), and Representative Russell Goodwin (Democrat-12th District). It was co-sponsored by Senator Mark Spreitzer (Democrat-15th District) and Senator Cory Tomczyk (Republican-29th District), along with 14 other co-sponsors.

Shae A. Sortwell has co-authored or authored another 36 bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with none of them being enacted.

Sortwell graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in 2006 with a BA.

Sortwell, a Republican, was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2019 to represent the state's 2nd Assembly district, replacing previous state representative André Jacque.

In Wisconsin, the legislative process starts when a senator, constituent, group, or agency proposes an idea for a bill. After drafting, the bill is introduced, numbered, and referred to a committee for review and public input. If approved, it moves through three readings and votes in both the Senate and Assembly. Once both chambers pass the same version, the bill goes to the governor, who can sign it, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. Only a small share of bills introduced each session ultimately become law. You can learn more about the Wisconsin legislative process here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
AB187	04/15/2025	Training completion awards for volunteer firefighters. (FE)
AB172	04/09/2025	Consumer data protection and providing a penalty. (FE)
AB149	03/17/2025	The nomination of presidential electors
AB132	03/13/2025	Creating a board to organize, promote, and host a Wisconsin nuclear power summit. (FE)
AB127	03/11/2025	The duty of a pharmacist to dispense lawfully prescribed drugs and devices. (FE)
AB108	03/11/2025	A nuclear power siting study and time limits for taking final action on certain certificate of public convenience and necessity applications. (FE)
AB88	02/28/2025	Civil action for injury or damages resulting from riot or vandalism, participation in a riot, prohibiting certain limitations or restrictions on law enforcement responses to riot or vandalism activity, and providing a penalty
AB87	02/28/2025	Restitution orders following a conviction for human trafficking and restoration of the right to vote to a person barred from voting as a result of a felony conviction. (FE)
AB86	02/28/2025	Imposing the penalty of life imprisonment for the crime of child trafficking and providing a penalty. (FE)
AB42	02/17/2025	Local regulation of fowl
AB41	02/17/2025	Local regulation of vegetable gardens
AB26	02/17/2025	Battery or threat to jurors and providing a penalty
AB17	02/06/2025	Creating an employee ownership conversion costs tax credit, a deduction for capital gains from the transfer of a business to employee ownership, and an employee ownership education and outreach program. (FE)