TUE AM News: Dem bill would create $10M grant program for landlord fire prevention; Evers, Dems knock Republicans over Obamacare premium hikes

October 28, 2025

— Legislation being circulated by Dem lawmakers would create a $10 million grant program to help Wisconsin landlords with fire prevention.

Sens. LaTonya Johnson and Dora Drake of Milwaukee, along with Reps. Margaret Arney of Wauwatosa, Deb Andraca of Whitefish Bay and Christine Sinicki of Milwaukee, yesterday sent a co-sponsorship memo to other lawmakers seeking support for the bill.

They note many state residents live in multi-family homes that don’t have modern fire safety features such as in-unit sprinklers. The lawmakers say their bill “acknowledges the significant cost to property owners” for installations like this, and would help prevent these costs being passed onto residents.

“We have a responsibility to protect the lives and property of residents in these homes,” they wrote.

Wisconsin in 2023 had 9.4 deaths and 29.4 injuries per 1,000 residential structure fires, according to the latest data available from the National Fire Incident Reporting System. Both figures are above the national level, which was 5.8 deaths and 19.7 injuries per 1,000 residential structure fires for the same year.

Under the bill, the state Department of Administration would be required to establish a program to provide grants to landlords to help cover the cost of installing fire prevention and suppression measures in residential buildings. That can include fire sprinklers within the building and adding fire extinguishers to residential units.

The agency would also be directed to establish the application process for the grant program, which would work on a first-come, first-served basis, according to an overview from the Legislative Reference Bureau. Grants would be limited to 50% of the recipient landlord’s costs for the fire safety measures.

The co-sponsorship deadline is Nov. 5.

See the bill text.

— Gov. Tony Evers and Dem Congress members criticized Republicans for not renewing enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies as some Wisconsinites could see their premiums more than double when open enrollment begins Saturday.

Those hardest hit would include senior couples, who could see hikes of more than $30,000 in some counties, according to numbers from the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance.

Evers’ virtual press conference yesterday with U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, U.S. Reps. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, and Mark Pocan, D-Town of Vermont, came as Democrats push to renew enhanced ACA tax credits, which have lowered insurance costs for millions, amid the government shutdown.

While some Republicans have voiced openness to extending the credits, congressional leaders have said that discussion should come after the government is reopened. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has kept his chamber in recess since Sept. 19.

Evers blamed the shutdown, which began Oct. 1, on Republicans’ refusal to extend the tax credits. He said without the credits, “health care premiums for Wisconsinites are going to skyrocket, period.”

“Wisconsinites expect their leaders to work together to solve problems. Instead, Republicans in Congress are hell-bent on creating problems instead of working together to solve them, and Wisconsinites are gonna pay the price,” the Dem guv said.

The enhanced tax credits expanded eligibility so those who earn more than 400% of the federal poverty level could receive financial assistance.

During the previous enrollment period, 277,175 of 313,579 enrollees in Wisconsin qualified for premium subsidies, with an average of $664 per month in savings.

See more from WisPolitics.

— Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin is resuming abortion services at its three clinics nearly a month after pausing the procedure amid concerns it could jeopardize federal funding.

Recent federal legislation implemented a one-year ban on all federal funding to organizations that provide abortion services and receive more than $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements. But Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin yesterday said it is no longer worried about losing funding if it continues abortion services at its clinics in Madison, Milwaukee and Sheboygan.

“At a time when politicians are working to take away health care from women and families, we are fighting back with everything we have,” said Tanya Atkinson, the group’s president and CEO. “We’ve been here before. We’ve stood up to relentless attacks on reproductive health for decades—and we are not backing down now. Our patients deserve nothing less.”

The group said family planning organizations have three options under the federal legislation: cease providing abortions, relinquish their tax-exempt status or give up their Essential Community Provider status.

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin chose the latter. The designation is for providers that serve predominantly low-income, medically underserved individuals and was created under the Affordable Care Act to help make it easier to be considered in-network for billing with private insurers.

A spokesperson said the group doesn’t believe it will impact patient access, though it’s unsure of future financial implications.

The restrictions in the OBBA are currently being challenged in federal court.

Heather Weininger, executive director of Wisconsin Right-to-Life, knocked the move.

“Planned Parenthood’s decision underscores our concerns with taxpayer funding going towards organizations that prioritize abortion; women deserve compassionate, life-affirming care – the kind of support the pro-life movement is here to provide,” she said.

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

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— Guardant Health is now offering a new colorectal cancer blood test in Wisconsin, the California precision medicine firm announced.

Its Shield screening tool is the first blood test approved by the FDA as a primary screening method for colorectal cancer, yesterday’s release shows. The announcement notes more than 50 million Americans aren’t meeting recommended colorectal cancer screening guidelines.

The company says its test is more accessible and convenient than existing options, as it only requires a blood draw to test for the presence of this cancer. Its blood test aims to avoid “the inconvenience and discomfort associated with traditional screening methods” such as colonoscopies and stool-based tests, according to the release.

The test, meant for people age 45 or older at average risk for colorectal cancer, was recently included in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network screening guidelines. Guardant Health notes it’s also covered by Medicare and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Community Care Network. It’s now being offered by prescription through a doctor or other health care providers to eligible state residents.

See the release.

— Madison-based Exact Sciences is rolling out new research findings this week to illustrate the effectiveness of its own colorectal cancer screening options.

The diagnostics company yesterday touted results being presented this week at the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting in Arizona.

One of Exact Sciences’ featured studies modeled clinical and economic impacts for its “next-generation” multitarget stool DNA test, or mt-sDNA, comparing it to a fecal immunochemical test, or FIT.

Based on a hypothetical cohort of 1 million average-risk people, the mt-sDNA test screened more than twice as many patients as the FIT. It also detected more than five times as many advanced precancerous lesions and nearly four times as many colorectal cancer cases, preventing 5.5 times more cancers in the model. These findings resulted in a projected 3% lower treatment cost and 2% lower total costs.

Dr. Paul Limburg, the company’s chief medical officer said research findings “continue to highlight how our comprehensive support, coupled with robust science, make Cologuard and Cologuard Plus best-in-class tools for early colorectal cancer detection.”

See the release.

— Sen. Andre Jacque is urging passage of his legislation to bar foreign adversaries from owning agricultural land in Wisconsin, warning of a “real, urgent” threat to national security.

The New Franken Republican yesterday called on the Legislature to move forward with the bill, noting it has now gotten hearings in the Assembly Committee on Agriculture and the Senate Agriculture and Revenue Committee.

“This is not about closing our state to international investment,” Jacque said in a statement. “It is about drawing a necessary line to protect Wisconsin’s critical resources, including our farmland, our food systems, and our communities, from regimes that have repeatedly demonstrated hostile intent.”

Under the legislation, foreign governments or nongovernment people that threaten U.S. national security would be barred from acquiring ag or forestry land in the state, based on designations by the federal commerce secretary.

The bill would also keep existing restrictions on foreign person ownership of this land in Wisconsin, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau. The bureau’s analysis notes the existing prohibition includes multiple broad exceptions, including for certain manufacturing and mercantile activities.

Jacque’s office notes his bill is backed by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and the Dairy Business Association.

See the release.

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin to resume abortion services

Lowest mortgage rates in a year help home sales rebound in Green Bay, Appleton

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FOOD & BEVERAGE

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