The next two weeks in the Capitol will see a flurry of legislative activity as legislators prepare for the final floor period of the calendar year: October 30-November 10, where both the Senate and Assembly are expected to be on the floor taking various votes. Here is an overview of the status of bills that are sure to affect working families around the state.
Please contact your Senator and Representatives on these importance issues via the Wisconsin Legislative Hotline: 1-800-362-9472
Worker’s Compensation Advisory Council Agreed-Upon Bill
(to be introduced shortly)
The Worker’s Compensation Advisory Council has completed negotiations and sent an Agreed-Upon Workers Compensation bill to the Legislature to approve.
The Agreed-Upon Bill contains improvements for injured workers, and represents good policy for all stakeholders. It continues Wisconsin’s proud tradition of having management and labor come together to recommend necessary reforms to keep our state’s worker’s compensation system top-notch.
The package contains reforms to the overall worker’s compensation system in Wisconsin. Among them, four stand out as key sections of the agreed-upon bill— increasing benefits for injured workers, dealing with rising health care costs in the system, addressing the opioid crisis, and studying new technologies around hearing loss.
Undemocratic De-Licensing Bill
SB 288 / AB 369
This destructive bill will create an undemocratic Occupational License Review Council and require it to examine each and every occupation and profession currently requiring a state-issued license. Under the bill, the Council will unilaterally decide whether a license could be, in their opinion, eliminated or whether the licensing standards will be weakened. This bill will damage the public’s trust in important services they rely upon, weaken worker safety, deteriorate many industries within our state, and ultimately is an affront to our democratic principles.
This bill has passed out of the Senate Committee, it could be voted on by the entire Senate on its next floor date.
Attack on Wisconsin’s FMLA
LRB 2015
Almost every legislative session since 2011, a Republican legislator has introduced legislation to attack our Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Act. Each and every time, Wisconsin’s working men and women have sounded the alarm, resulting in no changes to Wisconsin’s FMLA. This legislative session proves to be no different. Late last week, Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and Representative Joan Ballweg (R-Markesan) circulated draft legislation that would significantly weaken Wisconsin’s FMLA. This draft legislation could be introduced any day.
Under the proposed draft bill, any business, and employee of that business, which is covered under the Federal FMLA will not have the additional rights afforded by Wisconsin’s FMLA.
Now is not the time to weaken FMLA. Rather, now is the time to strengthen its protections by allowing more – not less – workers to be covered by Wisconsin’s FMLA and to ensure that all workers receive some form of paid leave.
Unemployment Insurance Advisory Committee Agreed-Upon Bill
AB 516 / SB 399
During every Legislative Session, the Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council meets to study, vet, and negotiate changes to our State’s Unemployment Insurance law. The Council is comprised of five members from organized labor, five members from management, and a non-voting chairperson from the State’s Department of Workforce Development.
This year, the Advisory Council already completed its negotiations and arrived at an Agreed-Upon Bill. Two weeks ago, it was introduced into the Legislature by Senator Nass and Representative Kuglitsch, at the request of Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council.
The Senate Bill was referred to the Senate Labor Committee, where it held a public hearing on October 4. The Committee voted unanimously to pass the bill out of Committee on Thursday, October 12. The Assembly Bill was referred to the Assembly Labor Committee, where it has not held or, to date, scheduled a hearing.
Bill to Weaken Training for Apprentices
SB 411 / AB 508
Last month, Sen. Kapenga (R-Delafield) and Rep. Hutton (R-Brookfield) introduced a bill to radically change the State’s regulation of the ratio of journeymen to apprentices. Ratios in apprenticeships are vitally important: setting the proper ratio for each trade assures thorough and safe training and also assures that there are enough skilled workers available to provide on-going training to apprentices. The State Department of Workforce Development (DWD) currently sets the ratio of journeymen to apprentices. By regulation, and by necessity, it has set the ratio differently for to fit the unique needs every trade.
Under this bill, the ratios would all be one-size-fits all, one apprentice to one journeyman, which will not meet the unique training needs for specific trades. The exception is as provided for in current collective bargaining agreements. The bill expressly prohibits the DWD from prescribing, enforcing, or authorizing, through any means, a ratio of more than one journeyman for each apprentice.
In the Senate, the bill has been referred to the Committee on Labor and Regulatory Reform, where it held a public hearing on October 4. The Committee voted the bill out of Committee on Thursday, October 12, with all three Republicans voting in favor and the two Democrats voted against. The Assembly Bill was referred to the Committee on Workforce Development, where it has scheduled a public hearing to take place on Tuesday, October 24.
Bill to Weaken Licensing Standards for Certified Nursing Assistants
SB 341 / AB 432
In another effort to weaken standards of licensed professionals to the detriment of patients, Sen. Hardsdorf (R-River Falls) and Rep. Petryk (R-Eleva) have introduced a bill aimed at the educational hours for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs).
CNAs provide essential bedside care to patients, and often gather vital information necessary for nurses and physicians. They work in a wide variety of environments, from hospitals to nursing homes and even in patients’ own homes. In Wisconsin, CNAs must obtain 120 hours of classroom instruction and 32 hours of clinical training.
This bill would lower the educational training for CNAs by nearly half: CNAs would only have to obtain 75 hours of instructional training with 16 hours of clinical training.
In the Senate, the bill has been referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services, where it where it has not held or, to date, scheduled a hearing. The Assembly Bill was referred to the Committee on Aging and Long Term, which held a hearing on September 5 and has scheduled a committee vote on Wednesday, October 18.
Bill to End Tax Breaks for Companies that Move Jobs Out of Wisconsin
AB 84 / SB 63 & LRB 4105
Astonishingly, Wisconsin’s tax laws continue to give corporations a tax break when they move jobs out of Wisconsin and even out of America. There are two bills that are circulating to change this.
Earlier this legislative session, Senator Janet Bewley (D-Mason) and Representative Chris Taylor (D-Madison) introduced a bill (AB 84 / SB 63) that would eliminate a tax deduction that companies receive for expenses related to their move outside the state or outside the United States. The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Revenue, Financial Institutions and Rural Issues and the Assembly Committee on Jobs and the Economy, neither of which has held a hearing, to date.
A bipartisan draft bill was circulated that would also target Wisconsin tax law that allows companies to claim a tax deduction when moving jobs out of the State. The draft bill is being circulated by Senators Bewley (D-Mason) and Feyen (R-Fond du Lac) and Representative Taylor (D-Madison) and Neylon (R-Pewaukee). Under current law, a business may deduct from its Wisconsin income or franchise taxes all expenses that the business paid to move operations out of the state. LRB 4105 would modify tax law to ensure that any company choosing to leave Wisconsin for another state, or choosing to leave the country all together, would not receive a tax break for those moving expenses. It could be introduced any day.
Please contact your Senator and Representative on these important matters. Call the Wisconsin Legislative Hotline at 1-800-362-9472.
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