After several floor sessions this month and in January, there are many bills awaiting the governor’s review. Gov. Tony Evers recently signed into law several notable bills:

SB 310 (2019 Act 101) prohibits the use of firefighting foams that contain intentionally added PFAS in training, unless the testing facility has appropriate containment and treatment measures. This bipartisan bill had support from both industry and environmental groups. Read about other proposed PFAS regulation moving in the Legislature and Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

SB 163 (2019 Act 97) makes it a Class H felony to cause bodily harm to any health care provider, including physician assistants and nurses, who works in a hospital. The bill was supported by several health care groups, including the Wisconsin Academy of Physician Assistants.

AB 287 (2019 Act 90) allows physician assistants and nurse practitioners, along with a physician, to make a finding of incapacity in a patient and activate a health care power of attorney. The bill also allows PAs and APRNs to issue do-not-resuscitate orders, make determinations that a person is incapacitated for admission to a hospice, and certify that a patient has a terminal condition or is in a persistent vegetative state, allowing them to activate a patient’s living will. The legislation will allow for efficient, high quality continuity of care, especially for patients in rural areas. Wisconsin Academy of Physician Assistants and several other health care groups supported the bill.