Wisconsin’s 2025 Legislative Update: What EMS Agencies Should Know

As 2025 draws to a close, several significant pieces of state legislation have now become law that relate to EMS, dispatch, and public safety professionals in Wisconsin. Below is an overview of these developments, what they do, and how they affect EMS.

2025 Wisconsin Act 35 – Funding for Initial EMS Education & Grants to Technical Colleges

• Act 35 establishes a tuition-and-materials reimbursement program for individuals completing EMS education through the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) and becoming licensed (as EMR, EMT, AEMT, or Paramedic). It also creates a grant program for technical colleges to help cover costs when EMS classes are under-enrolled.

• This removes a major financial barrier for EMS recruits, whether they come directly from local EMS agencies or from employers outside traditional EMS (e.g., manufacturing, agriculture, education) who may sponsor training. As one report noted, “essentially pays for all EMS education throughout the state.”

• For WEMSA members, this means a broader, and potentially more diverse, recruitment pool, and a chance to build bench strength without burdensome tuition costs.

2025 Wisconsin Act 36 – Increases Medicaid Treat, No Transport Reimbursement

• Act 36 raises the maximum Medicaid reimbursement rate for “treat-no-transport” calls (ambulance response and care without hospital transport) from $69 to $175.

• It further requires the EMS Advisory Board, in consultation with DHS and WTCS, to submit an annual report to the Legislature on any state or national changes to EMS scope-of-practice, a process that could inform future training, licensure, and funding decisions.

• Additionally, the Act excludes joint fire-EMS districts’ levy adjustments from counting toward eligibility for the state’s Expenditure Restraint Program (ERP), easing financial burden on municipalities that operate combined fire/EMS services.

These two laws, Act 35 and Act 36, together mark what many advocates have called a “huge step forward” in addressing statewide EMS workforce, funding, and sustainability challenges.

2025 Wisconsin Act 41 – Protections for PSAPs and dispatchers transferring callers to 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

• Act 41 provides civil–liability immunity for public safety answering points (PSAPs) and dispatchers who transfer callers to the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (or its successor).

• Specifically, when a 911 dispatcher transfers someone in crisis to the Lifeline, they cannot be held liable for any subsequent outcome, unless the harm results from gross negligence or willful/wanton misconduct.

• For EMS agencies, this is a meaningful safeguard. It encourages dispatchers to connect callers with mental health resources, supporting broader crisis-response and mental-health collaboration without fear of legal consequences.

2025 Wisconsin Act 49 – Greg Quinn and Larry Millard Memorial Bridge

• Honors fallen fire service members. Designates the overpass on I-39 over State Highway 82 in the Town of Oxford, Marquette County, as the “Greg Quinn and Larry Millard Memorial Bridge,” in memory of two firefighters who died in the line of duty after being struck at a crash scene.

• Community-funded memorial signage. Authorizes the Wisconsin DOT to install and maintain bridge markers, with the expectation that costs are covered by contributions from interested parties rather than general transportation funds.

• Visibility for responder safety. While it does not change EMS operations, the designation elevates public awareness of the risks fire and EMS personnel face on roadways and creates an opportunity for local agencies to use the memorial in public education around “move over / slow down” and responder safety.

2025 Wisconsin Act 54 – Expansion of the Move Over / Slow Down Law

• Broader obligation to slow down or move over. Expands Wisconsin’s “move over / slow down” law so that drivers must change lanes or slow significantly when approaching certain stopped vehicles on or within 12 feet of the roadway, reinforcing protections around roadside incidents.

• Covers more real-world scenarios. Clarifies that drivers must slow down or move over when hazard or warning lights are activated, when emergency flares or warning devices are present, or when a visible person is attending to a disabled or stopped vehicle — not just when traditional emergency vehicles are on scene.

• Improves safety for EMS and motorists. By extending the law to disabled vehicles and roadside assistance situations, Act 54 aims to reduce secondary crashes and “struck-by” incidents that threaten EMS, fire, law enforcement, tow operators, and stranded motorists alike.

2025 Wisconsin Act 55 – Increased Penalties for Impersonating EMS Personnel

• Misdemeanor → felony. Reclassifies the crime of impersonating a peace officer, firefighter, EMS practitioner, or emergency medical responder from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class I felony, with potential penalties of up to $10,000 in fines and 3.5 years in prison.

• Protects public trust in emergency services. Targets individuals who intentionally mislead others into believing they are legitimate emergency personnel, whether through uniforms, vehicles, or badges, recognizing the unique power and trust these roles carry.

• Reduces risk of harm and confusion on scene. For EMS agencies, the stronger penalty helps deter dangerous impersonation that can undermine public confidence, interfere with real responders’ work, and potentially place patients and bystanders at risk.

2025 Wisconsin Act 56 – Human Trafficking Penalties and Mandatory Minimums

• Higher penalties and mandatory minimums. Increases penalties for human trafficking and trafficking of a child and establishes mandatory minimum prison terms for certain trafficking convictions, including enhanced minimums for child trafficking.

• Extended statute of limitations. Lengthens the time window in which prosecutors can bring trafficking cases, reflecting the reality that victims may need years before they are able or willing to come forward.

• Indirect but important EMS impact. While primarily a criminal justice measure, Act 56 has clear implications for EMS and prehospital care: frontline providers are often among the first to encounter trafficking victims, and this law underscores the need for strong training on recognition, documentation, and coordination with law enforcement and victim-services partners. At the same time, some advocates have raised concerns about potential unintended impacts on victims forced to participate in trafficking, an issue EMS leaders should be aware of when engaging in multidisciplinary response efforts.

Thank you again for the legislative leaders and sponsors who voted to move these bills forward. We will continue to provide information regarding these new programs and changes as they become available.

Respectfully,

 Alan DeYoung, MHA, MS

Chief Executive Officer

Wisconsin EMS Association

Direct: (414) 209-4185

Office: (414) 431-8193

alan@wisconsinems.com