Milwaukee North News

The new bill authored by State Sen. Jodi Habush Sinykin seeks to lower building permit fees for modifications that accommodate disabilities in primary residences of disabled veterans or their caretakers, according to the Wisconsin State Senate.

According to the Wisconsin State Legislature's official website, the bill was described as follows: "local building permit fees for certain improvements of residences of disabled veterans. (FE)".

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill requires local governments to reduce building permit fees by 75% or $500, whichever is less, for modifications to the primary residences of disabled veterans when the improvements are needed to accommodate their disabilities. The residences must be owned either by the disabled veteran or a caretaker of the disabled veteran. Prior to granting the fee reduction, local governments may require verification that the individual meets the definition of a disabled veteran, that the property is their primary residence, that the modifications are necessary for disability accommodation, and that the ownership conditions are met.

The bill was co-authored by Representative Patrick Snyder (Republican-85th District) Senator Melissa Ratcliff (Democrat-16th District). It was co-sponsored by Representative Elijah R. Behnke (Republican-6th District), Representative Barbara Dittrich (Republican-99th District), and Representative Benjamin Franklin (Republican-88th District), along 11 other co-sponsors.

Jodi Habush Sinykin has co-authored or authored another 23 bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with none of them being enacted.

Sinykin graduated from the University of Michigan in 1989 and again in 1992 from Harvard Law School with a JD.

Sinykin, a Democrat, was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate in 2025 to represent the state's 8th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Dan Knodl.

In Wisconsin, the legislative process starts when a senator, constituent, group, or agency proposes an idea for a bill. After drafting, the bill is introduced, numbered, and referred to a committee for review and public input. If approved, it moves through three readings and votes in both the Senate and Assembly. Once both chambers pass the same version, the bill goes to the governor, who can sign it, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. Only a small share of bills introduced each session ultimately become law. You can learn more about the Wisconsin legislative process here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
SB175	04/03/2025	Local building permit fees for certain improvements of residences of disabled veterans. (FE)
SB150	03/21/2025	Passing legislation to reduce carbon emissions
SB122	03/07/2025	Limitations on the total value of taxable property that may be included in a tax incremental financing district created in the city of Port Washington. (FE)