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October 29, 2021
Senate Floor Session
Celebrating First Responders
Senate Committee on Insurance, Licensing and Forestry
Wolf Hunt Halted
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Senate Floor Session
On Monday, the State Senate convened to take up a number of bills. A handful of the bills we passed are listed below:
SB 115: Amends the statutes relating to program sponsors for chiropractic CE to include the Chiropractic Society of Wisconsin (CSW). As is required of other program sponsors, the CSW would be required to submit its program to the Chiropractic Examining Board for approval.
SB 563: Expands opportunities for Wisconsin hunters by enabling the hunting of non-native bovids on game farms. Bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and the Thompson’s gazelle are just some examples of animals that could be hunted if this proposal is enacted.
SB 610: Requires the DNR to modify administrative rules relating to the hunting of wild turkeys, combine hunting zones and seasons, and modify the youth hunting restrictions to simplify turkey hunting regulations in order to increase participation and access.
SB 611: Allows Hunter Safety students who enroll in an online class to have the option to fulfill the field testing requirement by participating in a mentored hunt.
SB 612: Requires the DNR to annually stock at least 100,000 brook trout into Lake Michigan.
SB 613: Requires the DNR to prepare a report that identifies ways to consolidate or eliminate hunting, fishing, and trapping approvals, or licenses, to reduce the total number of types of approvals DNR is required to issue.
SB 614: Requires the DNR to create a report every two years, coinciding with the biennial state budget, which establishes priorities and goals for their lands under management.
SB 615: Requires the DNR to prepare a report that identifies public access opportunities on all lands owned or managed by DNR, land acquired under the Knowles-Nelson stewardship program, and open managed forest lands.
SB 616: Requires the DNR to offer dog training licenses through the Go Wild system.
SB 617: Requires the DNR to prepare a report that identifies opportunities for partnering with the private aquaculture industry for increased stocking of desirable sport fish in lakes and streams.
You can view the entire Senate Calendar from October 25, 2021 here!
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Celebrating First Responders
On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of meeting and honoring the First Responders of the Year from each of the three Assembly Districts that are within the 12th Senate District.
Congratulations to Chief Eric Johnson of the Boulder Junction Fire Department, Officer Ryan Picl of the Tomahawk Police Department, and Annie Krawze of the Laona Rescue Squad.
(Above) Chief Johnson was nominated for his nearly 20 years of service aiding the betterment of the fire department and his community through actively playing a role in fire prevention, mitigation, and education programs.
(Above) Officer Picl was recognized for saving an elderly woman in sudden cardiac outside of a grocery store in Tomahawk in May of 2020.
(Above) Annie Krawze was honored for running the Laona Rescue Squad, developing and leading training for all area EMTs, and working with area school districts to put safety plans in place so students and staff are prepared for an emergency.
Senate Committee on Insurance, Licensing and Forestry
On Wednesday, I chaired an Executive Session and Public Hearing in the Senate Committee on Insurance, Licensing and Forestry.
In the Executive Session, we recommended the following bills be passed out of committee:
SB 588: Relating to: various changes to insurance laws, including issuance of funding agreements, granting rule-making authority, and providing a penalty.
SB 309: Relating to: funding for free and charitable clinics and defining telehealth.
SB 232: Relating to: allowing the Department of Safety and Professional Services and credentialing boards to grant credentials with provisional status, extending the time limit for emergency rule procedures, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, and granting rule-making authority.
We followed the Executive Session with a Public Hearing on the following bills:
SB 657: Relating to: advanced practice social workers and independent social workers treating substance use disorder as a specialty.
SB 655: Relating to: motor vehicle service contracts and vehicle protection product
warranties.
SB 562: Relating to: extension of eligibility under the Medical Assistance program for postpartum women. (Extending pospartum coverage from 60 days to a whole year)
SB 607: Relating to: the threshold amount of timber sold from state, county, or community forests above which certain approval and notice requirements apply.
SB 643: Relating to: qualification of international medical graduates to practice medicine and surgery.
SB 619: Relating to: right to carry a weapon in this state.
Wolf Hunt Halted
Last week, a Dane County Judge issued a temporary injunction placing the 2021-22 wolf hunt on hold, two weeks before the season was set to begin. The reason he gave has to do with the rule-making process. When the state promulgates a permanent rule, it can take anywhere between 7.5 and 13 months. For that exact reason, harvest quotas for most animals have historically been set using emergency rules - a much shorter process.
A few examples are:
- Migratory birds
- Deer
- Turkey
- Geese
By ruling that the DNR must promulgate permanent rules for the wolf hunting season, this judge has jeopardized an indeterminate amount of rules from hunting seasons to air and water quality standards. The Department of Justice must appeal this ruling immediately and clean up the mess made by this blatant attempt at legislating from the bench.
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