Milwaukee City Wire

The new bill authored by State Sen. Chris Larson in the Wisconsin Senate seeks to establish a comprehensive plan to reduce carbon emissions and promote economic and racial equity across the state, according to the Wisconsin State Senate.

According to the Wisconsin State Legislature's official website, the bill was described as follows: "passing legislation to reduce carbon emissions".

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

In essence, this bill mandates that the Wisconsin legislature, during the 2025-26 session, pass legislation to create a comprehensive strategy to reduce carbon emissions by 52% by 2030 and establish a roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The legislation must also focus on enhancing economic and racial equity, ensuring that the transition to a lower-carbon future benefits all communities equitably. The bill aims to address climate change while promoting fairness and inclusivity in economic opportunities across the state.

The bill was co-authored by Representative Supreme Moore Omokunde (Democrat-17th District), Senator Tim Carpenter (Democrat-3rd District), Senator Dora E. Drake (Democrat-4th District), Senator LaTonya Johnson (Democrat-6th District), Senator Melissa Ratcliff (Democrat-16th District). It was co-sponsored by Representative Deb Andraca (Democrat-23rd District), Representative Margaret Arney (Democrat-18th District), and Representative Brienne Brown (Democrat-43rd District), along 28 other co-sponsors.

Chris Larson has authored or co-authored another 19 bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with none of them being enacted.

Larson graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee in 2007 with a BA.

Larson, a Democrat, was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate in 2011 to represent the state's 7th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Jeffrey Plale.

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
SB150	03/21/2025	Passing legislation to reduce carbon emissions
SB149	03/21/2025	Requiring the legislature to convene an extraordinary session if an executive order of the president of the United States freezes federal aid to the state
SB67	02/21/2025	Providing state aid to reimburse public and private schools that provide free meals to all pupils for the costs of those meals and making an appropriation. (FE)
SB63	02/21/2025	Ratification of the Driver License Compact. (FE)
SB21	02/05/2025	Creating an employee ownership conversion costs tax credit, a deduction for capital gains from the transfer of a business to employee ownership, and an employee ownership education and outreach program. (FE)