Wisconsin Senate Bill SB857

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/15/26
• Refer: 1/15/26
• Failed: 3/23/26

Caption

An Act to create 20.155 (3) (e) and 196.379 of the statutes; Relating to: the Energy Innovation Grant Program and making an appropriation. (FE)

Summary

SB857 would create a new statutory appropriation for Wisconsin’s Energy Innovation Grant Program (EIGP) and formally place the program in statute. The bill directs the Public Service Commission’s Office of Energy Innovation to administer the program under a newly created section of the statutes, 196.379, and ties the funding to the existing grant program that supports energy efficiency and innovation projects. The bill appropriates $10 million in general purpose revenue in each year of the 2025-27 biennium, for a total of $20 million, to the EIGP. It also amends the state budget schedule to include those amounts under the Public Service Commission’s affiliated grant programs. The measure would take effect after publication, or shortly after the 2025 biennial budget act is published, whichever is later.

Impact

If enacted, SB857 would expand state support for energy-related grantmaking by adding a recurring state-funded appropriation to a program that had previously been funded with federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money. It would create a new statutory basis for the Energy Innovation Grant Program and authorize the Office of Energy Innovation within the Public Service Commission to continue administering grants for energy efficiency and innovation projects. The bill would affect state budget law, Public Service Commission appropriations, and entities eligible to apply for or receive EIGP grants, including local governments, nonprofits, businesses, and other energy project sponsors.

Sentiment

The available record shows little direct debate, committee testimony, or recorded vote detail, so there is no documented floor or committee sentiment to assess from transcripts. Based on the bill’s sponsorship and subject matter, the measure appears to have been introduced as a supportive clean-energy and innovation funding proposal, but it ultimately did not advance and failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1. The lack of recorded opposition or support in the provided materials limits any stronger conclusion about legislative sentiment.

Contention

The main policy issue is whether the state should commit $10 million per year in general purpose revenue to an energy grant program that had previously relied on federal stimulus funding. Supporters would likely view the appropriation as a way to sustain energy efficiency and innovation investments and provide stable funding for projects administered by the Public Service Commission. Potential critics could question the use of state tax dollars for a grant program, the size of the appropriation, or whether the program should continue in its current form rather than through a new ongoing state commitment. No specific objections or named opponents are identified in the provided materials.