State Rep. Ryan Spaude is running for reelection on bills he says he wrote. The record shows that multiple bills he is highlighting were filed right before the Assembly had finished its floor work for session.
Spaude, a Democrat from Ashwaubenon, posted a Facebook campaign video this month claiming legislation that stands up for and against the “billionaires making your life unaffordable.” The utility measures he is campaigning on, AB 1162, was introduced on March 19. This is similar to AB 1158 which would raise the minimum wage, but was introduced March 13. Both measures were introduced after the Assembly had finished its work for the year.
Wisconsin Watch reported February 21 that the chamber had completed what could be its final session day. Spaude’s own office marked the moment with a press release. A March 23 notice tracking the adjournment said the Assembly had left in February, the Senate held its last regular floor day on March 17, and bills that had not passed both houses were finished. Lawmakers are not expected back for regular business until January 2027.
Not shown on the ad, Assembly Bill 1131, was introduced by Spaude on March 13, three weeks after the Assembly adjourned and three weeks after his own statement calling the early adjournment an abandonment of families. The bill was referred to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety the same day and never received a hearing or a vote because it was too late. On March 23 it failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, the resolution that clears unfinished business when the regular session closes. In a September interview with the Peshtigo Times, the former Brown County assistant district attorney said the proposal was meant to close three loopholes he saw as a prosecutor. What he didn’t mention was that these loopholes were still active because he failed to introduce a bill for the 14 months the legislature was still active.
The timing fits a pattern The Heartland Post has already reported. Rep. Jenna Jacobson, D-Oregon, added her name to dozens of bills after the Assembly session ended in March, including measures that had already been signed into law. Spaude’s version is to introduce the bills themselves once the floor period is over, then carry them into a campaign ad.
He has taken credit on other ground as well. The Heartland Post reported that he posted from a hard-hat tour that work was underway to move Green Bay’s downtown coal piles, a project funded in part by $20 million in the 2025-27 budget. He voted no on that budget, Senate Bill 45, when it passed the Assembly 59-39.
District 89 is rate a toss-up. Spaude beat Republican Patrick Buckley in 2024 by 826 votes and he is on the ballot again November 3.
