Legislative Trends of 2026

By: Jerson Torres

It goes without saying that every delegate in the Legislative branch is unique in their own manner.

Every year, there is a wide variety of subjects that are covered in Youth In Government’s Legislative chambers, ranging from public infrastructure to schooling, many of which return year after year. The concepts stem from the issues that are prevalent in the reality of many of our very own delegates. From the Harvey Assembly and Nelson Assembly to the Senate, many bills have common themes and issues that are being addressed from the real world.

Many of this year’s bills revolve around themes regarding the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI), either regulating it or banning it altogether. Many of the Nelson Assembly bills focus on the use of AI in the music industry, such as bill number 246 by two delegates from the Northwoods delegation, focusing on the implications of what a person is entitled to regarding jobs in music production and fair compensation for musical artists. In addition, there is another bill in the Nelson Assembly that regards artificial intelligence and its environmental effects. Bill number 224, by a delegate in the Hortonville delegation, pushes for conservation resource use practices by companies hosting the use of AI in their data centers, and requires transparency on the use of natural resources.

On the other hand, many of the bills focus in on people’s rights and regulations. Some specifically regarding workplace rights and driving safety, such as bills number 222 and 125 in the Senate. In bill number 222, a delegate from the Fox Cities delegation focuses on meal breaks being mandatory for all ages. Compared to the usual meal break of 30 minutes for minors, they want to universalize 30 minute meal breaks in Wisconsin for all employees of all ages. Safety-wise, Bill 125 proposes that senior citizens should have to take additional testing to be eligible to drive above a certain age. This would ensure road safety for many others who could possibly be affected by motorized vehicle accidents, as well as the elderly themselves.

Ultimately, there are a multitude of categories of bills in the Youth in Government’s Legislative branch, many of which focus on very specific current and pressing issues in today’s world.