MADISON – The ACLU of Wisconsin today announced the release of a report on the 2025-26 legislative session, detailing the impact of the organization’s work in the Capitol and how the bills considered this session – whether signed into law or defeated – influenced the civil liberties and civil rights of Wisconsinites.
The report breaks down the legislative process and highlights legislative wins across ACLU priority issue areas including immigration, LGBTQ+ rights and bodily autonomy, criminal legal reform, First Amendment, and voting rights.
“This session we saw repeated efforts to restrict speech and privacy, target LGBTQ+ people, and increase involvement in federal immigration enforcement,” said Amanda Merkwae, Policy and Advocacy Director of the ACLU of Wisconsin. “But Wisconsinites also secured meaningful victories, including protections for DACA recipients, an extension of postpartum Medicaid coverage, codification of Indigenous students’ rights, and the defeat of dozens of harmful proposals.”
By the numbers, ACLU of Wisconsin’s work during the 2025-26 legislative session included:
- Closely monitoring 694 bills
- Registering a lobbying position (support/oppose/other) on 153 bills
- Supporting 6 bills that were signed into law
- Opposing 71 bills that failed
- Helping 999 ACLU supporters send messages to their elected officials
- Engaging more than 22,000 ACLU-WI supporters throughout the session
The report concludes by highlighting bills that failed to pass in the 2023-24session but finally made it across the finish line. It also outlines missed opportunities that ACLU-WI will continue fighting for next session, including cannabis legalization, expungement reform, anti-SLAPP legislation, and more.
“This session underscored the profound impact people can have during the legislative process when we stay engaged and participate in our democracy,” Merkwae said. “Whether you contact your elected officials, attend a hearing, testify on legislation that matters to you, or organize your communities to move good policy forward or stop a harmful bill from passing, the collective voice of everyday people can determine whether our rights are rolled back or expanded. We are deeply grateful to every Wisconsinite who used their power this session to fight for a fairer, more just state.”
The report is available online here: https://www.aclu-wi.org/publications/2025-26-legislative-session-report/
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