WiHPCA’s top legislative priority for the 2025-2026 state legislative session is the passage of Assembly Bill 23/Senate Bill 39, which would create a state Palliative Care Council to advise the state Department of Health Services (DHS) and the state Legislature on key issues impacting palliative care failed to pass the Republican-controlled State Senate. In addition, the bill would create a statewide palliative care consumer and professional information and education program to educate the general public on palliative care, which is frequently misunderstood.

Thanks to the advocacy of WiHPCA members, our organization made great strides in moving this legislation forward during the 2025-2026 state legislative session! Both the Assembly Health Committee and the Senate Health Committee held respective hearings on this legislation in early 2025, during which several WiHPCA members testified in support of this legislation. Thank you to those WiHPCA members who traveled to Madison who testified at these hearings! After these hearings, the Assembly Health Committee voted overwhelmingly (14-1) to advance AB39, and the Senate Health Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to advance SB39. Following committee action, the full state Assembly voted overwhelmingly (96-1) to pass this bill.

Due to the advocacy of WiHPCA members, this legislation has advanced farther than it has during prior legislative sessions. In particular, WiHPCA members responded to multiple WiHPCA action alerts and contacted their respective state Representatives and state Senators to ask them to vote to advance this bill. In addition, WiHPCA created a coalition of health care organizations which engaged in several outreach efforts to members of the state Legislature to advance this bill. Despite WiHPCA’s broad and sustained advocacy efforts on this bill, the state Senate ultimately did not vote on this legislation during the 2025-2026 legislative session.