Stephen Nass, Wisconsin State Senator for 11th District | Official website
Stephen Nass, Wisconsin State Senator for 11th District | Official website
According to the Wisconsin State Legislature's official website, the bill was described as follows: "requiring school boards to make textbooks, curricula, and instructional materials available for inspection by school district residents".
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 school boards must allow school district residents to inspect textbooks, curricula, and instructional materials upon written request, ensuring access within 14 days of receiving the request. The board is required to develop procedures to provide these materials for inspection and is also obligated to post adopted textbooks online. The term "curriculum" is defined as a plan adopted by a school board in compliance with state law, and "instructional material" includes any course content. The bill clarifies that these requirements should not result in violations of federal copyright law or inhibit existing rights to access records under open records law. This act applies to educational materials adopted for the school year following its effective date.
The bill was co-authored by Representative Barbara Dittrich (Republican-99th District) Senator Van H. Wanggaard (Republican-21st District). It was co-sponsored by Representative Scott Allen (Republican-82nd District), Representative Elijah R. Behnke (Republican-6th District), and Representative Lindee Rae Brill (Republican-27th District), along 11 other co-sponsors.
Steve L. Nass has authored or co-authored another 10 bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with none of them being enacted.
Nass graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1978 with a BS.
Nass, a Republican, was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate in 2015 to represent the state's 11th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Neal Kedzie.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| SB22 | 02/05/2025 | Requiring school boards to make textbooks, curricula, and instructional materials available for inspection by school district residents |
| SB16 | 02/05/2025 | Participation in interscholastic athletics and application of the public records and open meetings laws to interscholastic athletic associations |
| SB13 | 02/03/2025 | Incorporating cursive writing into the state model English language arts standards and requiring cursive writing in elementary grades. (FE) |
| SB11 | 02/03/2025 | Allowing representatives of certain federally chartered youth membership organizations to provide information to pupils on public school property |
| SB5 | 01/24/2025 | Battery or threat to jurors and providing a penalty |
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