This Week in the Legislature: Week of April 20, 2015  

2015-17 State Biennial Budget
Last week, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) identified 49 non-fiscal, or policy, items included in the Governor's budget bill. The Joint Committee on Finance (JCF) removed 14 of those items from the budget, including the Governor's proposal calling for countywide assessment.

Also last week, the Governor's errata, or technical corrections to the budget, was released. To view the full errata, please click here.

A separate errata letter with additional corrections was also released.  View the errata letter here.

The JCF held two days of executive sessions last week on the 2015-17 state biennial budget. Items of interest to counties include:

*    Circuit Courts: Court reporters will remain state employees funded out of the same appropriation as circuit court judges. The Governor's proposal to create a circuit court block grant was approved, but the allocation provisions will not take effect until FY 17. The JCF retained the requirement for counties to submit a "uniform chart of accounts" report.
*    County Veterans Service Officers (CVSOs): The JCF included language specifying that county veterans service office grants must be made on a reimbursable basis and specifying eligible costs. The budget also specifies that reimbursements are to be made twice annually and documentation must be provided for eligible expenditures. The budget also changes the date for requiring a civil service process to be used for choosing a CVSO to April 15, 2015.
*    Local Government Property Insurance Fund: The JCF delayed the termination of local government property insurance fund policies by two years and required the Insurance Commissioner to adopt the policy rates and structure recommended by the Advisory Committee at its April meeting. The final date for the issuance of new policies would remain July 1, 2015.
*    911 Funding: The committee was unable to agree on an amendment to create a statewide 911 council. Leaders in both houses agreed to work on 911 legislation in the fall.
*    Income Maintenance Funding: The Governor's funding levels for the PPACA supplement were maintained; however, the funding placed in unallotted reserve was moved to the JCF's supplemental appropriation. In addition, the JCF added an additional $500,000 annually to increase funding provided to the IM consortia for fraud prevention and investigation activities.

The JCF will meet this Wednesday, April 22.  Items of interest to counties up on April 22 include the following:
*    Repealing Car-Killed Deer Appropriations
*    General Transportation Aids
*    Mass Transit Operating Assistance
*    Elderly and Disabled County Assistance
*    Transportation Alternatives Program

To see the LFB papers before the Joint Committee on Finance, please click here.

Transportation Fund
On Friday, the co-chairs of the JCF released a statement on the improving condition of the state's transportation fund.  To see their statement, please click here.

WCA State Budget Webinars
The WCA Government Affairs Team is hosting weekly budget webinars on Mondays at 9:00 a.m. during state budget deliberations. An email with additional detail and registration information will be sent each Tuesday. 

The deadline for registering for each webinar is 8:00 a.m. on the day of the webinar. Register for the Monday, April 27 webinar by clicking here.

Webinars are recorded each week and will placed on the WCA website under Legislative>State Budget>2015-2017 State Budget WCA Webinars shortly after the conclusion of each webinar.

 See the Monday, April 20 webinar by clicking here and scrolling down to "2015-2017 State Budget WCA Webinars."

Committee Hearings for the Week of April 20, 2015
Note: The Committee hearings and bills listed below reflect action on legislation impacting county government.  See a complete listing of weekly hearings here.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Assembly Committee on Mental Health Reform, 10:00 a.m.
The Committee will receive testimony from invited speakers regarding the work of their organizations, mental health matters, and ideas for mental health reform legislation. Following the testimony from invited speakers the committee will hear comments from the public regarding mental health matters, and ideas for mental health reform legislation.

Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections, 10:00 a.m.
Assembly Bill 58 - responding to a request for an absentee ballot. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Assembly Bill 79 - allowing municipal clerks to register voters on election day. WCA supports this bill.

Assembly Bill 124 - fees for election recounts. WCA supports this bill.

Assembly Bill 164 - various election law changes. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Thursday, April 23, 2015
Senate Committee on Economic Development and Commerce, 10:00 a.m.
Senate Bill 51 - standing joint review boards, annual joint review board meetings, annual reports on tax incremental districts. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Senate Bill 52 - modifying the requirements for sharing tax increments by tax incremental districts, limiting the participation of certain special purpose districts in tax incremental district financing, and authorizing any tax incremental district to use allocated tax increments donated from another tax incremental district. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Senate Bill 56 - designation of tax incremental districts as distressed or severely distressed districts. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, 10:00 a.m.
Senate Bill 97 - including orders pertaining to household pets in certain restraining orders and injunctions. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Senate Bill 117 - battery and threats to a judge, a prosecutor, or a law enforcement officer and providing a criminal penalty. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, 10:30 a.m.
Assembly Bill 142 - going armed with a switchblade. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Senate Committee on Elections and Local Government, 1:00 p.m.
Senate Bill 113 - town zoning ordinances affecting shorelands. WCA supports this bill.

Senate Bill 121 - various election law changes. WCA is monitoring this bill.

For a listing of all bills impacting county government and WCA's positions on those bills, please visit the legislative section of the WCA website here

Senate Floor Session
The Wisconsin State Senate will be in session on Tuesday, April 21 at 11:00 a.m. Items of interest to counties on the calendar include the following:

Senate Bill 35 - waiting period for handgun purchases. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Senate Bill 47 - responding to a request for an absentee ballot. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Senate Bill 73/Assembly Bill 82 - instruments filed or recorded with, and fees charged by, the register of deeds. WCA supports this bill.

Assembly Bill 28 - traffic control at nonfunctioning or malfunctioning traffic control signals. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Assembly Bill 113 - operating implements of husbandry and agricultural commercial motor vehicles on highways and transporting implements of husbandry by trailer on highways. WCA supports this bill.

Assembly Bill 122 - exempting certain vehicles of utilities from class B highway weight limitations and certain special or seasonal weight limitations. WCA supports this bill.

Assembly Bill 143 - regulation of transportation network companies, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, granting rule-making authority and providing a penalty. WCA is monitoring this bill.

WCA Upcoming Meetings
For a complete listing of upcoming WCA meetings, please click here.
April 27 - Health and Human Services Steering Committee
May 1 - Judicial and Public Safety Steering Committee
May 13 - County Organization and Personnel Steering Committee

Questions? Contact Our Government Affairs Team  
If you have any questions about anything happening at the state level, please feel free to contact any member of the WCA Government Affairs Team at 866.404.2700 or via email:

Kyle Christianson - Director of Government Affairs 
Sarah Diedrick-Kasdorf - Deputy Director of Government Affairs 
David Callender - Government Affairs Associate 
Daniel Bahr - Government Affairs Associate 
 
Member Services: WisPolitics & The Wheeler Report
Members of the Wisconsin Counties Association are eligible for a
free email subscription for WisPolitics.com and The Wheeler Report.

These daily email updates are an invaluable resource for those interested in keeping up with the day-to-day activities of the Legislature and include in-depth "insider" information on state politics.
 

 

To begin your free subscription, please contact Amy Dias of WCA at 866.404.2700 or
with your name, your county name and the email address where you would like subscriptions sent.   
Wisconsin Counties Association
22 East Mifflin Street, Suite 900
Madison, Wisconsin 53703
866.404.2700