The 2021-22 legislative session is officially underway here in Wisconsin. Right out of the gate, both the Legislature and Governor Evers have focused on passing another COVID-19 response package. Back in April, the Legislature passed and the governor signed Wisconsin Act 185. Many of the provisions included in Act 185 have since expired. Late last […]
Assembly and Senate Pass Differing COVID-19 Plans; Gov. Evers Endorses Senate Version
Date Thu, Jan. 14, 2021 - 5:08pm By Hamilton
SDMAC Vaccine Subcommittee Considers Next Vaccination Phase Framework
Date Thu, Jan. 14, 2021 - 5:06pm By Hamilton
This week, the State Disaster Medical Advisory Committee (SDMAC) vaccine subcommittee met twice to discuss the groups covered in the next phase of the COVID-19 vaccination (Phase 1B). Similar to the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), Wisconsin’s SDMAC provides recommendations to the Department of Health Services (DHS) for vaccine prioritization and distribution. Currently, […]
Round 2 Federal COVID-19 Relief Legislation: What It Means for Wisconsin
Date Thu, Jan. 14, 2021 - 5:04pm By Hamilton
In December 2020, Congress passed a 5,600-page spending bill totaling roughly $2.3 trillion. In addition to funding the federal government for nine months to the tune of $1.4 trillion, the bill featured a $900 billion economic stimulus and COVID-19 relief package. The House approved the package by a 359-53 margin, while the Senate passed it […]
State’s Medicaid Program Projected to End Fiscal Year with Surplus
Date Thu, Jan. 14, 2021 - 5:01pm By Hamilton
Despite an unexpected pandemic, Wisconsin is projected to end the current fiscal year on June 30 with a $614.8 million general fund surplus. On January 4, 2021, the state Department of Health Services (DHS) sent the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee the latest update on the overall condition of the state’s Medicaid program. In September, DHS […]
Update on Wisconsin’s Coronavirus Relief Fund Plan
Date Thu, Oct. 22, 2020 - 2:20pm By Hamilton
This week, Governor Evers updated the public regarding state’s plan to invest federal funds to address the response and recovery to the COVID-19 pandemic. In April, Wisconsin was directly allocated $1.99 billion dollars from the state’s Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF), which was made available to Wisconsin through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security […]
OCI Releases Task Force Report on Reducing Prescription Drug Prices
Date Thu, Oct. 22, 2020 - 2:08pm By Hamilton
On Oct. 21, the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI), with Deputy Commissioner and Task Force Chair Nathan Houdek’s signature, released the Governor’s Task Force on Reducing Prescription Drug Prices final 2020 report. The report is the product of the task force’s work to identify strategies to improve prescription drug affordability and accessibility for […]
Wisconsin COVID-19 Response Post-Safer at Home
Date Thu, May. 28, 2020 - 4:32pm By Hamilton
A few weeks after the Wisconsin Supreme Court invalidated the state’s “Safer at Home” emergency order, state and local leaders continue to grapple with the ongoing pandemic and economic recovery. The Department of Health Services (DHS) has declined to promulgate Safer at Home as a statewide rule and instead some local health departments have orders […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court Declares Safer at Home Order Unenforceable
Date Wed, May. 13, 2020 - 6:28pm By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has issued a 4-3 decision in Legislature v. Palm, declaring the Department of Health Services’s (DHS) “Safer at Home” order unenforceable and immediately striking down the order. The court held that the Safer at Home order is a “rule” that was required to go through statutory rulemaking processes and that the […]
U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform Poll: Bipartisan Majority of Americans Support COVID-19 Liability Protections
Date Mon, May. 11, 2020 - 12:41pm By Hamilton
A bipartisan majority of Americans support protecting businesses from lawsuits related to coronavirus, according to a U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) poll released earlier this month. “The global pandemic has caused tremendous economic harm to our nation. As employers plan to reopen safely and sustainably, the last thing they need is to face […]
Gov. Evers Directs DHS to Extend Safer At Home Order
Date Thu, Apr. 16, 2020 - 1:50pm By Hamilton
Gov. Tony Evers has directed Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm to extend Wisconsin’s Safer at Home Order to May 26. Under Emergency Order #28, starting April 24, some non-essential businesses may begin running minimum basic operations, including deliveries, mailings, and curb-side pick-up. Other changes under the new Emergency Order include: Golf courses reopening […]