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: "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".
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill amends existing statutes to allow advanced practice nurse prescribers, who are directly involved in the care of a patient, to pronounce the date, time, and place of a patient's death for the purpose of preparing death records. This change complements the current law, where such pronouncements are permitted by doctors, naturopathic doctors, physician assistants, and other specified health care providers. The bill establishes a definition for "advanced practice nurse prescriber" as an advanced practice nurse certified to issue prescription orders, expanding the scope of professionals authorized to fulfill this role in the death certification process.
The bill was co-authored by Representative Rob Summerfield (Republican-68th District). It was co-sponsored by Representative Barbara Dittrich (Republican-99th District), Representative Rick Gundrum (Republican-58th District), and Representative Daniel Knodl (Republican-24th District), along nine other co-sponsors.
Steve L. Nass has authored or co-authored another 14 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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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