WED AM News: Housing package would redirect millions from past workforce housing initiatives; Soybean Association president asks Congress to “stop the bleeding”

October 1, 2025

— A series of bills aimed at addressing what lawmakers called a “crisis” in the lack of workforce housing would redirect tens of millions of dollars from past workforce housing initiatives.

Wisconsin in 2023 set aside $525 million for affordable housing development loans aimed at growing the state’s housing stock and getting new homebuyers into housing. But some of the programs included haven’t seen significant use two years down the road.

The last state budget set aside $100 million for the main street housing rehabilitation revolving loan funding program. Rental property owners could get up to $20,000 per rental unit for upgrades on apartments above retail spaces. But Sen. Dan Feyen during an Assembly Housing and Real Estate Committee public hearing yesterday said only $19 million of that has been doled out so far.

The Fond du Lac Republican is proposing in AB 455 to take $10 million of the original funding to create another program that would reimburse developers $50,000 per apartment unit to convert them into condos.

“By converting multifamily rental units into owner-occupied condos, we can turn renters into owners, allowing them to build equity in their home,” he argued.

Dem Rep. Ryan Clancy, of Milwaukee, raised concerns the bill wouldn’t allow condominium associations to access the funds, but Feyen said he’s “always open to ideas.”

“We’ll take a look at whatever comes before us and make a decision on it,” he said.

AB 454 would take another $10 million out of the money set aside in the last budget and reallocate it to create another home loan program. The new program would provide up to $60,000, or up to 25% of the home’s value, to first-time homebuyers who earn as much as 100% of the area median income.

But the League of Wisconsin Municipalities did raise some concerns over a bill that would require local governments to allow homeowners to build accessory dwelling units, with some restrictions.

Government Affairs Director Toni Herkert said stakeholders she’s talked with would like AB 449 to clarify that new ADUs are only allowed to be built onto existing detached structures and not as new, standalone detached structures.

Other bills in the package would:

Clarify that the commercial building code updated in August applies to public buildings, structures or places of employment if the plans for them are submitted for compliance no later than April 1, 2026;
Enable cities and villages to establish workforce housing tax increment districts, allowing a portion of the tax increment from new homes to be used to offset infrastructure costs; and
Establish mandatory rezoning for certain requests related to residential development and allowing the duration of a tax increment district to be extended for up to two years for housing stock improvement.

— The latest episode of “Talking Trade” features Wisconsin Soybean Association President Doug Rebout on how U.S. tariffs impact the country’s soybean farmers.

Rebout, who also serves as the chair of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection board, said there’s “so much uncertainty out there in global trade.”

One of the biggest issues is China’s decision to largely stop buying soybeans from the U.S. since the country used to buy over 60% of the soybean export market, he said. China hasn’t bought anything in the last month, he added.

“Let’s stop the bleeding right now,” he said. “Let’s try and get it so we’re not losing any more markets. Yeah, China’s huge, we’d love to get part of that back, but we do need to concentrate on other countries. The more diverse we are, the better it is for us.”

Most of Wisconsin’s soybean production, roughly two-thirds, are exported, Rebout said. That much volume can’t just be replaced by other trade partners, he added.

“China is so significant because of the volume,” he said. “Yeah, some of these other countries are buying from us … Mexico, Canada. These are all some of our major export countries, especially here for Wisconsin, not just for soybeans, but for all agricultural products. … So yeah, some countries were increasing what we’re trading to them, but like I said, it cannot make up that loss that we have in China.”

Rebout also said he goes to Washington, D.C. to lobby lawmakers by telling them how the U.S. needs to work to stop the losses right now and work on rebooting trade deals with major importers like China. While China has already found other trade partners they’re unwilling to give up even if U.S. tariffs are eliminated, “we have to start regaining that.”

“Every time I go out there I have good conversations,” he said. “I don’t care what office I go into, what party I go into, we’re talking agriculture. It should be and it is the most bipartisan issue out there, because it affects everyone.”

He also said farmland typically used to produce soybeans can be used for other crops, but doing so would upset farmers’ traditional routines. Those routines, switching between growing soybeans and corn every two years for example, help promote soil health, he added. Farmers also have to consider how a sudden influx of corn on the market would impact the corn market price, Rebout said.

“We can adjust those numbers a little bit,” he said. “But we can’t go and say, ‘You know what, soybeans aren’t selling, so we’re going to let that land sit or we’re going to go and raise 2,000 acres of sunflowers or something.’ Because, like on our farm, we don’t have the knowledge for that, and then there’s not a market for that.”

”Talking Trade” is hosted by E.M Wasylik Associates Managing Director Ken Wasylik and M.E. Dey & Co. President and Managing Director Sandi Siegel.

Watch the full episode here.

— UW-Green Bay and gener8tor announced a new program to connect startups with accelerator programs and investment opportunities.

The partnership aims to lay the groundwork for a broader, regional innovation ecosystem that will embrace and support startup founders. The new program will follow gener8tor’s gBETA global pre-accelerator curriculum.

“The partnership highlights how regional comprehensive universities can provide tremendous economic value to our communities while providing experiential learning for UW-Green Bay students and anyone in the region who wants to grow their ideas and companies,” UW-Green Bay Chancellor Michael Alexander said.

See the release.

— Lawmakers began circulating a bill that would update Wisconsin’s manufactured housing laws.

The measure would require certificates of title include the home’s address and year of manufacture, allow dealers to acquire titles to homes taken in for resale or inventory, permit title applications and fee payments through an online system and require written purchase contracts for each sale, among other things.

LRB-2903/1 would also require the Department of Safety and Professional Services make title and community records public, and index them by county.

Former Wisconsin Democratic economic development head joins governor’s race

Operations at Wisconsin’s only nuclear plant extended through 2050

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