Tuesday Floor Session

Practice of Psychology Bill - AB 63

Yesterday was exciting as AB 63, my psychology bill, passed after over 5 years of work, with unanimous and bipartisan support, and could not have done so without the help of many experts and my colleagues. 

For those who not aware, under current law, no person may engage in the practice of psychology without being licensed as a psychologist by the Psychology Examining Board. This bill makes revisions to the laws governing the examining board and the practice of psychology. I want to emphasize this bill would increase the number of psychologists in the workforce, such as recent graduates' ability to help, as we do not have enough psychologists. The Senate concurred on the bill this afternoon, and it has been sent off to the Governor’s desk for his signature.

Yesterday was a very positive day across the board, as my Assembly colleagues and I voted in support of many bills that will head to the Governor's desk. A myriad of bills we voted on yesterday were related to health care including lowering prescription drug costs and protecting individuals with pre-existing conditions. 

Assembly Bill 7 – Requires that Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) become licensed with the state through the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI), which will require transparency reports and provide more accountability. The bill prohibits PBMs from penalizing insurers or pharmacists for disclosing generic, cost of purchase or lower cost alternatives.

Assembly Bill 34 – Prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage due to a person having a pre-existing medical condition, refusing to cover services that people need to treat a pre-existing condition, or charging a higher premium based on a person’s health status, should the Affordable Care Act be struck down by the courts. We passed similar legislation on the first day on the floor of the 2019-20 legislative session and are passing it again to ensure Wisconsinites with these conditions are protected no matter what happens at the federal level.

Wednesday Floor Session

Bear Bait Bill- AB 30

I am pleased to be the bearer of good news. I would like to express much appreciation to The Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association for their help with the Bear Bait bill. The Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association were instrumental in bringing forth this legislation.

Assembly Bill 30 relates to the use of wood to contain bear bait or feed in logs or stumps. As the current law reads, bear hunters can place bait in hollow logs, stumps, and holes in the ground. However, the bait must be capped with logs, rocks, or other permitted substances, so animals such as whitetail deer cannot access the bait.


Easter Basket Donations for Lakeshore Foster Families & Friends

 

Lakeshore Foster Families & Friends  is working to provide educational Easter baskets for the children living in foster and kinship care in Manitowoc County.

Donations of any amount helps. Donations may be made by check (payable to Lakeshore Foster Families & Friends or to me, Kris Buege) or sponsors may pay me using Zelle - 714-539-1478.

They would like to have the donations this week so that they can plan and assemble the baskets prior to the basket distribution on March 28th.

Checks may be mailed to:

Kris Buege
2134 S 9th St
Manitowoc, WI 54220


OR


Lakeshore Foster Families & Friends
111 N 10th St
Manitowoc, WI 54220

Please contact Kris Buege with any additional questions, at 714-539-1478

 
Links Regarding COVID-19 
• Wisconsin Department of Health Services
• COVID-19 State Services
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

COVID Vaccine Registry: https://vaccinate.wi.gov/

 

Manitowoc County Residents:

For those that wish to receive the vaccine, fill out this form. Manitowoc County will then contact you when you become eligible to receive the vaccination.

 

Calumet County Residents: There is currently no form at this time. However, you can sign up here for updates from Calumet County Health and Human Services. 

 
Stay Connected

As a reminder, we encourage you to follow the representative on social media, including Facebook, and Twitter, for all of the up-to-date information on important issues. His legislative website can be found at: https://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/25/tittl.