CONTACT ME
MAIL:
Room 20 South
State Capitol
P.O. Box 7882
Madison, WI 53707
TELEPHONE:
Office Phone
(608) 266-5490
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(800) 385-3385
EMAIL:
Sen.Shilling@legis.wi.gov
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legis.wi.gov/senate/shilling
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SENATE COMMITTEES:
Joint Legislative Council
Joint Committee on Finance
Committee on Government Operations, Public Works, and Telecommunications
Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges
Special Committee on Reporting of Child Abuses and Child Neglect
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November 14, 2013 |
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Dear Friends and Neighbors - This newsletter will highlight my workforce development bill, veterans legislation, and my visit to Hillsboro. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about these or any other state legislative issues. Sincerely, |
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| Legislature Passed Workforce Development Bill | |||||||||||||||
| A bi-partisan workforce development proposal authored by
myself and Rep. Katrina Shankland (D-Stevens Point) was passed
with overwhelming support by both houses of the State
Legislature on Tuesday, November 5th. The bill, Senate Bill 274,
will leverage additional funding in order to eliminate waiting
lists and increase workplace opportunities for people with
disabilities throughout the state. Unemployment and underemployment of people with disabilities is a serious issue in Wisconsin. Senate Bill 274 is a smart investment in a proven workforce development program. This bill will provide the resources needed to rapidly improve job training and employment assistance services. According to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, over 4,100 individuals with disabilities are currently on waiting lists for job training and employment assistance services through the state’s vocational rehabilitation program. The vocational rehabilitation program provides employment assistance services to people with disabilities including individualized plans for employment, job search and placement assistance, transportation, on-the-job support, vocational training, interpreter services, career guidance and counseling. Individuals who receive services through the vocational rehabilitation program are able to successfully transition to steady employment and become more productive members of their communities, more self-sufficient, and less reliant on other state assistance programs. The Department of Workforce Development estimates that 3,250 individuals returned to the workforce in 2012 as a result of vocational rehabilitation services. These individuals are expected to earn approximately $56.4 million annually which translates into a 210% return on investment for the DVR program. Everyone has skills and talents that they can offer and utilize in a workplace setting. Helping individuals with special needs to identify their unique abilities and maximize their potential is not only the right thing to do, but it’s the smart thing to do. Senate Bill 274 was included in a package of workforce development bills announced by the Governor in September. Now that the bill has passed both houses of the Legislature, it must be signed by the Governor to become law. |
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| Working to Uphold our Commitment to Veterans | |||||||||||||||
| 75 years ago, November 11th was designated as a legal
holiday dedicated to the cause of peace. Today, we recognize
this important date as Veterans Day and honor the service of all
U.S. military veterans who defend our nation and keep us safe. We remember those who have served, those who have given their lives in defense of our country, those whose families have sacrificed at home while loved ones are deployed, and those who continue to bravely serve our nation. These men and women are constantly in our thoughts as we honor their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve the common good. While we mark this special occasion in our homes, schools, and local communities, we must also remember to uphold our commitments to veterans across our state. Our benefits system for veterans dates back to the Revolutionary War, and today we continue that legacy by helping veterans with their employment, education, and health care needs. In Wisconsin, we have seen strong bi-partisan support for several proposals to help veterans, families, and businesses. One proposal that I am proud to co-author with my Republican colleague Sen. Paul Farrow (R- Pewaukee) is Senate Bill 370. This bill will strengthen Wisconsin’s Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Program, encourage job creation within the veteran community, and help boost our local economy. Working with a bi-partisan group of legislators during the budget process, we were also able to increase grant funding for VETransfer – a business accelerator program for veterans in Wisconsin looking to start their own small businesses. This program has a proven track record of success in creating jobs and helping entrepreneurs and start-up companies get off the ground. Together with new employment options, many young veterans returning from deployments overseas have also pursued higher educational opportunities. In order to strengthen the Wisconsin G.I. Bill, Democrats have supported efforts to fully fund the Veteran Tuition Remission Program and make our UW and Technical College schools more affordable for all students. Additionally, we have many aging veterans and individuals suffering from combat-related injuries who are in need of medical or housing assistance. To address these issues, I have co-authored two proposals with Sen. Julie Lassa (D-Stevens Point) that will strengthen health care services, increase post-traumatic stress syndrome treatment opportunities, and improve long-term care options. By continuing to uphold our commitment to veterans, we can help to honor their service, strengthen our economy, and improve our communities. For more information on veteran benefits and programs, individuals can contact the Wisconsin Dept. of Veterans Affairs by email at WisVets@dva.wisconsin.gov or by phone at 1-800-947-8387. |
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| Hillsboro Visit | |||||||||||||||
On November 4th, I visited with students and staff at
Hillsboro High School, discussed health care issues with
Gundersen St. Joseph’s employees, held a listening session at
City Hall, toured the local METCO headquarters, and then visited
with the Mlsna family at their Ocooch Dairy Farm. Thanks to
everyone in Hillsboro for your hospitality, and for making it a very informative and
productive day!  |
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| Pen a Note | |||||||||||||||
| I was happy to participate in the American Red Cross Mail
for Heroes event on November 6th. This program sends holiday
cards to service members and Veterans here in Wisconsin and
around the world. For more information on how to participate
in this program, you can go to the
American Red Cross website. |
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| The Wisconsin Venison Donation Program | |||||||||||||||
| The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) would like to send
out a friendly reminder about the Wisconsin Venison Donation
Program. The Wisconsin Venison Donation Program works with Hunt
for the Hungary and Target Hunger, along with over 120
participating meat processors, to provide venison for food
pantries across the state. The program has been in business for
13 years, and in 13 years, hunters have donated 83,120 deer,
which were processed into more than 3.7 million pounds of ground
venison for food pantries. There are two separate programs available for donations from hunters; one in the chronic wasting disease zone, and another in the rest of the state. Make sure you look at the correct list for your area. Lists of participating meat processors and instruction for donating are also available on the DNR website. Search keyword "deer donation." Hunters can donate a deer by following a few simple steps: • Field dress the deer and register it at a Wisconsin DNR registration station before donating the deer. • Call first! Contact one of the participating processors before dropping the deer off to verify the processor has space to accept your deer. • Deer legally harvested outside the CWD zone are registered with a silver metal tag. These deer can be dropped off at a participating processor by Jan. 5, 2014. • Deer legally harvested and sampled for CWD outside the CWD zone will be marked with a round medal medallion. Processors that will accept CWD sampled deer, in addition to regular silver tagged deer, are identified with an asterisk (*) on the Wisconsin Deer Donation 2013 poster. Not all participating processors are equipped to process CWD sampled deer. • Deer legally harvested in the CWD zone are registered with a red metal tag. Red-tagged deer can only be donated to a processor participating in the Target Hunger program. Donated red-tagged deer are tested for CWD and only deer that test negative will be distributed to pantries. • Donate the entire deer to receive the processing for free. (Head and/or antlers may be removed for mounting.) • When dropping a deer off at a processor, sign the log sheet indicating your desire to donate the deer and the deer will be processed and the venison will be distributed to charitable organizations to help feed Wisconsin’s needy. For more information on the Wisconsin Venison Donation Program, you can contact Dan Hirchert at (608) 267-7974 or Jenni Pelej at (608) 264-9248 with the DNR. |
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| DNR Season Calendar with Hunting, Trapping, and Fishing Seasons, and Permit Application Deadlines | |||||||||||||||
| November 1st • Wild ginseng season closes November 2nd • Beaver trapping season opens in the northwest zone (A), northeast zone (B) through April 30th, and in the southern zone (C) through March 31st • Otter trapping season opens in all zones and through April 30th in the north zone, and March 31st in the central zone and south zone • Nonresident raccoon season opens through February 15th November 4th • Woodcock season closes November 9th • Mourning dove season closes November 15th • Trout and salmon fishing closes on downstream section of Lake Superior tributaries that remained open after Sept. 30th (see current trout fishing regulations for stream section) November 19th • Duck season closes in the north zone November 21st • Early archery deer season closes statewide (reopens November 23rd through January 5th) • Fall turkey hunting season closes – season extension reopens in zones 1-5 on December 2nd, and runs through December 31st • Fall crow season closes November 22nd • Illegal to hunt with a firearm or bow the day before the gun deer season opens, except for waterfowl hunting or hunting on licensed game farms or shooting preserves, or within the CWD management zone November 23rd • Regular gun deer season open through November 25th – late archery season opens through January 6th |
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| Calendar of Events from Nov. 14th to Nov. 26th | |||||||||||||||
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| State Legislation Update | |||||||||||||||
| Introduced in the Senate: SB-381. Collective bargaining for public safety employees employed by a city of the first class. Referred to Judiciary and Labor Committee. SB-382. Definition of human trafficking. Referred to Transportation, Public Safety, and Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. SB-383. Issuance of a wild turkey hunting licenses to qualified resident and nonresident landowners. Referred to Natural Resources Committee. SJR-59. Early childhood brain development. Referred to Senate Organization Committee. SB-384. The laws of trusts, the Uniform Trust Code, the Uniform Principal and Income Act, powers of appointment. Referred to Judiciary and Labor Committee. SB-385. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s officers, committees, and reporting obligations. Referred to Economic Development and Local Government Committee. SB-386. Special enrollment periods for Medicare supplement policies. Referred to Health and Human Services Committee. SB-387. Use of special identification cards for persons with physical disabilities. Referred to Transportation, Public Safety, and Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. SB-388. The appointment and term of service of the secretary of natural resources and vacancies on the Natural Resources Board. Referred to Natural Resources Committee. SB-389. Indexing for inflation of, and making other changes to, the college savings plan income tax deduction. Referred to Workforce Development, Forestry, Mining, and Revenue Committee. SB-390. Expanding the requirement of county board approval of a town amendment of its zoning ordinances. Referred to Elections and Urban Affairs Committee. SB-391. Allowing health care providers licensed outside the state to participate in and requirement on nonprofit agencies in the volunteer health care provider program. Referred to Health and Human Services Committee. SB-392. Requiring legislation for agencies to take an action to, request federal moneys to, and use state moneys to assist the federal government to create or implement a health benefit exchange. Referred to Government Operations, Public Works, and Telecommunications Committee. SB-393. Providing a printed name for signers of nomination papers and petitions. Referred to Elections and Urban Affairs Committee. SB-394. Professional land surveyors; the practice of professional land surveying; surveying land abutting navigable waters; various changes regarding platting, surveying, and certified survey maps. Referred to Judiciary and Labor Committee. SB-395. Cosmetologist training hours and exemption of makeup artists from barbering and cosmetology licensure requirements. Referred to Health and Human Services Committee. SB-396. Awards for the victims of crimes. Referred to Judiciary and Labor Committee. SB-397. County payments to public libraries in adjacent counties. Referred to Economic Development and Local Government Committee. SB-398. The provision by employers to employees of written disclosure statements of the terms of employment, the filing and investigation of wage claims, the statute of limitations for filing a wage claim action, the payment of interest, penalties, and surcharges on wage claims, occupational or professional licensing of employers that owe wages under the wage claim judgments. Referred to Workforce Development, Forestry, Mining, and Revenue Committee. SB-399. Crimes against animals. Referred to Judiciary and Labor Committee. SB-400. Obtaining a certified copy of a birth certificate. Referred to Judiciary and Labor Committee. SB-401. Reasonable accommodation of any condition of an employee that is related to pregnancy or childbirth and of an employee’s inability to adequately undertake the job-related responsibilities of a particular job because of pregnancy, childbirth, or a related condition. Referred to Judiciary and Labor Committee. SB-402. Expunging a record of conviction or adjudication of delinquency if the offender was a victim of human trafficking. Referred to Judiciary and Labor Committee. SB-403. Care needs provided by veterans homes. Referred to Transportation, Public Safety, and Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. SB-404. Voting at the entrance to an in-person absentee voting location by an elector with a disability. Referred to Elections and Urban Affairs Committee. SB-405. Membership of a task force studying issues relating to the operation, use, and construction of state veterans home and other facilities for veterans. Referred to Transportation, Public Safety, and Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. Introduced in the Assembly: AB-468. Admission of Family Care enrollees to mental health institutes. Referred to Aging and Long-Term Care Committee. AB-469. Vehicle admission receipts issued to certain members of the U.S. armed forces and to certain members of the national guard. Referred to Veterans Committee. AB-470. Increasing the minimum retirement age under the Wisconsin Retirement System. Referred to Retirement Systems Committee. AB-471. Determination of final average earnings for the purpose of calculating Wisconsin Retirement System annuities. Referred to Retirement Systems Committee. AB-472. Transfer of certain fish and game approvals to persons with disabilities. Referred to Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage Committee. AB-473. Transfer of Class A bear licenses to persons awarded the Purple Heart or serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces. Referred to Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage Committee. AB-474. Establishing a nanotechnology information hub and a nanotechnology council. Referred to Jobs, Economy and Mining Committee. AB-475. Required general fund structural balance. Referred to Finance Committee. AB-476. Local regulation of nonmetallic mining; local regulation of air quality; local regulation of water quality; local regulation of the use of explosives in mining, quarrying, and related activities; highway use contracts by local governments; and local regulation of borrow sites and material disposal sites for transportation projects of the Department of Transportation. Referred to Jobs, Economy and Mining Committee. AB-477. Entrepreneurial assistance grants. Referred to Jobs, Economy and Mining Committee. AB-478. Expanding the authority of towns to create tax incremental financing districts. Referred to State and Local Finance Committee. AB-479. Penalties for violating provisions related to lead poisoning an exposure. Referred to Consumer Protection Committee. AB-480. Medical use of marijuana, the regulation of marijuana distribution organizations. Referred to Health Committee. AB-481. A minimum tax on tobacco products, placement of cigarettes or tobacco products by retailers. Referred to State Affairs and Government Operations Committee. AB-482. Law enforcement standards. Referred to Criminal Justice Committee. AB-483. Local ordinances regulating borrow sets and material disposal sites for certain transportation projects. Referred to Urban and Local Affairs Committee. AB-484. The carry-back of net operating losses, the sales and use tax exemption for commercial printing, the jobs tax credit, the electronic medical records credit, the manufacturing and agriculture credit, and the relocated business credit. Referred to Ways and Means Committee. AB-485. The sales of eggs. Referred to Consumer Protection Committee. AB-486. Crimes against animals. Referred to Criminal Justice Committee. AJR-71. Wisconsin Adoption Month. Referred to Rules Committee. AB-487. Exempting from the prevailing wage law public works projects erected, constructed, repaired, remodeled, or demolished for a school district or for a cooperative educational service agency. Referred to Jobs, Economy and Mining Committee. AB-488. Involuntary commitment proceedings and limited appearance by corporation counsel. Referred to Health Committee. AB-489. The number of mathematics and science credits required for a high school diploma. Referred to Education Committee. AB-490. The laws of trusts, the Uniform Trust Code, the Uniform Principal and Income Act, powers of appointment. Referred to Financial Institutions Committee. AB-491. Indexing for inflation of, and making other changes to, the college savings plan income tax deduction. Referred to Ways and Means Committee. AB-492. Motor vehicle adaptive equipment for drivers with physical disabilities. Referred to Transportation Committee. AB-493. Exemption of certain electros from the requirement to present proof of identification when voting in an election and use of veterans identification cards as proof of identification. Referred to Campaign and Elections Committee. AB-494. The waiver of fees imposed on waste disposal of at a solid or hazardous waste disposal facility. Referred to Environment and Forestry Committee. AJR-72. Proclaims November as Runaway Prevention Month. Referred to Rules Committee. AB-496. Releases of customer information by municipal utilities. Referred to Energy and Utilities Committee. AB-497. A higher wildlife protection surcharge for certain animals of a larger size. Referred to Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage Committee. AB-498. Student loans, the individual income tax subtract modification for tuition and student fees, creating an authority, to be known as the Wisconsin Student Loan Refinancing Authority. Referred to Colleges and Universities Committee. AB-499. Exempting certain one- and two-family dwellings from the requirements of having smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors and from certain standards and rules relating to plumbing. Referred to Housing and Real Estate Committee. AB-500. Emergency detention pilot program in Milwaukee County. Referred to Health Committee. AR-20. Proclaims Wisconsin Diabetes Day. Referred to Rules Committee. AJR-73. A Wisconsin children’s outdoor bill of rights. Referred to Rules. AB-501. The form and content of certain communications made for political purposes. Referred to Campaigns and Elections Committee. AB-502. The use of an epinephrine auto-injector on school premises or at a school-sponsored activity. Referred to Health Committee. AB-503. Cosmetologist training hours and exemption of makeup artists from barbering and cosmetology licensure requirements. Referred to State Affairs and Government Operations Committee. AB-504. Public access to managed forest land that is located in a proposed mining site. Referred to Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage Committee. AB-505. Issuance of wild turkey hunting licenses to qualified resident and nonresident landowners. Referred to Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage Committee. AB-506. Professional land surveyors; the practice of professional land surveying; surveying land abutting navigable waters; various changes regarding platting, surveying, and certified maps. Referred to State Affairs and Government Operations Committee. AB-507. Directing school boards to provide instruction about the recent history of the Hmong people. Referred to Education Committee. If you would like to track the status of these bills online, please feel free to visit the state legislative website at www.legis.state.wi.us and enter the proposal number in the column on the left. |
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