As the year winds down, legislation begins rolling out as legislators make the final push to get their bills through the legislature before they run out of time in the spring. In this week's Bills of Note, we highlight three pieces of legislation affecting policy relating to civil justice and utilities.
Also in this week's edition, read about the first long-term transportation spending bill passed in Congress in a decade, how the state supreme court race is moving along, and the first announcement of the year that a Wisconsin legislator will not seek reelection.
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Congress Passes Long-Term Transportation Bill
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In early December, Congress passed the Fixing America's Transportation Act (FAST ACT) with bipartisan support. The legislation provides funding to improve surface transportation infrastructure, including roads, bridges, transit systems and passenger rail network. The bill will provide $305 billion in funding over the next five years. This is the first long-term transportation bill in a decade.
Read more about the legislation.
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Bills of Note: Civil Justice and the Sale of Water Utilities
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Legislation Would Limit Liability for Sponsors of Minor Drivers
A new bill that would limit the liability imputed to a parent or other adult sponsor of a minor's driver's license was reviewed during a public hearing in the Assembly Committee on the Judiciary this week.
Assembly Bill 540/Senate Bill 408, which was introduced by Senator Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) and Representative Mike Kuglitsch (R-New Berlin) would amend current law that imputes unlimited liability to parents or adult sponsors of a minor's driver's license.
Read about the legislation.
Collateral Source Legislation Introduced
Assembly Bill 539/Senate Bill 405, introduced by Senator Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) and Representative Mike Kuglitsch (R-New Berlin), would allow evidence of payments to be submitted as evidence in personal injury or underinsured motorist cases when a jury must decide on the reasonable value of a claim.
Read more about the legislation.
Legislation Introduced to Allow Purchase of Water & Sewer Utilities
Representative Tyler August (R-Lake Geneva) and Senator Frank Lasee (R-De Pere) have introduced Assembly Bill 554/Senate Bill 432, which creates a process for out-of-state utility companies to purchase or lease water or sewer utilities in Wisconsin.
Under current law, if a municipality seeks to sell or lease any utility, the municipality must first pass a resolution that is submitted to the Public Service Commission (PSC) for review. The PSC sets the price and terms for the transaction. This information is included in the notice for a referendum that is held for a vote in the municipality.
Read more about the legislation.
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Sen. Gudex Will Not Seek Re-election
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Senator Rick Gudex (R-Fond du Lac) recently announced he would not be seeking re-election to the 18 Senate District. The first term state senator was elected in 2012 and will complete his four year term following the 2016 fall election cycle.
Following Gudex's announcement, Fond du Lac County GOP Chair Dan Feyen announced he plans to run for the open senate seat. Feyen has served as the county chair of the party since 2007. Citing the numerous open jobs in the state, Feyen announced he wants to work on closing the skills gap and improve Wisconsin's infrastructure.
Democratic Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris announced in September that he would challenge Gudex in 2016. Harris has emphasized the need to spend more on public education funding and increase job growth. Harris challenged U.S. Rep. Glen Grothman for a U.S. Congressional seat in 2014, losing by nearly 16 percentage points.
Read more about the work Sen. Gudex did in the Senate.
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State Supreme Court Primary Election - Feb. 16
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In late October, Madison attorney Claude Covelli entered the race to create a four way primary. Covelli has represented insurance companies and accident victims, and won a case representing an insurance company before the Supreme Court this year.
The Supreme Court primary election will be held on February 16, 2016, and the general election will be April 6.
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New North Summit Meets in Oshkosh
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Business leaders from across Northeast Wisconsin attended the 12th Annual New North Summit in Oshkosh last week to discuss ways to develop business and recruit jobs to the area. New North Inc. is an organization comprising of business leaders in 18 counties in Northeast Wisconsin.
The summit focused on ways to recruit IT and manufacturing professions to the region, which the organization says will be in high demand in the near future. According to statistics from the group, there will be a shortage of 4,000 IT professionals in the region in the next ten years.
Read more about the governor's visit to the New North Summit.
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The Hamilton Consulting Group's
political fundraising calendar provides an excellent resource to find all upcoming fundraising events. The calendar lists all fundraising events for state and national elected officials who represent Wisconsin. Fundraisers provide a great opportunity to get to know current and prospective legislators and other elected officials.
The information on the calendar comes from candidates and committees, so please be sure to RSVP to the person indicated in the event information, not the Hamilton Consulting Group.
The Hamilton political fundraising calendar can be found on our
website.
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