January 9

Assembly Floor Sessions

This was a very busy week at the State Capitol as the Assembly met in session both Tuesday and Thursday. Many of the bills that advanced have been discussed in past E-updates, and are now either headed to the State Senate for approval or to the Governor for his signature. Here are some of the highlights:

Senate Bill 293/Assembly Bill 408: Investing in Mental Health Treatments
I authored this legislation and it is a three-part initiative that seeks to better coordinate mental health services and to improve outcomes for Wisconsin Medicaid patients who are suffering from mental illness.
1. The first portion will provide $1.5 million ($600,000 state funds and the rest federal) to test pilot programs where health care providers will better manage all aspects of care and “treat the whole person” with the goal of reducing repeated ER visits. This pilot program is based on a similar effort in Illinois that resulted in savings of $8 million to taxpayers.
2. The second portion is targeted to adult Medicaid recipients who have mild to moderate mental health needs and is designed to help them get proactive psychiatric help. The goal is to provide help when it is needed most so problems do not worsen.
3. The third portion will create a state online bed-tracking system for mental health patients. Currently, when an individual needs inpatient psychiatric care, clinics have no other option than to call around to hospitals in an attempt to locate an open bed. An online system will display bed availability statewide in real time, saving valuable staff time and resources.

This mental health legislation had strong bipartisan support; over 70 legislators from both the Assembly and Senate signed on as co-sponsors. The bill was passed 30-0 in the Senate and 98-0 in the Assembly. The bill will be signed by the Governor in the coming weeks.

Senate Bill 434/Assembly Bill 561: Managed Forest Law
This legislation has been worked on for several sessions. Rep. Jeff Mursau (R-Crivitz) and Sen. Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) were the lead authors. Among other changes, the updates to the MFL program include:
1. Return nearly $18 million over the next 3 years to towns and counties from the fees associated with Closed MFL lands. These dollars will help local municipalities to fund local projects, such as road repair.
2. Increase the minimum acreage for enrollment from 10 to 20 acres
3. Greater flexibility for owners when transferring ownership and splitting acreage, and lowering the administrative burden for enrollees by eliminating the severance and yield taxes

This legislation had bipartisan support and will be signed into law by the Governor in the coming weeks. I support these updates because we need to ensure a steady and abundant flow of raw product and timber into our forest products industry, and when an individual enters into MFL they agree to manage their land for sustainability and work with foresters for the health of the forest and wildlife habitat.

Assembly Bills 783, 784, 785, 786, 787, 788, 789, 790, 791, 792: Wisconsin Cares Legislative Package
You’ve heard me talk about these ten bills before; the Wisconsin Cares package is the result of our Alzheimer’s and Dementia Taskforce. Each bill has bipartisan co-sponsors and received unanimous support. These bills provide resources and real hope for families across Wisconsin. These bills are awaiting Senate approval and will then go to the Governor for his signature.
1. AB-783 Virtual Dementia Tour License Funding
2. AB-784 Funding for Alzheimer's Research Center at UW-Madison that is conducting breakthrough studies on the genetics of Alzheimer’s
3. AB-785 Dementia Specialist Certification
4. AB-786 Dementia Crisis Unit Pilot Program Report
5. AB-787 Funding for Respite Care under the Alzheimer's Family and Caregiver Support Program
6. AB-788 Funding for dementia care specialists in aging and disability resource centers
7. AB-789 Requiring continuing legal and judicial education on elder law-related issues
8. AB-790 Dementia training grants for mobile crisis teams
9. AB-791 Informed consent for psychotropic medications in nursing homes and community-based residential facilities
10. AB-792 Referrals for subjects of alerts for missing adults and operator's license review

Assembly Bill 793 and Assembly Bill 820: Broadband and Rural Teacher Loan Program
These bills are part of our Rural Wisconsin Initiative that was announced back in January. AB 793 expands the state’s teacher loan program. Under the current program, teachers who meet certain criteria are eligible for up to $10,000 in loans for three years, with 25% of the loans being forgiven if the teacher continues to teach in Milwaukee and receives a teacher rating of proficient or distinguished. Under AB 793, this program will be expanded to include teachers in rural areas. The bill was passed 95-1.

AB 820 establishes the Broadband Forward! Community certification. This is a voluntary certification that municipalities have the option to pursue in order to show readiness for expanded broadband. It signifies the community will abide by certain timeframes and fee structures in hopes of providing greater overall service. There is nothing mandatory about this certification, it is simply a positive connection that municipalities and telecommunications companies can evaluate and smoothes the expansion process. AB 820 was passed on a voice vote. Both of these bills are awaiting Senate approval and will then go to the Governor for his signature.