Senate (floor calendar)
The Senate met on June 7 to consider a variety of measures. The chamber passed 17 Senate Bills, including transportation-related bills on driver contact records, snowmobile trail signs, probationary licenses, temporary license plates, agricultural road grants, and safety, mapping, and communication aids for ATV/UTV organizations. The Senate also passed natural resources-related bills on habitat work plans, wildlife control and flood resilience grants, nuisance wildlife management, and wetland access.
The Senate approved nine more bills that were already passed by the Assembly. This included two bills to preempt certain local restrictions on motor vehicle and device sales based on power source, and four bills related to the state’s unemployment insurance (UI) program:
- AB 147: Various changes to the unemployment insurance law and requiring approval by the Joint Committee on Finance of certain federally authorized unemployment benefits.
- AB 149: Various changes to the unemployment insurance law.
- AB 150: Various changes to the unemployment insurance law, federal Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment grants, and granting rule-making authority.
- AB 152: Various changes to the unemployment insurance law and authorizing the secretary of administration to transfer employees from any executive branch agency to the Department of Workforce Development for certain purposes.
Also on the topic of local preemption, the Senate approved SB 49, which would prohibit local regulation of utility service based on the type or source of energy provided. Finally, the Senate voted to pass 12 joint resolutions recognizing various groups, professions, and cultural heritage events, as well as 20 gubernatorial appointments to various state boards and commissions.
Assembly (floor calendar)
The Assembly also met on June 7, passing 14 bills and four resolutions. Notably, the Assembly approved seven of the nine bills developed by last year’s Study Committee on Occupational Licenses, which was convened “to review the current occupational licensing system administered by the Department of Safety and Professional Services:”
- AB 200: Biennial report on various metrics related to the issuance of occupational credentials.
- AB 201: Publication of credential metrics.
- AB 202: Investigations of conviction records by the Department of Safety and Professional Services for purposes of determining eligibility for credentials, extending the time limit for emergency rule procedures, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, and granting rule-making authority.
- AB 203: Renewals of certain credentials.
- AB 204: Renewal dates and continuing education requirements for certain credentials issued by the Department of Safety and Professional Services and credentialing boards and granting rule-making authority.
- AB 205: Practice of certain professions by credential holders from other states.
- AB 206: Requiring the Department of Safety and Professional Services to post certain credential information on its website.
The Assembly did not consider two of the study committee’s bills, AB 207 and 208, which would enter Wisconsin into the Counseling Compact and the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact, respectively.
The Assembly is expected to meet again on June 14 to consider legislation related to housing development including loans, tax incentives, and regulatory approvals.
For more information about the 2023-24 legislative session in Wisconsin, see the following articles: