Vaccine Update: Over One Million Fully Vaccinated; Seven State and Federal Vaccine Clinics Now in Operation
Date Fri, Apr. 9, 2021 - 11:12am By Hamilton
As of Monday, April 5, all Wisconsin residents 16 and older are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Gov. Evers and the Department of Health Services (DHS) announced the expanded eligibility in late March. According to Ballotpedia, as of April 8, all individuals 16 and older are eligible for a vaccine in at least some […]
PA Modernization Bill Signed Into Law
Date Fri, Apr. 9, 2021 - 11:07am By Hamilton
On Friday, March 26, Governor Tony Evers signed into law 2021 Wisconsin Act 23, a bipartisan piece of legislation to update how Wisconsin regulates physician assistants (PAs). The bill (Assembly Bill 125) passed the Assembly on March 16 and the Senate on March 23, both on voice votes. Most of the provisions will take effect […]
PBM and PA Bills Head to the Governor; Senate Considers Dental Therapy Bill
Date Fri, Mar. 26, 2021 - 10:09am By Hamilton
On Friday, March 19, Governor Tony Evers was presented with Senate Bill 3, a bill authorizing the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) to license and regulate pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The governor can now choose to sign the bill into law or veto it. The Assembly passed the bill on March 16 on […]
PFAS Update: Governor Approves Two DNR Scope Statements Including New PFAS Standards
Date Fri, Mar. 26, 2021 - 9:53am By Hamilton
Earlier this month, Governor Tony Evers approved two scope statements from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that propose new regulations related to groundwater and drinking water. These statements are the first step in the rulemaking process that state agencies must use to create new regulations. The first scope statement, SS 029-21, proposes changes to […]
Legislature Advances COVID-19 Policies
Date Fri, Mar. 26, 2021 - 9:49am By Hamilton
On Tuesday, March 23, the Legislature advanced a series of bills related to COVID-19, including many policies that were originally part of Assembly Bill 1 (AB 1). In February, Gov. Evers vetoed AB 1, an omnibus COVID-19 response package, after he and the Legislature failed to reach a compromise. We covered the story of AB […]
Vaccine Update: Almost 2.5 Million Doses Administered; 15 Percent Fully Vaccinated
Date Fri, Mar. 26, 2021 - 9:44am By Hamilton
As of Tuesday, March 23, Wisconsin had been allocated nearly 2.7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from the federal government. Earlier this month, the state began administering the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the third COVID-19 vaccine approved in the United States. As we reported here, Wisconsin was initially allocated 47,000 doses of the Johnson & […]
Governor Evers Signs Two Laws on Vaccine Administration
Date Fri, Mar. 26, 2021 - 9:39am By Hamilton
Governor Tony Evers recently signed into law two bills intended to improve vaccine distribution in Wisconsin. The governor signed Assembly Bill 4 into law as 2021 Act 3 on February 19. The bill allows pharmacy technicians, who provide services under the direction of pharmacists, to administer vaccines under the supervision and with proper training. The […]
DWD Gets Federal Grant to Begin Updating UI Computer System
Date Fri, Mar. 26, 2021 - 9:23am By Hamilton
On Thursday, March 18, the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced that it had secured a $2.4 million federal grant to begin updating the computer system used to administer the state’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) program. The updates are a result of 2021 Act 4, which was signed by Governor Tony Evers on February 25. DWD […]
PFAS Update: Several PFAS-Related Lawsuits Filed in Wisconsin
Date Fri, Mar. 12, 2021 - 11:06am By Hamilton
On Thursday, March 4, the City of La Crosse filed a lawsuit against 23 companies that manufactured, marketed, or sold firefighting foam containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of chemicals commonly known as PFAS. The foam, known as aqueous firefighting foam (AFFF), is used to extinguish fires involving flammable liquids like airplane fuel. PFAS […]
PFAS Update: DNR and EPA Actions
Date Fri, Mar. 12, 2021 - 11:05am By Hamilton
EPA Announces Rulemaking Plans Related to PFAS On February 22, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two regulatory actions related to PFAS in drinking water. First, the EPA reissued final regulatory determinations for its fourth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 4), which lists substances that the agency may decide to regulate under the Safe Drinking […]