Both houses of the Wisconsin State Legislature were on the floor this week to take up a variety of bills. The Assembly and Senate convened on Tuesday, March 7 and the Assembly went back in on Thursday, March 9. Below is a summary of some of the highlights.
On Tuesday, the Senate voted on Senate Joint Resolution 3, which eliminates the office of the state treasurer from the Wisconsin Constitution. Authored by Sen. Feyen (R-Fond du Lac) and Rep. Schraa (R-Oshkosh), the amendment passed 18 to 15 in the Senate. The Assembly took up the amendment two days later, voting 68 to 31. The proposal has successfully passed in two consecutive legislative sessions and now the final decision will go to voters as a referendum in the April 2018 general election.
Also of note, SB 10 or the “CBD Oil” bill, which passed the Senate on February 8, was unanimously passed by the Assembly on Tuesday. The bill now heads to Governor Walker’s desk for his signature. The bill, which has received a lot of media attention, will allow for possession of CBD oil with written certification from a Wisconsin-licensed doctor. The bill aims to provide relief for parents with children suffering from seizures to possess CBD oil in the state for medical purposes.
Another notable bill moving forward to the governor’s desk is SB 3. On Thursday, the Assembly passed the bill 64 to 35. The Senate passed the bill in February. The bill requires government to be neutral regarding the use of PLAs. The legislation simply says that government can neither require nor prohibit the use of project labor agreements. It leaves that decision to the private parties involved in the project.
The Senate and Assembly both took action on SB 7, allowing a citizen renewing a license to carry a concealed weapon before the license expires to be given a renewed license valid five years from the expiration date of the license being renewed, rather than five years from the date of issuance. The bill passed by voice vote in the Senate on Tuesday and passed by the Assembly on Thursday 92 to 7. The bill now awaits the governor’s signature.
Another bill that received a lot of attention was AB 69 or the “Right to Try” bill. AB 69 allows citizens with a terminal illness the opportunity to access investigational drugs, devices, and biological products that are not yet offered as treatment options or on pharmacy shelves in Wisconsin. The bill passed the Assembly 85 to 13 on Tuesday. The bill now heads to the Senate, where there has been no public hearing scheduled yet.
AB 56 passed the Assembly by voice vote on Tuesday and was subsequently messaged to the Senate. AB 56 allows individuals and businesses that sell less than 15,000 gallons of gasoline annually to advertise gasoline prices by the half-gallon. The justification for such listings is that they provide for more flexible advertisement of gasoline to snowmobilers and boaters by small businesses.