FRI AM News: Contract research organization expenses would be exempt from sales tax under new bill; UW-Madison hosts MIT professor for AI future talk

October 24, 2025

— Lawmakers are floating a proposal to extend sales and use tax exemptions for manufacturing and biotech research to contract research organizations.

Wisconsin law currently provides a sales and use tax exemption for in-house machinery and other equipment used exclusively for research in the manufacturing and biotechnology fields. Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, and Rep. David Armstrong, R-Rice Lake, are circulating a bill that would extend that exemption to third-party research use.

LRB-4571/4911 would allow Wisconsin contract research organizations to claim the sales and use tax exemption on machinery and equipment used for research, as long as the research would have been eligible if the customer’s own employees had done it.

Contract research organization use is part of a growing national trend, which many Wisconsin businesses are following, the cosponsorship memo argues.

“Outsourcing research can be particularly helpful for startups and other small businesses by removing the need to develop and staff in-house research facilities,” the memo notes.

CROs and research labs in Wisconsin employ some-15,000 people and about $75 million on supplies and equipment every year, according to the memo.

“This drives up their costs and puts them and their customers at a competitive disadvantage compared to states that do allow CROs to claim an exemption,” the lawmakers argue.

— UW-Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs is hosting MIT Prof. michael Sendhill Mullainathan next month to talk about the changes AI will bring to the world.

Mullainathan is the Peter de Florez professor at MIT, splitting time between economics and electrical engineering and computer science. His Nov. 6 “We’re Building the Wrong AI” talk is expected to overview two kinds of possible AI directions.

“Right now, the pinnacle of AI is algorithms that possess human capacities,” Mullainathan argues. “Instead, it should be algorithms that enhance human capacities. We should be building bicycles for the mind, not replacements for the mind.”

See the release here.

— The Wisconsin Tech Council is also holding an event focused on AI next week.

The Tuesday Tech Council Innovation Network luncheon in Madison will focus on how lawmakers, business and researchers can make responsible AI a statewide priority. The event will also feature a live AI demonstration. Nick Myers, Tech Council board member and director of AI innovation at Recovery.com will moderate the discussion.

Panelists will include:

Will Anderson of the Wisconsin AI Safety Initiative;
Sahab Aslam, founder of Vectorify Labs and AI sector lead at the Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of New York; and
Rep. Adam Neylon, R-Pewaukee.

See more details and register for the event here.

— The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and Office of the Commissioner of Insurance are warning people to look out for potential health insurance scams during the open enrollment periods.

The two agencies are partnering up for an education program to help applicants during the current Medicare and upcoming health insurance marketplace open enrollment periods parse out real real medical discount and other plans from scams.

Scammers will usually contact consumers by phone and text attempting to sell fake insurance and medical discount plans while asking for personal information, the agencies note. Consumers who fall for the scam could end up with their identities or money stolen.

DATCP and OCI recommend anyone being offered unusually high discounts on medical plans or”low cost” health insurance carefully read and consider what’s being offered before following through with any requests for their personal information.

See more tips from the agencies here.

— Dairy Stream announced it’s bringing back its “How We Got Here” podcast series, where dairy farmers share their stories.

The three-part series is meant to showcase the history of their farms, journeys to get where they are now and their significant role in helping advance the dairy industry.

“Farmers have remarkable stories and a strong commitment to their work,” host Joanna Guza said. “It’s been wonderful to be able to uncover the influences and experiences that have shaped these people into who they are today and how their farms operate.”

See the release and listen to past episodes here.

— The Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce next month is kicking off a new initiative to strengthen connections between schools and businesses while bolstering the regional workforce.

The Innovate for Tomorrow: Education & Business Partnership Series starts Nov. 10 and will focus on work-based learning. Representatives from GPS Ed, Appleton Area School District, AZCO and Miron are expected to highlight opportunities to collaborate and spark new ideas.

Attendance is free for members and nonmembers of the Chamber, and future events are set for February and May next year.

See more details and register here.

— A group of Democratic lawmakers rolled out legislation that would fund a project to identify remains of missing Wisconsin servicemembers, spend $5 million on mental health services and recognize Veterans Day as a state holiday.

One of the bills in the “Veterans Promise” package would help fund the federal government’s effort to identify the remains of Wisconsin veterans who have been reported as missing in action. Rep. Christine Sinicki, D-Milwaukee, at a news conference said “to date, they have not assigned our MIA team to any Wisconsin MIAs.”

“With 1,500 Wisconsin servicemembers still missing, more of this can and should be done as soon as possible,” she said.

Another bill would provide $5 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs to help prompt and assist access to mental health services for veterans.

“We need to ensure our veterans have at the ready the support and resources they need to address any mental health challenges they are experiencing,” Sen. Sarah Keyeski, D-Lodi, said. “We owe them this.”

The third and final bill in the package would recognize Nov. 11, Veterans Day, as a state holiday.

Wisconsin is currently the only state in the union that does not officially recognize the day as a state holiday.

Watch the news conference here.

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