Green Bay Reporter

The new bill authored by State Rep. Shae A. Sortwell seeks to create a loan program to support students training to become school psychologists in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin State Assembly.

According to the Wisconsin State Legislature's official website, the bill was described as follows: "a school psychologist loan program. (FE)".

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

In essence, this bill establishes a school psychologist loan program to be managed by the Higher Educational Aids Board in Wisconsin. The program targets residents enrolled at least half-time as graduate students in programs leading to a school psychologist career, requiring a minimum 3.0 GPA. Eligible students may receive loans up to $10,000 annually for a maximum of three years, totaling $30,000. Loans carry a 5% annual interest rate, but 25% of the loan, along with interest, will be forgiven for each year the recipient works full-time as a school psychologist in a rural or urbanized area school. Repayments and interest will be deposited into the general fund as general-purpose revenue. The board is required to request funding for this program in the 2027-29 biennial budget.

The bill was co-authored by Senator André Jacque (Republican-1st District), Representative Angelina M. Cruz (Democrat-62nd District), Representative Jeffrey Mursau (Republican-36th District), Representative David Steffen (Republican-4th District), and Representative Lisa Subeck (Democrat-79th District).

Shae A. Sortwell has co-authored or authored another 42 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
AB270	05/19/2025	A school psychologist loan program. (FE)
AB232	05/02/2025	Transferring adjudicatory functions for worker’s compensation from the Division of Hearings and Appeals in the Department of Administration to the Department of Workforce Development. (FE)
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)