Kenosha Reporter

A new bill authored by State Rep. Bob G. Donovan in the Wisconsin Assembly seeks to amend retirement system rules to allow certain retired annuitants to be rehired without losing their annuities, according to the Wisconsin State Assembly.

According to the Wisconsin State Legislature's official website, the bill was described as follows: "jailers and protective occupation annuitants in the Wisconsin Retirement System who are rehired by a participating employer. (FE)".

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

In essence, this bill amends statutes related to the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS), creating an exception for certain retired annuitants rehired by participating employers. The bill specifies that annuitants who retire without any agreement to return to work post-retirement and who elect not to become participating employees again may continue receiving their annuities if rehired, provided they meet specific conditions. This applies to retired county jailers who opted out of protective occupation status and protective occupation participants under WRS. The conditions include a minimum of 75 days elapsing between the end of employment and rehiring. The bill is effective upon adjudication as stipulated in the legislation.

The bill was co-authored by Senator Cory Tomczyk (Republican-29th District), Representative Clinton M. Anderson (Democrat-45th District), Representative Elijah R. Behnke (Republican-6th District), Representative Calvin T. Callahan (Republican-35th District), Representative Barbara Dittrich (Republican-99th District). It was co-sponsored by Senator Julian Bradley (Republican-28th District), Senator Kristin Dassler-Alfheim (Democrat-18th District), and Senator Dan Feyen (Republican-20th District), along 17 other co-sponsors.

Bob G. Donovan has co-authored or authored another 34 bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with none of them being enacted.

Donovan graduated from St. Francis De Sales Seminary and again from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee.

Donovan, a Republican, was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2025 to represent the state's 61st Assembly district, replacing previous state representative Amanda Nedweski.

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
AB138	03/17/2025	Jailers and protective occupation annuitants in the Wisconsin Retirement System who are rehired by a participating employer. (FE)
AB91	02/28/2025	The requirement that first class cities and first class city school districts place school resource officers in schools. (FE)
AB85	02/28/2025	Recommendation to revoke extended supervision, parole, or probation if a person is charged with a crime. (FE)
AB78	02/28/2025	Impoundment of vehicles used in certain reckless driving offenses. (FE)
AB77	02/28/2025	Registration plate concealment devices and providing a penalty
AB75	02/28/2025	Department of Justice collection and reporting of certain criminal case data. (FE)