Waukesha Times

A new bill authored by State Rep. Barbara Dittrich in the Wisconsin Assembly seeks to provide financial relief to individuals relocating to Wisconsin after major disasters, according to the Wisconsin State Assembly.

According to the Wisconsin State Legislature's official website, the bill was described as follows: "a tax credit for relocating to this state due to Hurricane Helene or the Los Angeles wildfires. (FE)".

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

In essence, this bill establishes a nonrefundable income tax credit of $10,000 for U.S. citizens who relocate to Wisconsin due to either the Los Angeles wildfires of 2025 or Hurricane Helene of 2024. Eligible individuals must have lived in Los Angeles County, California, or North Carolina until the disaster occurred and must have relocated to Wisconsin due to these events. The credit applies to taxable years starting after Dec. 31, 2024, and ending before Jan. 1, 2026. It cannot be claimed by individuals with a felony conviction or those who do not meet specific residency and tax filing criteria outlined in the bill.

The bill was co-authored by Senator Dan Feyen (Republican-20th District), Representative Scott Krug (Republican-72nd District), Representative Paul Melotik (Republican-22nd District), Representative Jeffrey Mursau (Republican-36th District), and Representative Jessie Rodriguez (Republican-21st District).

Barbara Dittrich has co-authored or authored another 81 bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with none of them being enacted.

Dittrich, a Republican, was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2025 to represent the state's 99th Assembly district, replacing previous state representative Cindi Duchow.

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
AB139	03/17/2025	A tax credit for relocating to this state due to Hurricane Helene or the Los Angeles wildfires. (FE)
AB126	03/11/2025	School bus back-up lamps
AB106	03/11/2025	Exempting certain electric vehicle charging stations located at a residence from the electric vehicle charging tax. (FE)
AB103	03/04/2025	School board policies related to changing a pupil’s legal name and pronouns
AB102	03/03/2025	Designating University of Wisconsin and technical college sports and athletic teams based on the sex of the participants
AB100	03/03/2025	Designating athletic sports and teams operated or sponsored by public schools or private schools participating in a parental choice program based on the sex of the participants
AB71	02/24/2025	School district operating referenda
AB68	02/24/2025	The prescription drug monitoring program. (FE)
AB63	02/24/2025	Financing the operating costs and certain out-of-state projects of nonprofit institutions and compensation of employees of the Wisconsin Health and Educational Facilities Authority. (FE)
AB61	02/24/2025	Injuring or killing a police or fire animal and providing a penalty
AB44	02/17/2025	Allowing advanced practice nurse prescribers to pronounce the date, time, and place of a patient’s death for purposes of the preparation of death records
AB9	02/06/2025	Allowing representatives of certain federally chartered youth membership organizations to provide information to pupils on public school property
AB5	02/03/2025	Requiring school boards to make textbooks, curricula, and instructional materials available for inspection by school district residents