Sen. Johnson authors bill in Wisconsin Senate expanding school mental health aid

A new bill authored by State Sen. LaTonya Johnson in the Wisconsin Senate seeks to expand and simplify state aid for school mental health professionals, according to the Wisconsin State Senate.

According to the Wisconsin State Legislature’s official website, the bill was described as follows: “school mental health and pupil wellness aid and making an appropriation”.

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

In essence, the bill modifies the state categorical aid program for school mental health by expanding the scope of reimbursements to include not just social workers, but also school counselors, psychologists, and nurses. It removes the requirement that local education agencies (LEAs) must increase their spending on these professionals to qualify for aid, simplifying eligibility to any spending for hiring or retaining them. The bill eliminates the previous two-tier reimbursement structure, allowing any LEA with such expenditures from the previous year to be reimbursed. Fiscal changes include an increase in funding of $16.5 million for 2025-26 and $18 million for 2026-27. The effective date is the day after publication or after the 2025 budget act’s publication, whichever is later.

The bill was co-authored by Representative Robyn Vining (Democrat-13th District), Senator Dora E. Drake (Democrat-4th District), Senator Dianne H. Hesselbein (Democrat-27th District), Senator Chris Larson (Democrat-7th District), Senator Brad Pfaff (Democrat-32nd District). It was co-sponsored by Representative Clinton M. Anderson (Democrat-45th District), Representative Margaret Arney (Democrat-18th District), and Representative Mike Bare (Democrat-80th District), along 28 other co-sponsors.

LaTonya Johnson has authored or co-authored another 39 bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with all of them being adopted.

Johnson graduated from Tennessee State University in 1997 with a BS.

Johnson, a Democrat, was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate in 2017 to represent the state’s 6th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Nikiya Harris Dodd.

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.