PFAS Update: DNR Proposes Permanent Foam Rule, Provides Fiscal Analysis
Date Thu, Oct. 7, 2021 - 9:36pm By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced a public hearing and comment period on its proposed final rule related to firefighting foam containing PFAS. The rule is a result of Wisconsin Natural Resources Board (NRB) board order WA-07-20. A public hearing on the rule will take place on November 4, 2021, while written […]
DWD Announces $16.5 Million Contract for UI System Upgrades
Date Thu, Oct. 7, 2021 - 9:32pm By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) has signed a contract for hardware and software updates to the state’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) system. DWD announced on September 29 that it will pay Flexion, a technology firm based in Madison, about $16.5 million over four years to perform phased software upgrades and other enhancements. The cost […]
Wisconsin COVID-19 Update: State Employees Must Vaccinate or Test Weekly; State, Milwaukee Fund Vaccine Incentives
Date Mon, Sep. 27, 2021 - 4:30pm By Hamilton
As of September 27, Wisconsin had administered about 6.34 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with 3.1 million Wisconsin residents or 53.5 percent of the state’s population fully vaccinated. The state’s seven-day average of new confirmed cases was 2,603 cases per day. That number peaked in November 2020 at around 6,500 cases per day. About 7,930 […]
PFAS Update: State Hires California Firm to Litigate PFAS Claims; Other Lawsuits in Progress
Date Thu, Sep. 9, 2021 - 2:26pm By Hamilton
On August 25, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul (D) and Governor Tony Evers (D) announced that the state had hired a law firm, Sher Edling LLP, to litigate against companies responsible for discharging PFAS compounds in Wisconsin. According to a press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Sher Edling “represents state and local governments […]
Senator Asks Legislative Leaders to Sue UW System, Seeking Legislative Oversight of COVID Rules
Date Thu, Sep. 9, 2021 - 12:57pm By Hamilton
The Legislature’s Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR) held an executive session on August 3 to vote on the University of Wisconsin System’s COVID-19 policies. On a 6-4, party-line vote, the committee ordered the UW System to submit its COVID-19 protocols as an emergency rule within 30 days, arguing that measures such as […]
DHS Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk Has Retired
Date Thu, Sep. 9, 2021 - 11:01am By Hamilton
Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk has retired as of September 10. Governor Tony Evers (D) announced one week earlier that Willems Van Dijk would retire and that Deb Standridge would take her place starting September 13. Previously, Standridge directed Wisconsin’s temporary care site for COVID-19 patients at State […]
PFAS Update: Natural Resources Board Approves Hearing, Comment Period for PFAS Drinking Water Rule
Date Fri, Jun. 4, 2021 - 1:19pm By Hamilton
At its May 26 meeting, the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board (NRB) authorized the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to hold a preliminary public hearing and comment period on the agency’s scope statement for board order DG-31-20. The scope statement is an early version of the agency’s proposal to amend chapter NR 809 of the Wisconsin […]
Legislature Reinstates Work Search Requirement for Those Receiving Unemployment Benefits
Date Fri, May. 21, 2021 - 9:51am By Hamilton
A legislative committee has voted to end a temporary rule that suspended the work search requirement for people receiving unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. By a 6-4, party line vote on May 19, the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR) ended the emergency rule promulgated by the Department of Workforce Development (DWD). Without committee […]
PFAS Update: Legislators Reintroducing CLEAR Act; DNR Releases Economic Impact Analysis for Cycle 10 Groundwater Rule
Date Fri, May. 21, 2021 - 9:47am By Hamilton
A group of Democratic state legislators backed by Wisconsin’s governor are reintroducing legislation called the Chemical Level Enforcement and Remediation or “CLEAR” Act. The bill includes a variety of provisions to regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a family of thousands of manufactured chemicals commonly known as PFAS. In addition to legislative efforts regarding PFAS, the […]
Appeals Court Rules State Can Release Records on Businesses with COVID-19 Cases
Date Fri, Apr. 9, 2021 - 11:15am By Hamilton
On Monday, April 5, a three-judge panel from the District IV Court of Appeals ruled against Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) and in favor of Governor Tony Evers, his administration, and the media in a case involving information about businesses whose employees have contracted COVID-19. The lawsuit was filed in October 2020 in Waukesha County […]