It continues to be a busy time in Madison where the full Assembly convened twice on the floor the last two weeks!
On June 14, the Assembly passed legislation known as the REINS Act. If you remember from my previous e-updates, the Assembly Committee on State Affairs, which I chair, held a public hearing, followed by an executive session on this legislation during the committee process. The WI REINS Act changes the rule-making process in the following ways:
Creating the option for Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR) to request a public hearing early on in the rule-making process to give citizens and industry representatives a chance to voice their opinions (providing public review during the actual rule drafting stage)
Institutes a $10 million dollar cap on new rules and regulations passed by an agency. Any agency wishing to pass a rule that will cause an industry or business to incur more than $10 million in costs and/or compliance must get approval from the legislature before the rule moves forward.
Gives JCRAR the ability to request an independent economic impact analysis, commonly referred to as an EIA, for a second opinion on what the cost of compliance will be for Wisconsin's business community.
This bill is going to provide legislative oversight on important rules that have a fiscal impact on the taxpayers of Wisconsin. The Wisconsin REINS Act will improve transparency, accountability and will play an important role in protecting small businesses from burdensome regulations. Wisconsin is the first state in the nation to pass a state version of the REINS Act.
Below you will find additional joint resolutions and bills that passed during the June 14 floor session:
AJR 21: Relating to: application to Congress under the provisions of Article V of the Constitution of the United States for a convention for proposing amendments relating to a balanced budget.
AB 165: Relating to: appointing delegates for a convention under Article V of the United States Constitution.
AB 188: Relating to: educational requirements for taking the accounting examination or receiving a certified public accountant certificate.
AB 230: Relating to: fences on closed managed forest land.
AB 317: Relating to: review by state agencies of administrative rules and enactments.
Rep. Swearingen filling in for Speaker Pro Tempore Tyler August on the Assembly Floor
Below you will find bills that passed during the June 21 floor session:
AB 60: Relating to: an employee in the classified service representing himself or herself as an engineer.
AB 72: Relating to: responsibilities of state superintendent related to privacy and security of pupil data.
AB 185/SB 134: Relating to: repealing a rule of the Department of Transportation related to the purchase of school buses for school transportation.
AB 196: Relating to: possession of or use of a credit card scanner, providing civil immunity for sellers or distributors of fuel for scanners installed on pumps, and providing criminal penalties.
AB 205: Relating to: state leases for real property.
AB 226: Relating to: local assistance for remediating contaminated wells and failing wastewater treatment systems and award limits for contaminated well grants.
AB 290: Relating to: the authority for counties to enter into contracts to perform child protective services functions.
AB 299: Relating to: free expression within the University of Wisconsin System, providing an exemption from rule-making procedures, and granting rule-making authority.
AB 313: Relating to: resident technical college fees for individuals receiving benefits transferred under federal law by active duty uniformed service members.
AB 323: Relating to: requiring an open season for woodchucks.
AB 348: Relating to: limiting the authority of the state and political subdivisions to regulate wireless facilities and authorizing political subdivisions to impose setback requirements for certain mobile service support structures.
2017-2019 Biennial Budget Update
The Joint Finance Committee (JFC) continues to work hard on the 2017-2019 state budget. I want to provide you with a quick update regarding some of the measures that the JFC approved last week. While large topics such as K-12 education and transportation have yet to be taken up, the budget-writing committee voted on items relating to corrections, self-insurance contracts, and employee trust funds, among others. Below I have highlighted some of the actions taken by the JFC last week.
Department of Corrections
The JFC made adjustments to two aspects of corrections that take affect department-wide. The two measures relate to new overtime funding increases and a bonus for those who serve the department for 10 years or more.
Overtime Funding In addition to the to 2% pay increases, the Committee also approved an additional $8.25M in increased funding for overtime payments for the department to compensate hardworking employees.
Employee Recognition Award As the result of a request by Rep. Schraa, a motion requires a one-time ‘recognition award’ bonus for DOC employees who have served 10 or more years. The amount of the award is increased incrementally based on how many years an employee has served. This award will work to boost employee morale and improve employee retention.
Corrections -- Adult Corrections The Committee voted to increase investments in earned release programming and vocational training. Additionally, the Committee approved the Governor’s recommended increased investments in the Windows to Work program by $2M over the biennium.
The Committee also voted to approve the Governor’s recommendation to increase investments in mental health staffing at certain institutions. These extra supports will help expand treatment and address recidivism among offenders who suffer from mental illness.
Self-Insurance Contracts
After expressing concerns, the JFC unanimously rejected Governor Walker’s proposed plan to move the state to a self-insurance plan. Data from the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) has proved that the Legislature’s concerns are founded and that savings would not be nearly as much as originally predicted. By rejecting the contracts, the Committee was required to fill a $64 million hole left in the state budget. The Committee adopted a motion that would realize these savings by:
1. Achieving savings of $22.7 million through negotiations with health plans
2. Drawing down reserves by an estimated $25.8 million
3. Plan design changes to find approximately $15.4 million in savings.
Additionally, the committee provided additional legislative oversight for future changes proposed by the GIB. The oversight provision will:
1. Require senate confirmation of GIB members appointed by the Governor
2. Add 4 additional members to the board, appointed by the four legislative leaders
3. Apply a 21-day passive review for approval to changes to the state group health insurance program
The motion also requested a the Audit Committee to direct an audit of the state’s group health insurance programs, including the GIB’s compliance with its reserves policy. Additionally, the GIB will report to the committee on future reserve balances.
Assembly Committee on Environment and Forestry Update
The Assembly Committee on Environment and Forestry met last week for an executive session on Assembly Bill 226, relating to local assistance for remediating contaminated wells and failing wastewater treatment systems. This bill was voted out of the committee and ultimately passed on the Assembly floor earlier this week.
The Assembly Committee on Environment and Forestry Executive Session where the committee passed Assembly Bill 226
Assembly Bill 226 provides that a city, village, town, or county may remediate a contaminated private well, fill and seal a contaminated well, or rehabilitate, replace, or abandon a failing private on-site wastewater treatment system, in agreement with the owner of the well or wastewater treatment system, or may make a low-interest or interest-free loan to the owner of a contaminated well or failing wastewater treatment system for these purposes. Under this legislation, if a city, village, town, or county takes any of these actions or provides a loan for these purposes, the city, village, town, or county may recover the costs of the action or collect the loan repayment as a special charge or special assessment on the property tax bill. If you would like to review the bill further, please click on the link below.
Assembly Bill 226: Relating to: local assistance for remediating contaminated wells and failing wastewater treatment systems and award limits for contaminated well grants.
REMINDER: FY 2018 Broadband Grant Applications Due June 30
Applications for the 2018 Broadband Expansion Grants are due June 30, 2017. Application instructions and additional information can be found by clicking here.
This grant funding will extend $1.5 million to underserved areas of the state in addition to the $40.5 million that has been allocated for broadband expansion and technology improvement as a part of the 2017-2018 biennial state budget.
The Broadband Expansion Grant program was created by 2013 Act 20. The program provides reimbursement for equipment and construction expenses incurred to extend or improve broadband telecommunications service throughout the state. The 2015-2017 biennial budget tripled the amount of grants available every year from $500,000 to $1.5 million.
If you would like to find your internet options or find more information on broadband expansion in Wisconsin, I would encourage you view the Wisconsin State Broadband Office website.
Unemployment Rate Declines to 3.1 Percent
The unemployment rate continues to decline in Wisconsin. Recently, the Department of Workforce Development released the labor statistics jobs report, which showed Wisconsin’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.1 percent in May. This marks the lowest unemployment rate since October 1999 and the second lowest rate ever for Wisconsin.
If you are seeking employment, I would recommend visiting the Job Center of Wisconsin website to view a number of job opportunities statewide.
The wet weather has continued into our first astronomical week of summer, with rain falling in some or all of the state every day in the last week. This has continued to keep rivers high and many trails wet and muddy. The lower Wisconsin River continues to flow at more than twice its normal flow and very few if any sandbars are available. The Oconto, Peshtigo, and Menominee rivers are all at or above flood stage. One exception is the Bois Brule, which has returned to normal flow and is getting heavy use by paddlers.
Despite high water levels anglers have been fishing the Flambeau River with some success for musky, walleye and bass. Crappie, bluegills and perch are being caught on northern lakes. A few walleye are being caught around the mouth area of the Peshtigo River and anglers at the mouth of the Oconto River were having success catching catfish, smallmouth, and sheepshead. Trout streams were just getting fishable again but levels are up again and running turbid with a lot of debris making it very tough to fish.
Anglers that got out southern Green Bay in between storms found some success trolling crank baits for walleyes along with a big increase in freshwater drum and catfish being caught. The weather conditions made the smallmouth bite throughout Door County much more inconsistent than past weeks. Some bass are still on beds while others are post spawn. Perch fishing is starting to pick up a bit in the bay side harbors of Door County.
Salmon fishing out on Lake Michigan also suffered some this week thanks in part to the abundance of almost-daily nasty weather. The most frequent catch of the week was steelhead, with a few coho and chinook mixed in. In Milwaukee a thick cloud of alewives were stacked up on the lake side of McKinley Pier and the catch rate on the pier increased as the trout and salmon followed the baitfish closer to shore, with limits of trout and salmon landed.
Early-nesting species are fledging young now, including killdeer, American robins, eastern bluebirds, eastern phoebes, wood ducks, starlings, ruffed grouse, wild turkeys, and more. This is a great year for dickcissels, a sparrow-like bird of grasslands. Though common in the plains south and west of Wisconsin each year, their numbers vary here annually.
New wobbly elk calves and deer fawns are out and are now following their mothers all the time. A large bull elk has been seen feeding off a road in the Flambeau River State Forest with his antlers in full velvet.
In the north, the forest floor is bursting swamp dewberries, bunchberry, twin flower, buttercups, blue flag iris, false Solomon's seal, Canada mayflower, oxeye daisies, yellow and orange hawkweed are in varying stages of bloom, and blueberries are ripe or soon to ripen. Pink lady slippers are blooming in Door County.
There is a New Moon on Friday so it should be a great weekend for astronomy programs being held this weekend at Kettle Moraine south, Governor Dodge, Wildcat and Devil's Lake state parks. There will also be music performances Saturday at Rib Mountain State Park and at Mirror Lake State Park. Shakespeare in the Park performances and workshops continue this weekend at Havenwoods State Forest Friday and at Devil's Lake State Park on Saturday. For a complete listing of events search the DNR website for "Get Outdoors."
Woodruff DNR Service Center area
Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest - The summer green explosion is in full force in the forest. Everything is lush and green and has caught up with the rest of the state. Bunchberry, twin flower, buttercups, blue flag iris, false Solomon's seal, Canada mayflower, oxeye daisies, yellow and orange hawkweed are in varying stages of bloom. The showy white blossoms of blackberry are gracing the roadsides. Highbush cranberry, mountain maple and pagoda dogwood are in bloom. Yellow and white water lilies are poking their heads above water here and there. Lupine are just about done blooming. The wild strawberries that bloomed the earliest are starting to show ripened berries with some plants still blooming! Slow down and enjoy the bloom and watch for road crossing turtles and baby animals! Campers can be serenated by the lovely song of the hermit thrush as they enjoy the evening by the fire. Hopefully the hum of mosquitos won't drown the song out! - Rosalie Richter, visitor services associate
Community Events
Please click the following links for upcoming community events!
