Public Hearing Scheduled on Teacher Shortage Bill

The Senate Committee on Government Operations, Technology and Consumer Protection is holding a public hearing on Senate Bill 612 on January 29 at the State Capitol. This legislation seeks to address the teacher workforce shortage. It would allow retired teachers (or other WRS retirees) to return to work without suspending their WRS retirement payments for up to 36 months. The bill also increases the WRS retirement age to 59.5 years old (this change would first apply to individuals who are currently under the age of 40).

Senate

PUBLIC HEARING

Committee on Government Operations, Technology and Consumer Protection

The committee will hold a public hearing on the following items at the time specified below:

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

10:30 AM

330 Southwest

Senate Bill 519

Relating to: designating Colby as the state cheese.

By Senator Bernier; cosponsored by Representatives Kulp, Edming, James, Rohrkaste, Bowen, VanderMeer, B. Meyers and Allen.

Senate Bill 641

Relating to: requiring a supermajority county board vote to enact ordinances that affect only towns.

By Senators Bernier, Stroebel, Nass and Jacque; cosponsored by Representatives Plumer, Novak, Felzkowski, Quinn, Steffen, Wichgers, Kulp, Magnafici, Tusler, Edming, Spiros and Schraa.

Senate Bill 690

Relating to: biennial reports regarding fees charged by executive state agencies.

By Senators Bernier and Stroebel; cosponsored by Representatives Allen, Steffen, Kulp, Ramthun, Brooks, Dittrich, Wichgers, Knodl, Tusler and Gundrum.

Senate Bill 612

Relating to: increasing the minimum retirement age under the Wisconsin Retirement System; decreasing the minimum break in service for annuitants in the Wisconsin Retirement System who are rehired by a participating employer; and allowing rehired annuitants to elect to not participate in the Wisconsin Retirement System.

By Senators Stroebel and Petrowski; cosponsored by Representatives Felzkowski, Katsma, Dittrich, Edming, Krug, L. Myers, Quinn, Rohrkaste, Snyder and Wichgers.

Senate Bill 635

Relating to: requiring hospitals to have a policy requiring written and verbal informed consent before a medical student may perform a pelvic exam on a patient who is under general anesthesia or otherwise unconscious. - 2 -

By Senators Jacque, L. Taylor and Schachtner; cosponsored by Representatives Brandtjen, C. Taylor, Sargent, Shankland, Allen, Anderson, Billings, Brostoff, Considine, Dittrich, Emerson, Horlacher, Kerkman, Rodriguez, Sinicki, Skowronski, Spreitzer, Stubbs, Subeck, Thiesfeldt, Tusler and Wichgers.

We intend to take the bills up in the order they are listed. To accomodate other legislative meetings the order of bills may be adjusted during the hearing.

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Sen. Ringhand and Rep. Spreitzer Holding a Joint Listening Session

Senator Janis Ringhand (D-Evansville) and Representative Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) are holding a joint listening session on Tuesday, February 4 in Brodhead. 

This is a great opportunity for WEMTA members who live in this area to discuss school library and technology issues with their lawmakers. 

To see if you live in one of these district, use the "Who Are My Legislators?" tab on the Wisconsin State Legislature's homepage: https://legis.wisconsin.gov/ 

Brodhead Area Listening Session

When: Tuesday, February 4 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. 

Where: Brodhead Public Library, Program Room

 1207 25th St, Brodhead, WI 53520

Public Hearing on Dyslexia Bills Scheduled

The Senate Committee on Universities, Technical Colleges, Children and Families is holding a public hearing on two of the Dyslexia package bills on Wednesday, January 22.

SB 578 requires school boards starting in the 2020-21 school year to assess students in 4 year-old kindergarten to second grade on literary fundamentals. The assessment selected by the school district must include phonological and phonemic awareness, rapid automatized naming, letter-word reading and picture-naming vocabulary.   It also requires schools to provide a voluntary questionnaire about reading difficulties in the student’s family history.

SB 579 requires each CESA to employ a dyslexia specialist who has at least 5 years of experience in screening, identifying, and treating dyslexia and related conditions.

Senate

PUBLIC HEARING

Committee on Universities, Technical Colleges, Children and Families

The committee will hold a public hearing on the following items at the time specified below:

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

9:30 AM

412 East

Time restrictions will be imposed to allow for a high volume of testimony. The committee will adjourn no later than 5 pm to account for the State of the State Address.

Holton Sr., Douglas A.

Of Milwaukee, as a Public Member on the Wisconsin Technical College System Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2025.

Assembly Bill 47

Relating to: guardianships of children.

By Joint Legislative Council.

Senate Bill 609

Relating to: qualified residential treatment programs, providing an exemption from rule-making procedures, and granting rule-making authority.

By Senators Darling, Johnson, Bewley, Olsen, Wanggaard and Ringhand; cosponsored by Representatives Ballweg, Billings, Bowen, Considine, Emerson, Horlacher, Krug, Ohnstad, Ramthun, Snyder, Spreitzer, Stubbs, Tittl, Tusler and Dittrich.

Senate Bill 668

Relating to: immunity from liability resulting from good faith actions under the child abuse and neglect reporting law.

By Senators Darling and Johnson; cosponsored by Representatives Ballweg and Billings.

Senate Bill 610

Relating to: disclosure of child abuse and neglect reports and records.

By Senators Testin and Wanggaard; cosponsored by Representatives Snyder, Krug, James, Kulp, Ramthun, Tusler and Skowronski. - 2 -

Senate Bill 343

Relating to: University of Wisconsin System resident undergraduate tuition.

By Senator Jacque; cosponsored by Representatives Murphy, Pronschinske, Kerkman, Felzkowski, Ramthun and Zimmerman.

Senate Bill 578

Relating to: assessments to evaluate reading readiness.

By Senators Bernier and Carpenter; cosponsored by Representatives Kulp, Bowen, Dittrich, Kitchens, Krug, Murphy, Mursau, L. Myers, Quinn, Ramthun, Skowronski, Tusler and Wittke.

Senate Bill 579

Relating to: requiring each cooperative educational service agency to employ a dyslexia specialist.

By Senator Bernier; cosponsored by Representatives Kulp, Bowen, Kitchens, Krug, Murphy, Mursau, Ramthun, Skowronski, Tusler, Wichgers and Wittke.

Senate Bill 403

Relating to: free expression within the University of Wisconsin System, providing an exemption from rule-making procedures, and granting rule-making authority.

By Senators Kapenga, Stroebel, Bernier, Craig and Olsen; cosponsored by Representatives Horlacher, Vos, Murphy, Allen, Brandtjen, Dittrich, Duchow, Edming, Felzkowski, Gundrum, James, Katsma, Kitchens, Knodl, Krug, Kuglitsch, Kulp, Macco, Magnafici, Quinn, Ramthun, Rohrkaste, Skowronski, Sortwell, Steffen, Tauchen, Thiesfeldt and Tusler.

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Senator Dale Kooyenga

Chair

Senate Committee Holding Hearing on BCPL Bill

The Senate Committee on Government Operations, Technology and Consumer Protection has scheduled a public hearing on January 14 on AB 49, which is one of the Study Committee bills related to the BCPL. AB 49 would give SWIB the ability to invest Common School Fund dollars in the same manner as BCPL in the event that BCPL chooses to delegate some investment authority to SWIB.

Senate

PUBLIC HEARING

Committee on Government Operations, Technology and Consumer Protection

The committee will hold a public hearing on the following items at the time specified below:

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

1:01 PM

201 Southeast

Assembly Bill 49

Relating to: the authority of the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands to delegate authority to invest trust fund moneys and making an appropriation.

By Joint Legislative Council.

Senate Bill 561

Relating to: distribution of the aid payment for personal property upon termination of a tax incremental district.

By Senators Bernier, Ringhand, Marklein, Stroebel, L. Taylor and Wanggaard; cosponsored by Representatives Steffen, Macco, Ohnstad, Bowen, Fields, Gundrum, Kolste, Murphy, Novak, Skowronski, Spreitzer, Subeck, Tusler, VanderMeer, Vruwink and Dittrich.

Senate Bill 614

Relating to: licensure of local organizations to conduct raffles.

By Senators Kapenga, Darling, Jacque, Kooyenga, Olsen, Stroebel and Wanggaard; cosponsored by Representatives Allen, Dittrich, Duchow, Gundrum, Horlacher, Magnafici, Mursau, Quinn and Tusler.

Senate Bill 172

Relating to: the use of billboards to recruit Department of Corrections employees.

By Senators Wanggaard, L. Taylor, Cowles, Olsen and Smith; cosponsored by Representatives Bowen, Schraa, L. Myers, Mursau, Dittrich, Haywood, Zimmerman, Crowley, Kulp, Edming, Brooks, Thiesfeldt, Rohrkaste, Snyder, Stubbs, Brandtjen, Duchow, Steffen, Knodl, Sinicki, Rodriguez, Ohnstad, Goyke, Ramthun, Pronschinske, Spreitzer and Skowronski.

Senate Bill 613

Relating to: repossession of collateral or leased goods.