Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB1231

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/19/26
• Refer: 3/19/26
• Failed: 3/23/26

Caption

An Act to amend 13.92 (1) (a) 5., 13.94 (1) (c), 35.84 (intro.) and (figure) column E (title), 84.02 (5) (b) and 84.02 (5) (c); to create 35.84 (figure) column F of the statutes; Relating to: the distribution of the Wisconsin Blue Book and highway maps. (FE)

Summary

AB1231 revises how the state distributes two categories of printed government publications: the Wisconsin Blue Book and highway maps. For the Blue Book, the bill ends automatic distribution to a range of recipients, including constitutional officers, legislative service agencies, state agencies, libraries, and educational institutions. Instead, the Legislative Reference Bureau must ask each legislative office how many copies it wants before contracting for printing, and it must tell offices that the Blue Book is available online. The bill also sets maximum printed-copy requests of 350 for an Assembly office and 600 for a Senate office, matching current practice. The bill also changes distribution rules for highway service maps and folded highway maps. The Department of Transportation would no longer automatically provide these maps to legislative members and officers or the Legislative Reference Bureau. Instead, legislators may request up to 50 highway service maps and up to 500 folded highway maps at no charge, with additional copies available under existing fee rules for highway service maps and at no charge for additional folded highway maps. The bill also updates related statutory references so that audit report summaries are distributed in the same manner as the Blue Book.

Impact

AB1231 would amend statutes governing official document distribution, primarily affecting the Department of Administration, the Legislative Reference Bureau, and the Department of Transportation. It reduces mandatory print distribution, shifts Blue Book ordering to an opt-in system for legislative offices, and creates a new statutory cap on the number of Blue Books each office may request. It also creates a new distribution table for Blue Books and modifies highway map distribution rules to make legislative requests the trigger for free copies, while preserving access to additional copies under specified conditions.

Sentiment

The available record suggests the bill is administrative and cost-conscious in nature, with no recorded committee testimony or votes indicating strong opposition or support. The fiscal-estimate reference and the bill’s emphasis on online availability and reduced automatic printing suggest a practical, efficiency-oriented approach. Overall, the bill appears to have a neutral-to-positive procedural posture, focused on modernizing distribution practices rather than changing substantive policy.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is the reduction or elimination of automatic printed distribution of the Blue Book and highway maps to government entities, libraries, and educational institutions. Supporters would likely view this as a savings measure and a reflection of digital access, while critics could argue it reduces convenient access to printed reference materials and may disadvantage recipients who still rely on hard copies. Another possible issue is the cap on Blue Book requests, though the bill preserves current office-level limits and allows legislators to request maps on demand.