PDF of Press Release

 

 

             

Seven Marklein Bills Pass the Senate
Three bills on Governor's desk for signature.

 
Madison, WI – Seven bills authored by Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) were approved by the State Senate today. Three bills are now on Governor Tony Evers’ desk awaiting signature.
 
“All of the bills passed by the Senate today are important to different people in the 17th Senate District,” Marklein said. “I am proud of the bi-partisan work we have done to advance good policy and helpful updates to state statute for the citizens I serve.”
 
The bills passed by the Senate follow:
 

  1. Senate Bill (SB) 208 – Early Stage Seed Investment Credit – aligns tax code for investments made into a Qualified New Business Venture (QNBV) by an insurance company with other types of eligible investors.  Encourages investment in venture capital funds that help start-up companies begin or expand operations. 
  1. SB 369 – Disaster Assistance Streamlining bill – Streamlines the reimbursement process for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to local unites of government and modernizes communications and payment processes. 
  1. SB 390 – Physical Therapy Licensure Compact – Allows certified physical therapists in good standing to practice in multiple states by streamlining the licensing process. 
  1. SB 438 – Farm Credit – Priority Lien Status – Adds Farm Credit Administration to the list of priority lenders for certain classes of mortgage lenders.  This aligns Farm Credit Associations with banks, credit unions and WHEDA. 
  1. SB 457 – Banker Omnibus – Makes a variety of technical changes to statutes related to banks and the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI). This was a collaborative effort among banks statewide and the department to modernize state statutes. 
  1. Assembly Bill (AB) 194 – Special Education Foundation of Reading Test (FORT) waiver – Allows a teacher who successfully completes a course of study in the teaching or reading and reading comprehension in lieu of the requirement for passing the FORT. Creates an additional pathway for Special Education teachers to become “fully licensed.” This bill will written at the request of the CESA officials and local school districts in the 17th District who said that teachers would rather receive meaningful instruction, coaching and feedback rather than memorizing terms and study guides to pass a standardized test.  
  1. AB 471 – Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) program – Allows the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) to develop the rules for a grant program to PSAPs which they will use to purchase updated equipment and provide training as WI upgrades to Next Generation 911 (NG-911). This bill is to move along the process of modernizing 911 statewide.

AB 194 and AB 471 join AB 195, related to waivers for teachers who were certified out-of-state, on Governor Evers’ desk. All bills passed by the legislature are automatically sent to the Governor on December 5, 2019, unless he calls for them sooner.  Marklein has asked Gov. Evers to sign the education-related bills in the 17th Senate District because they were initiated by local school districts and educational leaders he represents.