Health Care Issues Moving in the Legislature
Date Fri, Mar. 22, 2019 - 11:00am By Hamilton
Although the legislature is not planning to meet in March and may not meet in April, too, for floor action, several notable health care related bills are making their way through committees. Below is an overview of major health care issues this session and their current status in the legislative process. Dental Therapists – […]
DNR Proposes Changes to Air Permit Processes
Date Fri, Mar. 22, 2019 - 10:57am By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is currently promulgating rules that would update DNR code related to air permitting processes (Wis. Admin. Code NR 406 and 407). The rulemaking includes provisions to create some additional permit exemptions, implement electronic reporting, clarify certain types of activity to which permits apply, and restrict administrative corrections to […]
Dane County Judge Orders Temporary Injunction of Extraordinary Session Laws
Date Fri, Mar. 22, 2019 - 10:53am By Hamilton
On March 21, Dane County Circuit Court Judge Richard Niess issued an order granting a temporary injunction prohibiting the enforcement of laws passed in the 2018 Extraordinary Session. Provisions blocked by the order include limits on the attorney general’s authority to withdraw from or settle certain cases, the legislature’s ability to intervene in certain lawsuits, […]
What’s Next in the 2019-21 State Budget Process
Date Fri, Mar. 22, 2019 - 8:21am By Hamilton
Gov. Tony Evers released his proposed 2019-21 state budget on Feb. 28, officially beginning the biennial budget process. The legislature’s Joint Finance Committee (JFC) has introduced the governor’s budget bill as SB 59/AB 56 and is now waiting for the Legislative Fiscal Bureau to prepare its budget papers, which will guide JFC’s review and voting. […]
Bills of Note: Protective Status for County Jailers
Date Fri, Mar. 22, 2019 - 8:15am By Hamilton
This week, the Assembly Committee on Corrections and the Senate Committee on Judiciary & Public Safety held public hearings on AB 5/SB 5, which would provide protective status to county jailers statewide. The bill, which has received bipartisan support, authored by Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) and Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green), would provide jailers […]
Speaker’s Task Force on Water Quality Meets to Hear Agency Testimony
Date Fri, Mar. 22, 2019 - 8:11am By Hamilton
The Speaker’s Task Force on Water Quality met for the first time in the state capitol this week to hear testimony from state agencies on water quality issues throughout the state. The committee hopes to put forth bipartisan legislative recommendations on clean drinking water by this fall. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) briefed the […]
Gov. Evers Budget Would Make Significant Changes to UI, FMLA
Date Wed, Mar. 13, 2019 - 3:04pm By Hamilton
Gov. Tony Evers’s proposed 2019-21 state budget would make significant changes to Wisconsin’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) laws. Read about specific changes to UI and FMLA employment law proposed by Evers below. Unemployment Insurance Evers seeks to expand eligibility for UI with provisions including: Repealing the requirement that […]
Gov. Evers Budget Would Move Worker’s Comp Functions to DWD, Restore Qui Tam
Date Mon, Mar. 4, 2019 - 9:34am By Hamilton
In his 2019-21 state budget address, Gov. Tony Evers proposed several reforms related to Wisconsin civil procedure. Most notably, the governor is seeking to reunify worker’s compensation under the Department of Workforce Development and to restore private individuals’ ability to bring qui tam claims by reviving the False Claims Act. Read about these and other […]
Gov. Evers’s 2019-21 Budget Address: Republicans React
Date Fri, Mar. 1, 2019 - 8:23am By Hamilton
Vos: Repeal of Right to Work and Repeal of Prevailing Wage Reforms “Never Going to Happen” On Feb. 28, Gov. Tony Evers gave his biennial state budget address. While Democrats praised the reforms in the proposal, Republican legislators criticized the budget’s high price tag and inclusion of nonstarter items, but noted they hope to find […]
Gov. Evers’s 2019-21 Biennium Budget Highlights
Date Fri, Mar. 1, 2019 - 8:16am By Hamilton
On Thursday, Feb. 28, Gov. Tony Evers released his 2019-21 state budget. Overall, Evers proposes an operating budget of $40.7 billion in fiscal year 2019-20 and $42.7 billion in fiscal year 2020-21. The proposed budget adds over 700 more positions than in the 2018-19 fiscal year. The largest increases in general purpose revenue (GPR) go […]