Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB266

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 5/19/25
• Refer: 5/19/25
• Report Pass: 1/20/26
• Refer: 1/20/26
• Failed: 3/23/26

Caption

An Act to amend 183.0122 (2) (d) 1. a. of the statutes; Relating to: the fee for filing limited liability company articles of organization with the Department of Financial Institutions. (FE)

Summary

AB266 would expand Wisconsin’s existing filing-fee exemption for limited liability company articles of organization. Under current law, the Department of Financial Institutions charges a $130 fee to file LLC articles of organization, but that fee is waived when all LLC members or organizers are “student entrepreneurs.” The bill keeps that waiver in place and broadens who qualifies as a student entrepreneur. Specifically, the bill would allow the fee exemption to apply not only to students enrolled in a Wisconsin postsecondary institution, but also to students enrolled in a public, private, or tribal high school in Wisconsin, as well as students in a home-based private educational program. The change would apply to LLC articles of organization filed on the effective date of the act, which would be the first day of the second month after publication.

Impact

The bill amends s. 183.0122 (2) (d) 1. a. of the Wisconsin statutes to expand eligibility for a state filing-fee exemption administered by the Department of Financial Institutions. Its practical effect is to reduce the cost of forming an LLC for qualifying student-led startups, including younger entrepreneurs in high school and homeschool settings, and to potentially reduce state fee revenue from those filings. It does not change LLC formation requirements generally, only the fee treatment for a defined class of organizers or members.

Sentiment

The available context suggests the bill was generally favorable in concept, as it was introduced with bipartisan and bicameral cosponsorship and framed as support for student entrepreneurship and business formation. There are no committee transcripts or recorded votes in the provided material, so there is no direct evidence of debate or opposition in the record here. The bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, indicating it did not become law despite its supportive framing.

Contention

The main policy question is how broadly to define a “student entrepreneur” for purposes of waiving the LLC filing fee. Supporters appear to favor extending the benefit to high school and homeschool students to encourage early entrepreneurship and reduce barriers to starting a business. Potential concerns, though not documented in the provided transcripts, would likely center on lost fee revenue, whether the exemption should be limited to older or postsecondary students, and how to verify eligibility for minors and home-based private educational program students.