Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB342

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 7/8/25
• Refer: 7/8/25
• Failed: 3/23/26

Caption

An Act to create 20.255 (2) (dv) and 115.369 of the statutes; Relating to: grants to hire school mental health professionals who are members of a racial minority group, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. (FE)

Summary

AB342 would create a new state grant program administered by the Department of Public Instruction to help school districts hire school mental health professionals who are members of a racial minority group. The bill defines eligible racial minority group members to include Black Americans, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Hispanics, Asian or Pacific Island individuals, and people with ancestry from two or more races. The bill also makes a direct appropriation of $5 million in each of fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 for these grants, and authorizes DPI to adopt rules to implement the program. The grants would be available to school districts for staffing school mental health positions, with the stated policy goal of increasing representation among school mental health professionals in Wisconsin schools.

Impact

AB342 would add a new statutory section, 115.369, and a corresponding appropriation line in the state budget for grants to school districts. It would expand the Department of Public Instruction’s responsibilities by requiring it to establish and administer the program and by giving it rule-making authority. The bill would affect school districts seeking funding for mental health staffing and would direct state general purpose revenue toward this targeted workforce initiative.

Sentiment

The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded votes, so there is no detailed public debate captured in the provided materials. Based on the bill text, the measure appears to be framed as a supportive education and mental health workforce proposal, but the lack of recorded discussion makes it difficult to identify broader legislative sentiment. The bill ultimately did not become law, as it failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is the bill’s race-specific hiring and grant structure. Supporters would likely view the program as a way to improve student access to culturally responsive mental health support and to diversify school-based mental health staffing, while critics could object to limiting grants to professionals who are members of specified racial minority groups. Another possible issue is the use of state funds for a targeted program rather than a broader mental health staffing initiative. No direct committee debate is available in the provided record to show which of these concerns were actually raised.