Rachael Cabral-Guevara, Wisconsin State Senator for 19th District | Official website
Rachael Cabral-Guevara, Wisconsin State Senator for 19th District | Official website
According to the Wisconsin State Legislature's official website, the bill was described as follows: "use of certified seed potatoes in planting potatoes and providing a penalty. (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 requirements concerning the planting of seed potatoes in Wisconsin. It mandates that individuals planting five or more acres of potatoes must use seed potatoes certified by accredited programs. The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) may waive this requirement if suitable certified seed potatoes are not available and pose no disease threat. The bill allows DATCP to enforce geographic restrictions as part of a waiver, and if planting occurs in violation of these regulations, DATCP can order the destruction of the seed potatoes. Should individuals not comply, DATCP or local authorities may carry out the removal and destruction, charging costs to the violator like taxes. Violators can face fines of up to $5,000, plus $5,000 per acre planted. However, DATCP may waive fines if violators comply with destruction orders. Violations include failing to maintain necessary records, which may also result in penalties.
The bill was co-authored by Representative Scott Krug (Republican-72nd District), Senator Mary Felzkowski (Republican-12th District), Senator Howard L. Marklein (Republican-17th District), Senator Brad Pfaff (Democrat-32nd District), Senator Mark Spreitzer (Democrat-15th District). It was co-sponsored by Representative Jill Billings (Democrat-95th District), Representative Calvin T. Callahan (Republican-35th District), and Representative Jenna Jacobson (Democrat-50th District), along seven other co-sponsors.
Rachael Cabral-Guevara has authored or co-authored another 46 bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with none of them being enacted.
Cabral-Guevara graduated from Mount Mary University in 2000 with a BS and again in 2004 from the University of Wisconsin- Oshkosh with a BS.
Cabral-Guevara, a Republican, was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate in 2023 to represent the state's 19th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Roger Roth.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| SB164 | 03/27/2025 | Use of certified seed potatoes in planting potatoes and providing a penalty. (FE) |
| SB154 | 03/21/2025 | Requiring the Department of Health Services to seek any necessary waiver to prohibit the purchase of candy or soft drinks with FoodShare benefits. (FE) |
| SB152 | 03/21/2025 | Financial eligibility for the Alzheimer’s family and caregiver support program. (FE) |
| SB147 | 03/21/2025 | Interpreter action by telephone or live audiovisual means in civil or criminal proceedings |
| SB139 | 03/21/2025 | Transfer of nursing home beds |
| SB137 | 03/14/2025 | The duty of a pharmacist to dispense lawfully prescribed drugs and devices. (FE) |
| SB129 | 03/14/2025 | The right to repair motor vehicles and providing a penalty. (FE) |
| SB128 | 03/14/2025 | Programs and requirements to address PFAS |
| SB127 | 03/14/2025 | Exempting certain persons from PFAS enforcement actions under the spills law. (FE) |
| SB94 | 03/07/2025 | Civil action for injury or damages resulting from riot or vandalism, participation in a riot, prohibiting certain limitations or restrictions on law enforcement responses to riot or vandalism activity, and providing a penalty |
| SB83 | 02/26/2025 | Utilization management controls for antipsychotic prescription drugs under the Medical Assistance program. (FE) |
| SB74 | 02/26/2025 | Ratification of the Social Work Licensure Compact. (FE) |
| SB70 | 02/26/2025 | A minor’s authority to consent to health care |
| SB58 | 02/21/2025 | Referendum questions for certain referenda that affect property taxes. (FE) |
| SB51 | 02/21/2025 | Flags flown at state and local government buildings and eliminating a related administrative rule |
| SB44 | 02/12/2025 | Local regulation of fowl |
| SB43 | 02/12/2025 | Allowing advanced practice nurse prescribers to pronounce the date, time, and place of a patient’s death for purposes of the preparation of death records |
| SB42 | 02/12/2025 | Permitting pharmacists to prescribe certain contraceptives, extending the time limit for emergency rule procedures, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, granting rule-making authority, and providing a penalty. (FE) |
| SB31 | 02/12/2025 | State agency status for certain physician assistants and advanced practice nurses who provide services without compensation for local health departments or school districts. (FE) |
| SB30 | 02/12/2025 | Required instruction in civics in the elementary and high school grades, high school graduation requirements, and private school educational program criteria. (FE) |
| SB29 | 02/12/2025 | Requiring school boards to adopt policies to prohibit the use of wireless communication devices during instructional time |
| SB27 | 02/07/2025 | Requiring state employees to perform their work at the offices of their employer. (FE) |
| SB19 | 02/05/2025 | Fee waivers for state park vehicle admission receipts to pupils with Every Kid Outdoors passes. (FE) |
| SB13 | 02/03/2025 | Incorporating cursive writing into the state model English language arts standards and requiring cursive writing in elementary grades. (FE) |
| SB12 | 02/03/2025 | A sales and use tax exemption for the sale of gun safes. (FE) |
| SB11 | 02/03/2025 | Allowing representatives of certain federally chartered youth membership organizations to provide information to pupils on public school property |
| SB10 | 02/03/2025 | Access to public high schools for military recruiters |
| SB7 | 01/24/2025 | Prohibiting a foreign adversary from acquiring agricultural or forestry land in this state |
| SB4 | 01/24/2025 | Agreements for direct primary care |
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