Three candidates for state superintendent have made it onto the ballot. They are:
Governor Evers is holding five state budget listening sessions. This is an opportunity to speak directly to the Governor and his team about issues that are important to school libraries like intellectual freedom, library staffing, broadband access, the Common School Fund, etc. Input received at these sessions will help the Governor craft his 2025-27 state budget bill.
Please consider attending a session if you are able! Don't hesitate to reach out to WEMTA with any questions. We are here to support your advocacy!
Monday 12/2 - Appleton 5:30pm-7:00pm
Wednesday 12/4 - LaCrosse 5:30pm-7:00pm
Tuesday 12/10 - Milwaukee 5:30pm-7:00pm
Thursday 12/12 - Ashland 5:30pm-7:00pm
Monday 12/16 - VIRTUAL 4:00pm-5:30pm
The dust has officially settled on the 2023-24 legislative session. A combined total of 2,458 pieces of legislation were introduced this session (1,113 in the Senate and 1,229 in the Assembly). Of these, 272 were signed into law and 70 were vetoed.
Here is a quick recap of where bills of interest ended up. All bills that did not pass this session are dead, and will need to be reintroduced next session, which begins in January 2025.
Vetoed by the Governor
Parental Rights: Assembly Bill 510, authored by Representative Wittke and Senator Wanggaard, which would have established a number of parental and guardian rights relating to a child's religion, medical care and records, and education. This bill was passed by the Legislature but vetoed by Governor Evers.
Tier 1 Licenses for Paraprofessionals: Senate Bill 608, authored by Senator Knodl and Representative Dittrich, would have allowed paraprofessionals who met certain criteria to receive a nonrenewable Tier 1 license from the Department of Public Instruction. This bill was passed by the Legislature but vetoed by Governor Evers.
Failed to Pass the Legislature
Harmful Materials: Senate Bill 10/Assembly Bill 15, authored by Representative Tittl and Senator Jacque, would have required public libraries and schools to limit minor/student access to harmful material on public computers. It also would have required schools to notify parents about offensive classroom materials. No action was taken on this bill.
Prosecution of School Employees: Senate Bill 305/Assembly Bill 308, authored by Senator Jacque and Representative Allen, would have removed public elementary and secondary schools, private schools, and tribal schools from the list of institutions for which an employee is protected from prosecution for an obscene materials violation under 944.21 of Wisconsin statutes, effective August 20, 2024. A public hearing was held on AB 308, but it was never advanced out of the Assembly Committee. No action was taken in the Senate.
Prohibitions on CSF Dollars: Senate Bill 304/Assembly Bill 309, authored by Senator Jacque and Representative Allen, would have prohibited school districts from using Common School Fund dollars to purchase any item that would be considered an obscene material under 944.21(2)(c) of state statute. No action was taken on this bill.
24-Hour School Library Notification Requirement: Senate Bill 597/Assembly Bill 642, authored by Senator Quinn and Representative Dittrich, would have required schools to develop and implement a policy under which a custodial parent/guardian of all students under the age of 16 received a notification of each item checked out by the student within 24-hours. A public hearing was held on SB 597, but it was never advanced out of the Senate Committee. No action was taken in the Assembly.
Ban the Book Bans: Senate Bill 615/Assembly Bill 657, authored by Senator Roys and Representative Emerson, would have prohibited a library, public or private elementary or secondary school, or institution of higher education from receiving state or local funds if the entity prohibits, bans, or unreasonably restricts access to any book or other media. No action was taken on this bill.
School Librarians: Senate Bill 758/Assembly Bill 782, authored by Senator Larson and Representative J. Anderson, would have required every K-12 public school and every K-12 school participating in a parental choice program to employ a full time librarian. No action was taken on this bill.
Library Complaint Standards: Senate Bill 824/Assembly 783, authored by Senator L. Johnson and Representative J. Anderson, would have put standards into state statute related to individuals making complaints against school library materials. No action was taken on this bill.
The Senate Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families has scheduled a public hearing on Tuesday, November 28 at 11 a.m. on Senate Bill 597, which would require schools to notify a student's parents or guardians of every item they check out from the school library within 24 hours of check out. The requirement would apply to all students under the age of 16.
In addition, the bill requires schools to notify parents and guardians about whether or not they provide access to BadgerLink.
Public hearings are an opportunity for members of the public to provide comments on a piece of legislation. After a public hearing is held, the Committee can decide whether or not they want to advance the bill to the Full Senate for a vote.
If you plan to attend the public hearing, please email legislative@wemta.org.
Link to public hearing notice with full details: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/raw/cid/1759695
Representative Barb Dittrich (R-Oconomowoc) and Senator Romaine Quinn (R-Cameron) are circulating a draft bill, LRB 2344, which would require schools to notify a student's parents or guardians of every item they check out from the school library within 24 hours of check out. The requirement would apply to all students under the age of 16.
In addition, the bill requires schools to notify parents and guardians about whether or not they provide access to BadgerLink.
Another bill, LRB 4776, would create similar check out notification standards for public libraries.
These bill are currently in the co-sponsorship stage. Other lawmakers have until October 25 to sign on as co-sponsors of the bill, after which it will get an official bill number and be formally introduced.
WEMTA will keep you updated as this bill progresses through the Legislature.
State Representative David Steffen (R-Green Bay) has introduced Assembly Bill 373, which would set requirements that social media companies must follow when it comes to accounts held by minors.
This would include:
The Joint Finance Committee voted 11-4 along party-lines on June 13 to pass a Department of Public Instruction (DPI) budget that provides an additional $778.5 million in state funds to schools ($837.6 million all funds).
Early Literacy and Reading Improvement:The Committee voted 11-4 to place $50 million GPR in the Committee’s supplemental appropriation to fund a literacy program.The Governor’s budget provided $10 million GPR per year to create two new appropriations, including $9.1 million annually to contract with and train literacy coaches to implement a comprehensive program of trainings for educators to improve early literacy and reading outcomes for Wisconsin Students.
Common School Fund Reestimate: :The Committee voted 11-4 to re-estimate Common School Fund revenue by an additional $7 million per year for an estimated $52 million in aids per year.
Shared School District Services: The Committee voted 11-4 to place $5 million in their supplemental appropriation for shared school district services. The Governor's budget did not include funding for shared services.
Wisconsin Reading Corps (657): The Committee did not approve the Governor’s budget proposal to provide an additional $1 million in 2023-24 and $2 million in 2024-25 to support literacy tutoring services provided through the Wisconsin Reading Corps.
The Literacy Lab (657): The Committee did not approve the Governor’s proposal to provide $75,000 in 2023-24 and $1.3 million in 2024-25 to the Literacy Lab, to provide evidence-based literacy intervention programs in public schools located in Milwaukee and Racine. The organization places trained full-time literacy tutors in elementary schools.
Reach out and Read: The Committee voted 11-4 to provide $500,000 in 2023-24 for Reach out and Read, Inc. to support the integration of books and reading into pediatric care. The Governor’s budget provided $250,000 per year to Reach out and Read, Inc.
Public Library Aid: The Committee voted 11-4 to provide an additional $2 million SEG in 2023-24 and $4 million SEG in 2024-25 to public libraries.The Governor’s budget provided an additional $7 million SEG per year. In 2022-23, public library aid totaled $20,013,100 SEG from the universal service fund
Recollection Wisconsin: The Committee voted 11-4 to approve the Governor’s proposal to provide $150,000 SEG in 2023-24 and $300,000 SEG in 2024-25 for Recollection Wisconsin and to require the State Superintendent to annually distribute the funding to Wisconsin Library Services, Inc to support the digitization of historic materials in public libraries throughout the state.
BadgerLink and Newsline for the Blind: The Committee voted 11-4 to approve the Governor’s budget proposal to provide an additional $104,000 SEG in 2023-24 and $203,000 SEG in 2024-25 to maintain the current level of services provided through BadgerLink and Newsline for the Blind.
Library Services Contracts: The Committee voted 11-4 to approve the Governor’s budget proposal to provide an additional $29,800 SEG in 2024-25 to fully fund the cost of the statutorily-required library service contracts. DPI contracts with the Milwaukee Public Library, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library and the Cooperative Children’s Book Center.
