IN THE LEGISLATURE

Tuesday in the Assembly

Fiscal responsibility is a team lift when it comes to government. That is why I believe the Assembly votes Tuesday on the legislation to allocate the federal ARPA relief funds were so important. We want to work with the Governor for the benefit of all Wisconsinites.

Bills passed by the Assembly:

• Assembly Bill 232 - requires the Department of Revenue (DOR), in conjunction with the counties and municipalities, to provide payments to every property taxpayer in this state.
• Assembly Bill 233 - requires DOR to provide grants to businesses in this state that had total sales in 2019 of less than $7 million and suffered economic damage as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Assembly Bill 234 - requires the Department of Tourism (Travel Wisconsin) to award grants to nonprofit organizations whose primary purpose is the promotion and development of tourism, or organizations that run/own amusement/theme parks in Wisconsin to assist those organizations to remain operational in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
• Assembly Bill 235 - requires the governor to allocate $50,000,000 of the funds accepted under the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to expend moneys for any economic development program WEDC is administering as of the date on which the bill becomes law if the expenditure assists economic development in a rural county, subject to passive review by the Joint Finance Committee.
• Assembly Bill 236 - requires the governor to direct $150,000,000 from the moneys received under the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for the Department of Health Services (DHS) to distribute to nursing homes and assisted living facilities that apply to DHS for a onetime payment.
• Assembly Bill 237 - requires the governor to allocate federal moneys provided to this state, including moneys provided under the federal ARPA, for one or more deposits into the state unemployment reserve fund, to the extent that the deposits are needed to keep Schedule D of the unemployment insurance contribution (tax) rates in effect through the end of calendar year 2023.
• Assembly Bill 238 - requires the Department of Transportation (WisDOT) to administer a local highways and bridges supplement program.
• Assembly Bill 239 -  requires the governor to allocate $500,000,000 of the federal funds received by the state under the ARPA to make broadband expansion grants. The bill also requires the Public Service Commission (PSC) to submit an annual report to the Joint Committee on Finance related to the broadband expansion grants awarded.
• Assembly Bill 240 - provides that Department of Military Affairs (DMA) must administer any current or future statewide public safety interoperable communication system, and allows DMA to enter into agreements for maintenance and support of, upgrades to, and enhancements for the statewide public safety interoperable communication system. The bill also provides that of the money the governor accepts from the federal government under the federal ARPA, the governor shall allocate $33,000,000 for the development of an updated statewide public safety interoperable communication system.
• Assembly Bill 241 - requires the governor to allocate $250,000,000 of the funds accepted under the federal ARPA to retire public debt in the 2021-22 fiscal year. The bill also requires the governor to allocate $250,000,000 of the funds accepted under the federal ARPA for the retirement of transportation revenue bonds.
• Assembly Bill 243 - requires the governor to allocate $40,000,000 of the ARPA funds received by the state to provide, under SDWLP, principal forgiveness to municipalities to 1) cover up to 50 percent of the costs of lead service line replacement on private property or 2) provide grants to private users of public water systems to cover up to 50 percent of the costs of lead service line replacement on private property. The bill also requires the governor to allocate $12,000,000 of the ARPA funds received by the state to this program.

Wednesday in the Senate

The State Senate concurred in the ARPA bills as passed by the Assembly the previous day. In addition to those 11 bills, they also passed several bills of note including one authored by Rep. Dittrich (SB 98/AB 86). The bill is waiting to be scheduled for a public hearing in the Assembly Committee on Health.

• SB 98/AB 86 - defines the practice of complementary and alternative health care services, and specifies that those practices are exempt from licensure. The bill designates the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) for oversight and enforcement if a person fails to comply with the provisions of the bill.
• SB 210/AB 170 - requires the municipal clerk, chief inspector, and board of canvassers to provide election observers uniform and nondiscriminatory access to all stages of the election process, including recounts.
• SB 4/AB 23 - prohibits DHS and local health officers from requiring individuals to receive a vaccine against the COVID-19 virus.