Governor Scott Walker Signs 46 Bills Into Law

Governor Scott Walker Signing Right to Work Legislation (Photo from Governor’s Office)

Madison – Governor Scott Walker signed 46 bills into law today at the Wisconsin State Capitol.

Senate Bill 707 – prohibits a legislator from holding office as a legislator concurrent with holding office as a county executive. Authored by Senator Scott Fitzgerald (R – Juneau) and Representative Robin Vos (R – Rochester), the bill passed the Senate with a vote of 19-13 and was concurred by the Assembly with a vote of 53-40. It is Act 154.

Assembly Bill 117 – clarifies pleading requirements for creditors pursuing the recoupment of money owed by a debtor. This bill changes statutory references to clarify the creditor has a right to the debt under the Wisconsin Consumer Act and additionally allows the last billing statement to be used as evidence in a court proceeding. Authored by Representative Mark Born (R – Beaver Dam) and Senator Paul Farrow (R – Pewaukee), the bill passed the Assembly with a vote of 61-37 and was concurred by the Senate with a vote of 19-13.  It is Act 155.

Assembly Bill 497 – makes various changes to the supervised release program for chapter 980 sex offenders in order to better protect the public, improve collaboration between the Department of Health Services (DHS) and local law enforcement, and make it less likely that a supervised release offender will be released into a county other than the county where they committed their offense.  Authored by Representative Mark Born (R – Beaver Dam) and Senator Van Wanggaard (R – Racine), the bill passed the Assembly with a vote of 64-34 and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote.  It is Act 156.

Assembly Bill 633 – allows people to obtain certain vital records documents, including birth, death, and marriage certificates, from a local register of deeds office if the records are available in the Statewide Vital Records Information System (SVIRS). Currently, people may only obtain these records from the state office or the local office where they were originally recorded. Authored by Representative Joan Ballweg (R – Markesan) and Senator Van Wanggard (R – Racine), the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote.  It is Act 157.

Assembly Bill 547 – as amended, provides criminal penalties for intentionally damaging or unlawfully entering certain property of an energy provider.  The bill defines an energy provider as a public utility engaged in the production, transmission, delivery, or furnishing of heat, power, or light, or the delivery of natural gas; an electric transmission company; a cooperative association organized for the purpose of producing or furnishing heat, light, or power for its members; a decommissioned nuclear power plant; and all wholesale merchant plants. Authored by Representative David Steffen (R – Green Bay) and Senator Van Wanggaard (R – Racine), the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate with a vote of 20-12.  It is Act 158.

Assembly Bill 627 – repeals the 1956 Interstate Compact on Juveniles, because as of July of 2014, it is obsolete and every state has replaced it with the 2008 Interstate Compact for Juveniles. When the 2008 Interstate Compact for Juveniles was adopted by Wisconsin in 2005, an oversight failed to make references to the statutes that would allow the Department of Corrections (DOC) to require juveniles with sex offenses moving to Wisconsin to register with the Wisconsin State Sex Offender registry, and this legislation makes the needed references. Authored by Representative Rob Hutton (R – Brookfield) and Senator Van Wanggaard (R – Racine), the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote.  It is Act 159.

Assembly Bill 651 – as amended, allows a person to operate a motor vehicle that has a monitoring and feedback device mounted to the front windshield if all of the following apply: the device is designed to monitor the vehicle and provide feedback to the operator for the purpose of safety or improving vehicle operation and the device is mounted directly above, behind, or below the rearview mirror or, if no mirror is present, at the location where the mirror would typically be mounted. For commercial motor vehicles, the device must be mounted in a manner consistent with applicable federal requirements. Authored by Representative John Spiros (R – Marshfield) and Senator Van Wanggaard (R – Racine), the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote.  It is Act 160.

Assembly Bill 478 – provides important new tools to improve educational outcomes of children in the out-of-home care system. The bill mirrors federal law by permitting Wisconsin state and local education and child welfare agencies to strengthen information sharing and collaboration, thereby helping children in out-of-home care succeed in their education. Authored by Representative Joan Ballweg (R – Markesan) and Senator Alberta Darling (R – River Hills), the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and later concurred in as amended. The bill passed the Senate on a voice vote.  It is Act 161.

Assembly Bill 573 – makes changes to current law to better align processes between marriage license issuance and domestic partnership registration. This bill also allows county clerks to supply more current information regarding fetal alcohol syndrome and the dangers of using other drugs during pregnancy by directing individuals to the Department of Health Services (DHS) website rather than providing the pamphlet that is required under current law. Authored by Representative Joan Ballweg (R – Markesan) and Senator Luther Olsen (R – Ripon), the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote.  It is Act 162.

Assembly Bill 778 – increases the threshold for which a charitable organization must register with the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) from $5,000 to $25,000, increases the annual threshold at which a charitable organization must complete a review of finances for their initial and annual reporting from $200,000 to $300,000, and increases the annual threshold at which a charitable organization must have an audited financial assessment performed by a third party for their initial and annual reporting from $400,000 to $500,000. The bill also increases the amount of time charitable organizations have to file their reviews and audited financial statements to 12 months. Authored by Representative David Craig (R – Big Bend) and Senator Howard Marklein (R – Spring Green), the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote. It is Act 163.

Assembly Bill 522 – as amended, changes how the Department of Corrections (DOC) reimburses counties for the costs of probation and parole holds to ensure every effort is being made to meet the $40 per day rate. Authored by Representative David Steffen (R – Green Bay) and Senator Howard Marklein (R – Spring Green), the bill passed the Assembly with a vote of 97-1 and was concurred by the Senate with a vote of 32-0.  It is Act 164.

Senate Bill 249 – as amended, prohibits a person from operating a motor vehicle on a highway without its lights on when weather conditions limit visibility. The amended bill provides that only a warning notice may be issued for a violation of this new requirement for the first six months after the law takes effect. Authored by Senator Howard Marklein (R – Spring Green) and Representative Travis Tranel (R – Cuba City), the bill passed the Senate on a voice vote and was concurred by the Assembly on a voice vote.  It is Act 165.

Senate Bill 202 – allows a person who is denied kinship care payments based on an arrest or conviction record to be given the opportunity for an administrative hearing. Authored by Senator Devin LeMahieu (R – Oostburg) and Representative Tyler Vorpagel (R – Plymouth), the bill passed the Senate on a voice vote and was concurred by the Assembly on a voice vote.  It is Act 166.

Assembly Bill 603 – codifies several Department of Natural Resources (DNR) shoreland zoning standards. Authored by Representative Adam Jarchow (R – Balsam Lake) and Senator Devin LeMahieu (R – Oostburg), the bill passed the Assembly with a vote of 61-35 and was concurred by the Senate with a vote of 19-13. It is Act 167.

Senate Bill 463 – makes a technical change to the Alpine Safety Act. This bill sets forth several safety requirements and provides the operator of a ski area is immune from liability for any injury sustained by a biker if the injury was from any of the risks a biker accepted and the operator complied with the safety and notification requirements. Authored by Senator Duey Stroebel (R – Saukville) and Representative Adam Jarchow (R – Balsam Lake), the bill passed the Senate on a voice vote and was concurred by the Assembly on a voice vote.  It is Act 168.

Senate Bill 466 – permits a library to report to a collection agency or, under some circumstances, a law enforcement agency, information about delinquent accounts of any individual who borrows or uses the library’s documents, materials, resources, or services. Authored by Senator Sheila Harsdorf (R – River Falls) and Representative Nancy VanderMeer (R – Tomah), the bill passed the Senate on a voice vote and was concurred by the Assembly on a voice vote.  It is Act 169.

Assembly Bill 470 – makes several changes relating to the operation of off-highway motorcycles (OHM), granting rule-making authority, making appropriations, and providing penalties.  Authored by Representative Jeffrey Mursau (R – Crivitz) and Senator Jerry Petrowski (R – Marathon), the bill passed the Assembly with a vote of 98-0 and was concurred by the Senate with a vote of 32-0.  It is Act 170.

Assembly Bill 580 – as amended, allows the operation of certain logging vehicles on the highway, without a permit, during daylight hours for a distance of 0.5 miles or less with no limitation of weight, if unladen, and with a width of up to 12 feet. Authored by Representative Jeffrey Mursau (R – Crivitz) and Senator Jerry Petrowski (R – Marathon), the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was later concurred in as amended.  The bill passed the Senate on a voice vote.  It is Act 171.

Assembly Bill 440 – makes several technical changes to fix or streamline statutory provisions related to programs and appropriations administered by the Department of Children and Families (DCF) in the issue areas of Home Visiting, Child Support, Domestic Abuse Surcharge, Child Care Provider Vehicle Alarm Inspections, Population Changes, Repeal of Income Augmentation Statutes, and Various Children and Family Aids Statutory and Appropriations Streamlining. Authored by Representative Adam Neylon (R – Pewaukee) and Senator Jerry Petrowski (R – Marathon), the bill passed the Assembly with a vote of 96-0 and was concurred by the Senate with a vote of 32-0.  It is Act 172.

Senate Bill 274 – as amended, removes the requirement for a consumer to use a form prescribed by the Department of Transportation (DOT) when reporting to a vehicle manufacturer that a new vehicle does not conform to an applicable express warranty. Authored by Senator Jerry Petrowski (R – Marathon) and Representative Tyler August (R – Lake Geneva), the bill passed the Senate on a voice vote and was concurred by the Assembly on a voice vote. It is Act 173.

Senate Bill 134 – as amended, allows an employer who elects to be included within the provisions of the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) to elect to be a participating employer only with respect to employees hired on or after the date on which the employer elects to participate in WRS. The bill also allows a municipal employer that elects to be a participating employer on or after the effective date of the bill to choose not to include any of its public utility employees who already receive from the employer retirement benefits that are substantially similar to the retirement benefits as determined by the Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF). Authored by Senator Jerry Petrowski (R – Marathon) and Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R – Fond du Lac), the bill passed the Senate on a voice vote and was concurred by the Assembly on a voice vote. It is Act 174.

Assembly Bill 362 – gives local and county health departments more flexibility if they would like to merge and combine services. Specifically, it gives them the option of establishing a minimum participation window of up to five years and allows them to calculate their contribution toward funding the department based on equalized value or equalized value on a per capita basis. Authored by Representative Robert Brooks (R – Saukville) and Senator Duey Stroebel (R – Saukville), the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote.  It is Act 175.

Assembly Bill 568 – clarifies existing statutes to ensure municipalities are not enforcing sprinklering ordinances that are more strict than the state Uniform Commercial Building Code. The bill also does the following: prohibits municipalities and political subdivisions from designating properties as historic landmarks; requires local governments to treat all rental properties equally; requires local units of government to apply these inspection provisions to all rental properties; authorizes landlords to terminate a tenancy of a tenant based on criminal activity committed by the tenant; prohibits local governments from making the purchase or transfer of real property or the occupancy of residential real property contingent on whether a purchaser or other transferee makes certain actions or pays certain fees; allows towing companies to collect charges if it makes a good faith effort to notify law enforcement of the vehicle’s make, model, and location to which it will be towed prior to removing a vehicle from private property; and allows landlords to dispose of personal property left behind by a tenant who has left or has been removed from a residential property where the former tenant has failed to claim the property within seven days. Authored by Representative Robert Brooks (R – Saukville) and Senator Frank Lasee (R – De Pere), the bill passed the Assembly with a vote of 60-31 and was concurred by the Senate with a vote of 19-13. It is Act 176.

Senate Bill 243 – eliminates the requirement for low water use housing and fire protection wells from having to register and pay a high capacity well fee when they do not use their full capacity. Authored by Senator Frank Lasee (R – De Pere) and Representative Alvin Ott (R – Forest Junction), the bill passed the Senate with a vote of 21-12 and was concurred by the Assembly with a vote of 66-31. It is Act 177.

Assembly Bill 563 – allows towns within a county with a population of at least 485,000, like Dane County, to withdraw from the county zoning ordinance and county development plan to adopt a town zoning ordinance, under certain conditions. The bill additionally repeals the requirement that towns in Dane County obtain county board approval for adoption or amendment of a town zoning ordinance, and allows Dane County to repeal its general zoning ordinance if at least one Dane County town opts to withdraw from county zoning. If Dane County chooses to do so, Assembly Bill 563 requires all towns subject to the county zoning ordinance to enact a zoning ordinance, an official map, and a comprehensive plan. Authored by Representative Keith Ripp (R – Lodi) and Senator Scott Fitzgerald (R – Juneau), the bill passed the Assembly with a vote of 62-35 and was concurred by the Senate with a vote of 19-13.  It is Act 178.

Assembly Bill 769 – restores the ability for the Veterinary Examining Board (VEB) to assess the cost of disciplinary action against the specific licensee who was being disciplined, restores the ability for the VEB to issue confidential administrative warnings to licensees under certain circumstances, and restores the ability of the VEB to grant temporary reciprocal credential to the spouse of a service member if that person is licensed in another jurisdiction and residing in Wisconsin as a result of their spouse’s military service. Authored by Representative Alvin Ott (R – Forest Junction) and Senator Terry Moulton (R – Chippewa Falls), the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote. It is Act 179.

Assembly Bill 724 – makes several changes, including: permitting home healthcare workers to be covered under the policy of fiscal agents; modestly increasing disability rates for those insured; allowing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prosecute worker’s compensation fraud; decreases the statute of limitations for businesses to bring Wisconsin in line with other states; allows for a system of apportionment of permanent disability so businesses pay what proportion of an injury they caused and not on any pre-existing injury; allowing workers during retraining to earn part-time wages to supplement their income; ensuring an employee that was fired for cause after being brought back on light duty will not continue to collect indemnity benefits; protecting businesses where an employee was found in violation of a drug or alcohol policy and there was a direct causation between the violation and the policy; and protecting the “grand bargain” where employers receive tort protection in exchange for providing work place injury insurance to employees.  Authored by Representative John Spiros (R – Marshfield) and Senator Stephen Nass (R – Whitewater), the bill passed the Assembly with a vote of 97-0 and was concurred by the Senate with a vote of 32-0.  It is Act 180.

Assembly Bill 390 – allows the Town of Freedom to use tax increment financing (TIF) in the same manner as cities, which will promote economic development.  Authored by Representative Jim Steineke (R – Kaukauna) and Senator Robert Cowles (R – Green Bay), the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate with a vote of 29-3.  It is Act 181.

Senate Bill 251 – clarifies that the legislative members of the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission serve for two-year terms or until a successor is appointed.  Authored by Senator Mary Lazich (R – New Berlin) and Representative Edward Brooks (R – Reedsburg), the bill passed the Senate on a voice vote and was concurred by the Assembly on a voice vote.  It is Act 182.

Senate Bill 29 – allows law enforcement to obtain a search warrant authorized by the court to draw blood for a first OWI offense.  Authored by Senator Roger Roth (R – Appleton) and Representative André Jacque (R – De Pere), the bill passed the Senate on a voice vote and was concurred by the Assembly on a voice vote.  It is Act 183.

Senate Bill 481 – combines two reports into one biennial report to streamline administrative complexity for Wisconsin’s two medical schools.  Under current law, the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UWSMPH) are required to individually submit two separate medical school reports to the state: a biennial as well as an annual report.  This legislation combines the two reports into one, which will be due biennially.  Authored by Senator Leah Vukmir (R – Brookfield) and Representative Joe Sanfelippo (R – New Berlin), the bill passed the Senate on a voice vote and was concurred by the Assembly on a voice vote.  It is Act 184.

Senate Bill 276 – allows University of Wisconsin (UW) parking fees and fines to be used for campus safety and transportation-related programs.  The bill also prohibits the building commission from authorizing any general fund-supported borrowing to aid in the construction of parking facilities at any UW institution.  Authored by Senator Sheila Harsdorf (R – River Falls) and Representative David Murphy (R – Greenville), the bill passed the Senate on a voice vote and was concurred by the Assembly on a voice vote.  It is Act 185.

Assembly Bill 676 – removes outdated references to the Port of Milwaukee as it relates to the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection’s (DATCP’s) USDA-Grain Inspection and certification inspection authorization and updates the Producer Security Council statute to accurately reflect the name change of the two organizations that have seats on the council, Cooperative Network and WI Agri-Business Association, Inc.  The bill also updates references to the American Society for Testing and Materials, which now has the name ASTM International.  Authored by the Law Revision Committee, the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote. It is Act 186.

Assembly Bill 678 – makes the following remedial changes to the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) and the operation of the Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF): clarifies the treatment of WRS participants who suspend their annuities in order to return to covered employment; authorizes ETF to implement any payment processing system to pay moneys owing to any person under benefit plans administered by ETF; eliminates references to the transaction amortization account in the core retirement investment trust of the public employee trust fund, which no longer exists; eliminates a duplicative reference to a federated library system under the WRS; eliminates a requirement under the WRS that an application for an annuity may not be filed more than 90 days before the employee’s anticipated termination date from employment; and changes application deadlines for an employer to join the WRS. Authored by the Law Revision Committee, the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote. It is Act 187.

Assembly Bill 679 – amends several existing statutory references, including: changing “licensed” to “certified” to reflect the type of approval the Department of Health Services gives to residential programs; fixes a reference from 2013 Wisconsin Act 241 to the Department of Administration (DOA) as the administering agency of the Volunteer Health Care Provider Program (VHCPP); removes a requirement that a nonprofit agency prepare and submit to DOA an annual report; and removes the extraneous preposition “to” from the title of the statute relating to specialized training for rural colposcopic examinations and activities in the Well-Woman Program. Authored by the Law Revision Committee, the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote. It is Act 188.

Assembly Bill 680 – authorizes mileage reimbursement at the federal rate for a member of the National Guard who is called into state active duty regardless of the applicable rate for state employees.  Authored by the Law Revision Committee, the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote. It is Act 189.

Assembly Bill 681 – clarifies that the requirements in the national teacher certification and master educator licensure grant program related to an individual being placed in a performance category in an educator effectiveness evaluation system. Authored by the Law Revision Committee, the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote. It is Act 190.

Assembly Bill 682 – removes references to the elections board, which was eliminated by 2007 Wisconsin Act 1, as well as references to the defunct Woodland Tax Law program. Authored by the Law Revision Committee, the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote.  It is Act 191.

Assembly Bill 683 – eliminates a requirement that the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) appoint a committee to advise the department on making investigations, conducting hearings, and taking disciplinary action in relation to lay midwives.  Authored by the Law Revision Committee, the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote. It is Act 192.

Assembly Bill 684 – repeals several obsolete provisions or references, including a provision requiring the Department of Transportation (DOT) to study the impact of raising the legal drinking age to 21 and report the results to the Legislature by January 1 of 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991; references related to the effective date for implementation of the federal REAL ID Act of 2005; and provisions relating to the occupational tax on controlled substances in accordance with the holding of the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Dye v. Frank (2004). Authored by the Law Revision Committee, the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote.  It is Act 193.

Assembly Bill 685 – corrects a funding stream. There was a drafting error in how the Labor & Industry Review Commission (LIRC) was transferred to the Department of Administration (DOA) regarding funding.  To pay for Department of Workforce Development (DWD) unemployment insurance operations, it receives a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL).  The cost of LIRC was then paid via DWD to LIRC for the cases it hears on appeals from DWD. This bill corrects that funding stream, and states LIRC shall be funded from DWD, rather than directly from USDOL.  Authored by the Law Revision Committee, the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote.  It is Act 194.

Assembly Bill 686 – provides changes to ensure the statutes accurately reflect previous Acts. Authored by the Law Revision Committee, the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote. It is Act 195.

Assembly Bill 687 – makes the spelling of “optical disc” uniform throughout the statutes, replaces percentage signs with the word “percent,” replaces “which” with “that” where grammatically appropriate, and inserts serial commas to conform with current style. Authored by the Law Revision Committee, the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote. It is Act 196.

Assembly Bill 688 – provides changes to ensure the statutes accurately reflect previous Acts. Authored by the Law Revision Committee, the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote. It is Act 197.

Assembly Bill 689 – changes the date of the celebration for Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Under current law, the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., January 15, is a legal holiday. This bill makes the third Monday in January a legal holiday and the day of celebration for January 15.  Authored by the Law Revision Committee, the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote.  It is Act 198.

Assembly Bill 690 – deletes from the definition of “faculty” of the University of Wisconsin (UW) System a reference to a repealed law. The bill also deletes the reference to the former law, and under the bill, the individuals are not included in the definition of “faculty.” Authored by the Law Revision Committee, the bill passed the Assembly on a voice vote and was concurred by the Senate on a voice vote. It is Act 199.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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