Assembly Bill 544 proposes the establishment of a statewide food safety grading system for retail food establishments in Wisconsin, to be administered by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). The grading system will utilize a 100-point scale to categorize food safety violations based on their risk to public health, assigning negative point values for each violation. DATCP or designated local health departments will conduct unannounced inspections at least once a year, determining grades of A, B, C, or Grade Pending for each establishment based on the inspection results. If a business receives a Grade Pending, it must follow corrective action instructions and will be subject to reinspection.

The bill also mandates that retail food establishments prominently display their most recent grade at all public entrances and outlines penalties for non-compliance with posting requirements, including warnings and monetary forfeitures for repeated violations. Additionally, DATCP is required to maintain a public online database detailing inspection results and grades. The bill allows for emergency rulemaking procedures, exempting DATCP from certain requirements typically necessary for such rules, thereby expediting the implementation of the grading system.