State Policy

WAFCA maintains strong relationships with, and serves as a resource to, state agency leaders, legislators, counties and coalitions throughout Wisconsin. In service to our members, we curate information that impacts the sector so that it's easier for them to stay informed, navigate shifts in policy, and take action. Below you will find current state updates, WAFCA advocacy priorities, and select resources. Consider membership if you are interested in becoming part of a network dedicated to improving policy and lives!

March Updates

Joint Finance Announces Statewide Hearings in April. The Wisconsin State Legislature's Joint Finance Committee (JFC) is responsible for crafting the biennial budget. JFC conducts hearings around the state in April to receive public input on the 2025-27 State Biennial Budget. All hearings run from 10am–5pm.) Full location details can be found here. Written comments on the budget can be emailed to the Committee or submitted here.

Wednesday, April 2, 2025: Kaukauna High School (Kaukauna)
Friday, April 4, 2025: Wisconsin State Fair Park (West Allis)
Monday, April 28, 2025: Hayward High School (Hayward)
Tuesday, April 29, 2025: Northcentral Technical College (Wausau)

See the full Legislative Fiscal Bureau budget analysis (organized by agency). Check out WAFCA Policy Priorities.

Legislative Council Study Committee on Emergency Detention and Civil Commitment of Minors Bills Introduced. Six companion bills emerging from the Study Committee are now available for committee hearings and further action in the state legislature. The bills would provide for a number of statutory changes including: authorizing creation of psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTF); modifying consent requirements for mental health treatment by minors who are age 14 or older; creating a mechanism to safely share minors' safety plans; modifying clinician ability to initiate an emergency detention of a minor and providing a penalty; changing options for transportation of minors for emergency detention; and authorizing DHS to seek a waiver to initiative a new youth behavioral health program under the Medical Assistance program. Stay tuned for future updates on this key legislation. Details on these proposals can also be found on the WAFCA "Bills of Interest" listing.

Home Visiting Addresses Maternal and Child Health Disparities. Perinatal home visiting is a popular strategy for promoting maternal and child health. Wisconsin’s Family Foundations Home Visiting (FFHV) Program is a statewide network of agencies that provide evidence-based home visiting services to pregnant women and families with children under age five. The Institute for Child and Family Well-Being recently published a study in the Wisconsin Medical Journal that shows the potential of the FFHV Program to promote maternal health equity. The authors concluded that the FFHV program targets services to populations and communities disproportionately at risk of maternal and infant health disparities, and that additional strategies should be considered to bring home visiting to scale in Wisconsin. Read the full study here. WAFCA supports increased funding for FFHV in the 2025-27 Biennial Budget.

February Updates

Governor's Budget Released. On February 18, Governor Tony Evers delivered his 2025-27 biennial budget to the Wisconsin State Legislature. This action kicks off budget session in the state legislature as attention turns to the Joint Finance Committee and their work over the next four months to craft a future spending plan. The Governor's plan proposes historic investments in K-12 and post-secondary education, declaring 2025 the Year of the Kid. A number of key WAFCA priorities—including school mental health grant funding, behavioral health workforce investments, and funding for specialized residential services and PRTFs—are in the Governor's package. Stay tuned for further analysis and information from WAFCA in coming weeks. See below for more on WAFCA Policy Priorities for 2025!

New Benefit for Housing Support Services. Beginning February 1, 2025, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) will cover housing support services for BadgerCare Plus and Medicaid members who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness. The new housing support benefit covers various services to help eligible members find and keep stable housing. Supportive housing agencies must enroll with Wisconsin Medicaid to be reimbursed for services provided to Medicaid or BadgerCare Plus members.

Read the update from Forward Health here, which includes resources for providers.

Enhancing College Students’ Mental Health: New Fact Sheet from the Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health. Young adults are experiencing elevated rates of mental health problems. Today’s college students were in, or starting, high school when the pandemic pivoted much of their educational and social lives to online experiences. The majority of today’s college students report struggling with substantial levels of stress. The newly-released fact sheet from the Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health (OCMH) provides a number of strategies to bolster college well-being, including school belonging, positive coping skills, mental health screenings, and suicide prevention. OCMH highlights that efforts to foster face-to-face interactions and build social connectedness on campus pay off for student mental health.