Recent WNLA Advocacy Efforts:

WNLA has been actively monitoring Assembly Bill 732 after it was brought forward with minimal notice and very limited preparation time, raising concerns that the legislation was being advanced at the eleventh hour without adequate input from impacted industries. In response, WNLA’s advocacy team moved quickly to engage legislators and ensure the voice of Wisconsin’s nursery and landscape professionals was represented early in the process.

Following direct outreach and in-person meetings by our advocate, Representative Gundrum has pulled Assembly Bill 732 from its scheduled hearing. This is a meaningful short-term win and an uncommon outcome, underscoring the value of early, coordinated engagement with legislators.

What is AB 732?

AB 732 is significant to WNLA because it proposes new restrictions on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides commonly relied on by nursery, landscape, turf, and lawn care professionals. If enacted, the bill could limit effective pest management options, increase costs, and create new compliance challenges for green industry businesses across Wisconsin. Even beyond this bill, it signals increased legislative scrutiny of industry-standard practices, making early and ongoing advocacy critical to ensure policymakers understand the real-world, science-based application of these products and the potential impact on WNLA members.

What's Next?

WNLA’s advocacy team will continue discussions with lawmakers to better understand the intent behind the bill and to ensure our industry’s perspective is clearly represented as conversations move forward. We remain actively engaged with allied organizations to monitor developments and protect the interests of Wisconsin’s nursery and landscape professionals.

Thank you for your continued support of WNLA’s advocacy work. We will keep you informed as this issue evolves.

April 2026 Update: Legislative Threat Alert

Lawn Care & Landscape Industry | Bills to Watch in Wisconsin & Neighboring States | March 2026

Click here for the full document.

Warning: Legislation in Wisconsin and neighboring Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio is actively targeting the lawn care and landscape industry through pesticide bans, preemption erosion, prenotification mandates, tighter licensure, and new outdoor labor rules. These bills are the leading edge of a regulatory wave that could reach Wisconsin.

Threat #1 — Pesticide & Fertilizer Preemption Erosion

Wisconsin law (Wis. Stat. § 94.701) bars local governments from enacting their own pesticide regulations, maintaining one uniform statewide standard for all operators. Neighboring states are carving out city-level exceptions — a blueprint that advocacy groups are actively pushing into every state with strong preemption.

• WI — AB 287 / SB 292 (2025-26 Session) — Local Pesticide Authority for Pollinator: Would carve a new exception into Wis. Stat. § 94.701, allowing municipalities to regulate pesticides to protect pollinators. Identical bills failed in 2021 and 2023; 29 Assembly co-sponsors in 2025. Why it matters: Any crack in Wisconsin's preemption statute opens the door to a city-by-city patchwork of product restrictions. Oppose any bill framed as local "pollinator protection" authority.

Threat #2 — Chemistry Bans (Glyphosate, PFAS, 2,4-D & Neonicotinoids)

These bills are reintroduced each session, gain co-sponsors incrementally, and their language becomes the template for other states.

• WI — AB 732 (2025-26 Session) — Prohibition on Noncommercial Neonicotinoid Use: Relating to prohibiting noncommercial uses of neonicotinoid pesticides. The thing that made this bill scary is that it was introduced by Republicans. Normally, we see bills like this come from the Democrats. We, fortunately, killed the bill without it getting a public hearing, but this is definitely an issue we need to stay engaged on. There is an agreement to meet with the bill author this summer.

• WI — AB 289 / SB 298 (2025–26 Session) — Ban on DNR Use of Neonicotinoids: Would prohibit the Wisconsin DNR from using neonicotinoids on state-managed lands. Part of Rep. Snodgrass's (D) Pollinator Protection Package (May 2025); referred to Assembly Agriculture with no hearing scheduled. Why it matters: Does not restrict private applicators today, but a state-agency ban is the first step — advocates use it as precedent to push private-sector restrictions the following session.

• WI — AB 288 / SB 294 (2025–26 Session) — Pollinator-Friendly Plant Labeling Restrictions: Would ban retailers from labeling plants as "beneficial to pollinators" if treated with a systemic insecticide bearing a bee hazard warning — covering neonicotinoids. Part of the Pollinator Protection Package (May 2025); referred to Assembly Agriculture with no hearing scheduled. Why it matters: Landscape companies sourcing or selling pollinator garden plants would need to verify pesticide treatment history throughout their supply chain.

Threat #3 — Prenotification Mandates (Pertains to IL and MI)

Bills requiring up to 72-hour advance written notice to schools, parks, or registries create scheduling and liability burdens with no equivalent on homeowners using the same products.

Threat #4 — Increased Licensure & Certification Burdens (Pertains to MN and IL)

Wisconsin's 5-year certification cycle (Wis. Stat. § 94.705) is among the most workable in the Midwest. Neighboring states offer a cautionary picture.

• MN — Minn. Stat. § 18B.33 (Current Law — Cautionary Baseline): Requires annual license renewal and state-approved recertification workshops every 1–3 years by category. Applicators who miss their workshop year must retake the full exam at their own cost. Why it matters: Any Wisconsin bill shortening the 5-year cycle should be recognized as a step toward MN's model — increasing employer costs and straining seasonal hiring timelines.

• IL — SB 1574 (104th GA, 2025) — Tiered Operator Licensing: Would replace IL's single "licensed operator" category with "large-scale" and "small-scale" tiers, each with separate exams. Estimated to affect ~15,000 IL operators, many needing to hold both tiers. Why it matters: Creates compliance questions for operators working across equipment types. Oppose any Wisconsin bill creating new operator classification categories.

Threat #5 — Heat Stress & Outdoor Labor Regulations

Federal and state heat stress rules written for agricultural field workers are broad enough to cover lawn care crews — who work in short mobile segments near climate-controlled vehicles — imposing documentation requirements that don't fit multi-stop daily routes.

• Federal OSHA — Heat Injury & Illness Prevention NPRM (August 30, 2024): Proposed rule would require: written Heat Illness Prevention Plans per worksite, continuous heat index monitoring with mandatory controls at two temperature thresholds, specified water quantities on-site, mandatory shaded rest breaks at the higher threshold, and acclimatization protocols. 43,000+ comments received; hearings concluded July 2025; finalization delayed by pending regulatory review. OSHA's National Emphasis Program continues proactive landscaping employer inspections through April 2026. Why it matters: OSHA is already citing landscaping employers under the General Duty Clause — enforcement exposure exists today. Operators without a documented prevention policy face inspection risk now.

If you have additional questions, reach out to WNLA administrators via info@wnla.net or call 608.218.4570.