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WISCONSIN CATHOLIC CONFERENCE 
Capitol Update
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June 21, 2016
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2015-16 Summary of Legislative Activity
The following legislation was of interest to the WCC this past session. Legislation is listed by general topic: life issues, children and families, education, health care, social concerns, criminal justice, institutional concerns, and miscellaneous. Proposals under each topic are listed in numerical order. Senate proposals precede Assembly proposals. Where WCC testimony is identical for companion proposals, the link provided is to the Senate testimony only. All testimony is available on the WCC website, www.wisconsincatholic.org.
SB-28 Death with Dignity (Risser, Fred (D)) Permitting certain individuals to make requests for medication for the purpose of ending their lives and providing penalties. ( AB-67, Pope, Sondy (D))
WCC Position/Activity: Opposed.
Status: No legislative action.
SB-179 20-Week Abortion Ban (Lazich, Mary (R)) Requiring a determination of probable post fertilization age of an unborn child before abortion and prohibiting abortion of an unborn child considered capable of experiencing pain. ( AB-237, Kremer, Jesse (R)).
SB-260 Fetal Body Parts (Stroebel, Duey (R)) Sale and use of fetal body parts and providing a criminal penalty. ( AB-305, Jacque, Andre (R)).
Status: Both bills passed out of committee.
SB-517 Organ Donor Employment Leave (Darling, Alberta (R)) Leave from employment for the purpose of serving as a bone marrow or organ donor and providing a penalty. (AB-752, Mason, Cory (D))
WCC Position/Activity: Supported.
SB-701 Eliminating Abortion Prohibitions (Risser, Fred (D)) Eliminating certain abortion prohibitions. ( AB-916, Subeck, Lisa (D))
WCC Position/Activity: Opposed.
Status: No legislative action.
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
SB-139 Epi Pens (Vukmir, Leah (R)) Supply and use of epinephrine auto-injectors by certain authorized entities. ( AB-203, Edming, James (R))
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored.
SB-141 Child Custody (Petrowski, Jerry (R)) The notification of relatives when a child is removed from the custody of the child's parent, and placement of a child with a parent of a sibling of the child who has custody of the sibling. ( AB-193, Loudenbeck, Amy (R))
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored.
SB-200 Child Abuse and Human Trafficking (Harsdorf, Sheila (R)) The investigation of a child abuse report in which a person who is not a caregiver of the child is suspected of permitting, allowing, or encouraging the child to engage in prostitution; and prohibiting prosecuting a person under the age of 18 with committing an act of prostitution. (AB-267, Billings, Jill (D))
WCC Position/Activity: Supported.
Status: AB-267 received a public hearing.
SB-386 Birth Parent Access to Child's Information (Olsen, Luther (R)) Access by a birth parent whose parental rights have been terminated in this state to identifying information about his or her child and access to medical and genetic information about such a birth parent. ( AB-513, Novak, Todd (R))
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored.
SB-618 Child Sex Trafficking (Harsdorf, Sheila (R)) The crime of child sex trafficking, the inclusion of child sex trafficking in the definition of child abuse, the investigation of a child abuse report in which a person who is not a caregiver of the child is suspected of permitting, allowing, or encouraging the child to engage in prostitution or of child sex trafficking for purposes of a commercial sex act, and providing a penalty. ( AB-737, Loudenbeck, Amy (R))
WCC Position/Activity: Supported.
AB-39 Adoptions (Legislative Council) Jurisdiction and venue in adoption proceedings and investigation of suitability of a home for adoption of a child.
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored.
AB-40 Adoption Requirements (Legislative Council) Preadoption preparation requirements and referrals to postadoption resource centers. WCC Position/Activity: Monitored.
SB-1 School Accountability (Farrow, Paul (R)) The school and school district accountability report, chronically failing schools and school districts, and educational options information.
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored. Testimony (for information).
SB-34 National School Lunch Program (Olsen, Luther (R)) Requiring certain persons to hold certificates of food protection practices in order to operate certain school lunchrooms participating in the National School Lunch Program. ( AB-37, Petryk, Warren(R))
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored.
SB-67 School Accountability (Farrow, Paul (R)) Pupil assessments, evaluation of educator effectiveness, and school accountability reports. ( AB-78, (Kitchens, Joel (R))
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored.
SB 193 Pupil Exam Opt Out (Stroebel, Duey (R)) Allowing a pupil's parent or guardian to opt out of certain statewide examinations and providing information about mandatory pupil examinations. ( AB-239, Thiesfeldt, Jeremy (R))
Status: An amended AB-239 passed the Assembly. An amended SB-193 passed out of committee.
SB-250 Parental Choice Program Limits (Stroebel, Duey (R)) The pupil participation limit in the statewide parental choice program. ( AB-332, Sanfelippo, Joe (R))
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored.
SB-412 Lifesaving Skills Instruction to Pupils (Petrowski, Jerry (R)) Providing lifesaving skills instruction to pupils. ( AB-545, Spiros, John (R))
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored.
SB-615 Special Needs Scholarship Program (Vukmir, Leah (R)) Alters certain administrative requirements of the Special Needs Scholarship Program. ( AB-751, Jagler, John (R))
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored.
SB-640 Audits of Choice Schools (Olsen, Luther (R)) Independent financial audits of private schools participating in a parental choice program, a civics exam as a condition for obtaining a high school diploma, and factors for determining school and school district performance on the school and school district accountability report. ( AB-828, Kitchens, Joel (R))
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored.
SB-703 Teacher Loan Program (Darling, Alberta (R)) Expands the potential for loan forgiveness to recipients who are employed full-time in school districts in rural counties as public and private school teachers in high-demand teacher shortage fields. ( AB-793, Quinn, Romaine (R))
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored.
AB-722 School Accountability Report (Neylon, Adam (R)) School and school district accountability report.
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored.
SB-237 Family Planning Grants (Kapenga, Chris (R)) Family planning and preventive health services grants and granting rule-making authority. AB-310, Jacque, Andre (R))
SB-687 Long-Term Care Districts (Marklein, Howard (R)) Long-term care districts and care management organizations. ( AB-856, Krug, Scott (R))
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored.
SOCIAL CONCERNS
SB-14 Human Trafficking (Petrowski, Jerry (R)) Posters regarding the national human trafficking resource center hotline. ( AB-16, Loudenbeck, Amy (R))
WCC Position/Activity: Supported.
SB-44 Right to Work (Fitzgerald, Scott (R)) Prohibiting as a condition of employment membership in a labor organization or payments to a labor organization and providing a penalty.
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored. ( AB-61, Vos, Robin (R)) Testimony (for information).
SB-369 Immigration Status Inquiries (Nass, Stephen (R)) Prohibiting local ordinances, resolutions, and policies that prohibit immigration status inquiries and reports to, and cooperation with, other units of government about the presence of illegal aliens, authorizing certain elective officeholders to commence an enforcement action, and providing a reduction in shared revenue payments. ( AB-450, Spiros, John (R))
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored. Testimony (for information).
Status: An amended SB-369 passed out of committee. An amended AB-450 passed in the Assembly.
SB-533 Regulating Photo ID by Local Government (Wanggaard, Van (R)) Regulating the production and use of photo identification cards by local units of government. ( AB-723, Sanfelippo, Joe (R))
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored. Testimony (for information).
AB-177 FoodShare (Brooks, Robert (R)) Limiting the foods that may be purchased under FoodShare; requiring a report on the cost to implement and comply with the food limitations; requiring review, updating, and publication of the list of authorized foods; providing an exemption from rule-making procedures; and making an appropriation.
Status: An amended version passed the Assembly.
AB-191 FoodShare Drug Testing (Rohrkaste, Mike (R)) Requiring drug testing and treatment for eligibility for certain work experience programs; requiring the Department of Health Services to request a waiver to screen and, if indicated, test and provide treatment to FoodShare employment and training participants for illegal use of a controlled substance; and making an appropriation.
WCC Position/Activity: Opposed.
Status: Passed the Assembly. (Similar provision passed in State Budget. Testimony.)
AB-192 Unemployment Claimants Drug Testing (Rohrkaste, Mike (R)) Requiring certain unemployment insurance claimants to submit to drug tests, eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits following a drug test, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation.
WCC Position/Activity: Opposed.
Status: Passed the Assembly.
AB-222 FoodShare ID (Kremer, Jesse (R)) Photo identification cards for FoodShare recipients.
WCC Position/Activity: Opposed.
Status: An amended version passed the Assembly.
SB-280 Age of Criminal Adult Jurisdiction (Petrowski, Jerry (R)) The age at which a person who is alleged to have violated a criminal law, a civil law, or a municipal ordinance and who has not been charged with certain violent offenses, and has not, after previously being convicted of a crime or adjudicated delinquent, been charged with a crime or alleged in a complaint or citation to have violated a civil law or municipal ordinance, is subject to juvenile court jurisdiction. ( AB-378, Hutton, Rob (R))
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored. Would have supported at a public hearing.
Status: No legislative action.
SB-322 Wrongful Conviction Compensation (Wanggaard, Van (R)) Resolution of claims against the state for wrongful imprisonment of innocent persons, exempting from taxation certain amounts an individual receives from the claims board or Legislature, health benefits for wrongfully imprisoned persons, and making appropriations. ( AB-460, Kooyenga, Dale (R)) WCC Position/Activity: Supported. Testimony.
Status: An amended AB-460 passed the Assembly, but failed to pass the Senate.
INSTITUTIONAL CONCERNS
SB-8 Raffles (LeMahieu, Devin (R)) The regulation of raffles. ( AB-14, Kuglitsch, Mike (R))
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored.
SB-229 Columbaria Regulation (Lazich, Mary (R)) Regulation of columbaria maintained by religious associations. ( AB-285, Brooks, Robert (R))
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored.
SB-302 Cemetery Authorities (LeMahieu, Devin (R)) Powers and duties of cemetery authorities; inheritance of cemetery lots in which human remains are buried; exemption of cemeteries from certain requirements concerning excavation; the powers and duties of the Cemetery Board, the Department of Safety and Professional Services, and the Department of Financial Institutions; requiring the exercise of rule-making authority; and providing a penalty. (AB-410, Sanfelippo, Joe (R))
WCC Position/Activity: Monitored. Testimony (for information).
MISCELLANEOUS
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Capitol Update is a periodic e-mail on legislative issues from the Wisconsin Catholic Conference.
Wisconsin Catholic Conference
131 W. Wilson St., Suite 1105
Madison, WI 53703
608/257-0004
www.wisconsincatholic.org
[email protected]
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