PFAS Update: Status of PFAS Legislation, Agency Council Meets, EPA Action
Date Fri, Feb. 21, 2020 - 1:49pm By Hamilton
PFAS Legislation – New Provisions Passed Assembly, Final Status of Other Bills In what is likely the last Assembly floor session of 2019-20, the Assembly passed provisions to address PFAS contamination in Wisconsin. As an amendment tacked on to SB 559 (an unrelated bill), the Assembly passed on a party line vote language that: Directs […]
Legislature Passes Bill to Create Certificates of Qualification for Employment for Ex-Offenders
Date Thu, Feb. 20, 2020 - 4:17pm By Hamilton
This week, the Wisconsin Legislature sent to Gov. Evers’s desk a bill that would create a Council on Offender Employment to issue certificates of qualification for employment (CQEs) to ex-offenders. The bill seeks to reduce recidivism by helping ex-offenders re-enter the workforce. Under the legislation (AB 30), the certificates issued by the Council would qualify […]
Assembly Passes CARES Act to Eliminate Workforce Barriers for PAs, Expand Access to Care
Date Thu, Feb. 20, 2020 - 4:13pm By Hamilton
This week, the Wisconsin Assembly voted to pass the Collaboration and Rural Expansion of Services (CARES) Act (AB 575), which would update Wisconsin statutes related to physician assistants (PAs). The bill seeks to reduce workforce barriers for PAs, thus maintaining and increasing access to high quality medical care, particularly in underserved rural areas of the […]
Additional DOR Auditors Generate 11.8 to 1 Return on Investment
Date Mon, Jan. 27, 2020 - 12:35pm By Hamilton
According to a Department of Revenue (DOR) report from the end of December, new tax auditors hired in the 2015-17 budget cycle generated an 11.8 to 1 return on investment for the state in fiscal year 2019. The 2015-17 state budget required DOR to annually report to the Joint Finance Committee on the estimated tax […]
Senate Committee Introduces Worker’s Comp, UI Bills
Date Mon, Jan. 27, 2020 - 12:31pm By Hamilton
The Senate Committee on Labor & Regulatory Reform has introduced this session’s Worker’s Compensation and Unemployment Insurance (UI) reform bills. Worker’s Compensation Each session, management and labor members of the Worker’s Compensation Advisory Council (WCAC) come to an agreement and introduce a bill on worker’s compensation reforms. The Senate Committee on Labor & Regulatory […]
PFAS Update: Regulations Moving in Legislature & DNR
Date Mon, Jan. 27, 2020 - 12:00pm By Hamilton
Regulation of PFAS chemicals continues to develop in the Wisconsin Legislature and state agencies. Last week the Legislature passed a bill regulating PFAS-containing firefighting foams. Meanwhile, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) proposed rulemaking has been approved by the DNR Board. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are man-made chemicals found in many everyday products, including […]
Gov. Evers Letter Lays Out Legislative Priorities
Date Mon, Jan. 27, 2020 - 11:33am By Hamilton
On Jan. 9, Gov. Tony Evers laid out his priorities to the Legislature for the remainder of the 2019-20 session. In a letter to legislative leadership, Evers assigned them “homework” of several bills to pass before adjournment. The letter asks the legislature to act on: Capping insulin prices. “Dark store” legislation that failed to pass […]
Floor Report: First Floor Sessions of 2020
Date Mon, Jan. 27, 2020 - 11:28am By Hamilton
The Assembly and Senate both met this month, taking up legislation on a wide range of issues – from law enforcement to health care to environmental protection. After January, Assembly leadership has indicated that the Assembly will meet two more times before adjourning at the end of February. The Senate will likely meet once in […]
HOPE Agenda Bills Advance in Legislature
Date Mon, Jan. 27, 2020 - 11:21am By Hamilton
Several bills from Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) and various co-authors to address substance use disorder are making their way through the Legislature, with six bills passing on the Assembly floor and several moving in the Senate health committee. In addition to the legislation, Rep. Nygren joined several health plans for a press conference on Jan. […]
2020 State of the State: Republican Response
Date Thu, Jan. 23, 2020 - 2:36pm By Hamilton
Senate President Roger Roth (R-Appleton) gave the Republican response to Gov. Tony Evers’s second State of the State address on Jan. 22. Roth highlighted the Legislature’s success in the 2019-21 state budget, which he praised as funding priorities like transportation, health care, and education without increasing taxes. Roth criticized the governor for his vetoes of […]