AB731: Bill Text

2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE

LRB-0546/1

MJW:klm

2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 731

December 3, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives Clancy, Phelps, Hong, Madison, Arney, Goodwin, Hysell, Rivera-Wagner, Taylor, Tenorio, Bare, DeSmidt, Joers, Miresse, Stroud, Stubbs, Subeck and Udell, cosponsored by Senators Drake, Larson, Roys and Spreitzer. Referred to Committee on Corrections.

AB731,1,3 An Act to repeal 20.410 (1) (gt) and 301.105; to create 20.410 (1) (bp), 20.410 (3) (bp) and 302.092 of the statutes; relating to: telecommunications service access by inmates and juveniles and making an appropriation.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill requires the Department of Corrections and counties to provide certain minimum free telecommunications service access to inmates of state prisons and county jails or houses of correction and juveniles being held in a juvenile correctional facility or detention facility. The bill also provides that telecommunications services may not be used to replace in-person visitation and provides that DOC and counties may not charge inmates or juveniles for access to telecommunications services beyond the required minimums per week and may not charge any other person for the telecommunications services accessed by the inmate or juvenile.

Under the bill, DOC and counties are required to minimize costs for telecommunications services by consolidating contracts for such services. The bill provides that DOC must contract for telecommunications services and must allow counties to join the contract at no cost to the county or, if a county does not join the contract, the county must request, and DOC must provide, reimbursement for the cost to provide telecommunications services to inmates up to the amount those services would have cost under DOC’s contract.

Under the bill, if a county does not join DOC’s contract, it must submit a report to the legislature describing why it has not joined the contract. The bill also provides that DOC and any county that does not join DOC’s contract must annually submit a report to the legislature that contains a copy of all contracts for telecommunications services, along with a summary of the rates and fees being paid for inmate telecommunications services and data on inmate and juvenile use of telecommunications services, including monthly call and message volume.

The bill phases in the minimum telecommunications service access requirements over 18 months and provides to DOC $4,980,500 in the 2025-26 fiscal year and $14,374,600 in the 2026-27 fiscal year to pay for inmate and juvenile telecommunications services and to reimburse counties for inmate telecommunications services.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB731,1 Section 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated:

- See PDF for table

AB731,2 Section 2. 20.410 (1) (bp) of the statutes is created to read:

AB731,3,2 20.410 (1) (bp) Inmate telecommunications services. The amounts in the schedule to provide inmate telecommunications services under s. 302.092 (2) (a) and reimbursements to counties under s. 302.092 (6) (d) 2. for county jail or house of correction inmate telecommunications services.

AB731,3 Section 3. 20.410 (1) (gt) of the statutes is repealed.

AB731,4 Section 4. 20.410 (3) (bp) of the statutes is created to read:

AB731,3,6 20.410 (3) (bp) Juvenile telecommunications services. The amounts in the schedule to provide juvenile telecommunications services under s. 302.092 (2) (a).

AB731,5 Section 5. 301.105 of the statutes is repealed.

AB731,6 Section 6. 302.092 of the statutes is created to read:

AB731,3,9 302.092 Telecommunications service access. (1) In this section:

AB731,3,10 (a) “Juvenile correctional facility” has the meaning given in s. 938.02 (10p).

AB731,3,11 (b) “Juvenile detention facility” has the meaning given in s. 938.02 (10r).

AB731,3,12 (c) “Telecommunications provider” has the meaning given in s. 196.01 (8p).

AB731,3,13 (d) “Telecommunications service” has the meaning given in s. 196.01) (9m).

AB731,3,17 (2) (a) The department shall ensure that each inmate of a state prison or juvenile being held in a juvenile correctional facility or juvenile detention facility is allowed to access all of the following telecommunications services at no cost to the person initiating or the person receiving the telecommunications services:

AB731,3,18 1. At least 180 minutes per week of telephone calling services.

AB731,3,19 2. At least 60 minutes per week of video calling services.

AB731,3,20 3. At least 100 text messages per week.

AB731,4,2 (b) Notwithstanding the minimum telecommunications service increments under par. (a), the department shall maintain, at a minimum, the level of access to telecommunications services that are in place on the effective date of this paragraph .... [LRB inserts date]. The department shall allow each inmate or juvenile to access additional telecommunications services if possible.

AB731,4,6 (c) The sheriff or person in charge of a county jail or house of correction shall ensure that each inmate of the county jail or house of correction is allowed to access all of the following telecommunications services at no cost to the person initiating or the person receiving the telecommunications services:

AB731,4,7 1. At least 180 minutes per week of telephone calling services.

AB731,4,8 2. At least 60 minutes per week of video calling services.

AB731,4,9 3. At least 100 text messages per week.

AB731,4,15 (d) Notwithstanding the minimum telecommunications service increments under par. (c), the sheriff or person in charge of a county jail or house of correction shall maintain, at a minimum, the level of access to telecommunications services that are in place on the effective date of this paragraph .... [LRB inserts date]. The sheriff or person in charge of a county jail or house of correction shall allow each inmate to access additional telecommunications services if possible.

AB731,4,18 (3) The number of minutes of telephone calling services and video calling services that an inmate or juvenile uses under sub. (2) shall be calculated by rounding the length of the actual access time to the nearest full minute.

AB731,4,21 (4) Telecommunications services provided under sub. (2) may not be used to replace in-person visitation in any state prison, juvenile correctional facility, juvenile detention facility, or county jail or house of correction.

AB731,5,2 (5) Neither the department nor a sheriff or person in charge of a county jail or house of correction may charge an inmate or juvenile for telephone calling services or video calling services that exceed the minimums provided under sub. (2) (a) 1. and 2. and (c) 1. and 2. and may not charge any other person for telephone calling services or video calling services accessed by an inmate or juvenile.

AB731,5,5 (6) (a) The department and each county shall minimize costs for telecommunications services by consolidating contracts for telecommunications services if possible.

AB731,5,11 (b) The department shall contract with a telecommunications provider to provide telecommunications services to inmates and juveniles at state prisons, juvenile correctional facilities, and juvenile detention facilities as required under sub. (2) (a) and telecommunications services to inmates at county jails and houses of correction in each county that joins the department’s contract as provided under par. (c).

AB731,5,15 (c) The department shall allow the sheriff or person in charge of a county jail or house of correction to join the contract under par. (b) to provide telecommunications services at the county jail or house of correction as required under sub. (2) (c) at no cost to the county.

AB731,5,18 (d) If a sheriff or person in charge of a county jail or house of correction does not join the contract under par. (b), the sheriff or person in charge of the county jail or house of correction shall do all of the following:

AB731,5,21 1. Submit a report to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) within 90 days of the effective date of this subdivision .... [LRB inserts date], and within 90 days after the end of each fiscal year thereafter, that contains all of the following information:

AB731,5,24 a. A copy of all contracts that the county jail or house of corrections holds for telecommunications services, along with a summary of the rates and fees being paid by the county for inmate telecommunications services.

AB731,6,2 b. Data on inmate use of telecommunications services, including monthly call volume.

AB731,6,4 c. A description of why the county has not joined the department contract under par. (b).

AB731,6,9 2. Submit a request to the department for reimbursement. The department shall, from the appropriation under s. 20.410 (1) (bp), reimburse the county for the cost of telecommunications services provided to inmates of the county jail or house of correction up to the amount those telecommunications services would have cost if the services had been provided under the contract under par. (b).

AB731,6,13 (e) The department shall submit a report to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) within 90 days of the effective date of this paragraph .... [LRB inserts date], and within 90 days after the end of each fiscal year thereafter, that contains all of the following information:

AB731,6,16 1. A copy of all contracts for inmate and juvenile telecommunications services, along with a summary of the rates and fees being paid by the department for inmate and juvenile telecommunications services.

AB731,6,18 2. Data on inmate and juvenile use of telecommunications services, including monthly call and message volume.

AB731,7 Section 7. Nonstatutory provisions.

AB731,6,24 (1) Telecommunications service access time phase-in. Notwithstanding s. 302.092 (2), for the first 18 months beginning after the effective date of this subsection, an inmate of a state prison or county jail or juvenile being held in a juvenile correctional facility or juvenile detention facility shall be allowed to access telecommunications services as follows:

AB731,7,4 (a) From the effective date of this paragraph until the last day of the 8th month after the effective date of this paragraph, each inmate or juvenile shall be allowed the level of access to telecommunications services that are in place on the effective date of this paragraph.