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Contents Include:
1. Governor Presents 2015-16 State Budget
2. WCC Supports Human Trafficking Bill
3. Online Registration Open: Catholics at the Capitol, April 8, 2015
4. Upcoming Hearings of Interest
5. New Bills of Interest
6. Websites of Interest
Governor Presents 2015-16 State Budget
On February 3, Governor Walker delivered his budget address. Legislative leaders then introduced his budget as companion bills (Senate Bill 21 and Assembly Bill 21). The bills will now be taken up by the Joint Committee on Finance (JCF), which will begin holding public hearings in several weeks, make its own modifications to the Governor's proposal, and then send the budget to the full Legislature sometime in May. Once WCC staff completes its review of the budget, it will publish a more complete explanation, but for now these are some of the budget issues of particular interest to the WCC:
- Statewide expansion of the parental choice programs.
- Drug testing of applicants for unemployment insurance and certain other public assistance programs.
- Funding for Medicaid and other programs that provide health care to needy persons.
- Reducing the lifetime Wisconsin Works (W-2) time limit from 60 months to 48 months.
- Expansion of the Family Care program to all counties.
- Additional funding for mental health programs.
- Additional funding for programs to help victims of domestic violence.
- Additional funding for the State Public Defender's office.
- Transfer of juvenile corrections programming from the Department of Corrections to the Department of Children and Families.
WCC Supports Human Trafficking Bill
The WCC registered in support of Assembly Bill 16 (Representative Amy Loudenbeck, R-Clinton) at the February 8 hearing. The bill requires that the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) design a poster that provides information regarding the national human trafficking resource center hotline. Under this bill, DOJ must make the poster available to print from its Internet site and encourage certain businesses, including gas stations, hospitals and clinics, hotels, adult entertainment establishments, salons, agricultural sites, athletic sites, parlors and spas, agricultural expos, courthouses, highway rest areas, and transit stations to display it. The Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety took no further action.
Online Registration Open: Catholics at the Capitol, April 8, 2015
Registration materials for Catholics at the Capitol and online registration via PayPal or VISA/Mastercard is now available on our website.
Upcoming Hearings of Interest
(N.B. Only bills of interest are flagged. In most cases, committees will be considering other bills as well.)
Joint Legislative Council, 8:30 am, Wed, Feb. 11, 412-E
The Committee will receive the following study committee reports:
Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) Program
Problem-Solving Courts, Alternatives, and Diversions
Adoption Disruption and Dissolution
Review of Tax Incremental Financing
Assembly Children and Families, 11 am, Wed, Feb. 11, 415-NW
Hearing and Executive Session on:
CR 14-054. The extension of out-of-home care to children and youth 18 years of age or over, but under 21 years of age.
Assembly Public Benefit Reform, 1 pm, Tue, Feb. 17, 225-NW
Informational Hearing:
The Department of Children and Families, the Department of Health Services, and the Department of Workforce Development will provide an overview of the public assistance programs their agencies administer, and discuss their efforts to combat waste, fraud and abuse. Only invited speakers will be allowed to testify at this informational hearing.
New Bills of Interest
SB-8 Raffles (LeMahieu, Devin (R)) The regulation of raffles. Referred to Senate Revenue, Financial Institutions and Rural Issues
SB-14 Human Trafficking (Petrowski, Jerry (R)) Posters regarding the national human trafficking resource center hotline. Referred to Senate Judiciary and Public Safety
SB-19 Lay Caregiver (Carpenter, Tim (D)) Designating a lay caregiver during a hospital admission. Referred to Senate Health and Human Services
SB-21 State Budget (Joint Finance Committee) The executive budget act of the 2015 Legislature. Referred to Finance
AB-12 Minimum Wage (Mason, Cory (D)) A state minimum wage, permitting the enactment of local living wage ordinances, extending the time limit for emergency rule procedures, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, providing an exemption from rulemaking procedures, and requiring the exercise of rule-making authority. Referred to Assembly Jobs and the Economy
AB-16 Human Trafficking (Loudenbeck, Amy (R)) Posters regarding the national human trafficking resource center hotline. Referred to Criminal Justice and Public Safety
AB-21 State Budget (Joint Finance Committee) The executive budget act of the 2015 legislature. Referred to Finance
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