The Assembly met Tuesday, January 19, to vote on a number of bills, many dealing with children and families.  One bipartisan bill I cosponsored, Assembly Bill 667, directs the Department of Children and Families to develop and implement a plan for identifying and addressing areas for improvement in the investigating reports of abuse or neglect of disabled children.  Children with disabilities can be particularly vulnerable.  According to testimony provided by the Wisconsin Board of People with Developmental Disabilities, children with disabilities are twice as likely to be abused or neglected, and children with intellectual or developmental disabilities are almost five times as likely to be sexually abused as nondisabled children.  In addition, certain disabilities may impede a child's ability to communicate with investigators, making it difficult for investigators to collect the facts about alleged incidents.

The Senate met Wednesday to take up a number of bills, including several that had already received Assembly approval.  One such bill was Assembly Bill 310.  As I explained in my September 25 E-Update, Planned Parenthood currently receives all of Wisconsin's federal Title X funding for family planning and related preventive health services.  AB 310 creates an alternative channel of distribution, with the state Department of Health Services applying for the Title X funding and distributing it to qualifying public and private providers that do not provide abortion services or affiliate with entities that do.

The Senate also concurred in Assembly Bill 373, which will reform Wisconsin's civil service procedures, as I explained in my October 30 E-Update.  AB 373 is intended to make the hiring process more efficient and responsive to agencies' needs.  It also clarifies disciplinary and termination procedures.

AB 310 and AB 373 will now go to Governor Walker for his approval.

The Assembly will reconvene in February.  In the meantime, legislative committees will continue to hold hearings on bills.  As always, you can watch floor sessions and many committee meetings on WisconsinEye, and you may also follow floor debates on WisPolitics' Quorum Call blog.

Tuesday evening, Governor Walker presented his State of the State address to a joint session of the Assembly and the Senate.  While the Governor reviewed the gains Wisconsin has made in recent years, he also laid out a number of goals he would still like the Legislature to address, including a package of bills intended to make college more affordable.  He has also proposed increased funding for dual enrollment under the Wisconsin Fast Forward program, encouraging school districts and technical colleges to work together so interested students can get a head start on learning skilled trades.