Rep. Brostoff Statement on AB 76 Veto Override Attempt

MADISON – In response to today’s failed veto override of AB 76, State Representative Jonathan Brostoff (D-Milwaukee) released the following statement:

“Today’s veto override attempt of AB 76 represented yet another attack on workers and consumer protections by Wisconsin Republicans. While these politicians like to claim that bills like AB 76 are necessary to counter Wisconsin’s CNA shortage, they conveniently leave out that AB 76 would have harmed both our front line care workers and the vulnerable patients under their care. Simply lowering training requirements will do nothing to counter the many issues that CNAs regularly face, including low pay, understaffing, irregular hours, and inadequate training for the complex work they are asked to perform, nor would AB 76 have even begun to address the issues at the root of the 50% turnover rate among CNAs. Instead, all this bill would have done is contribute to this ongoing churn among CNAs while putting some of our most vulnerable citizens – those in nursing care – at risk. Governor Evers was right to veto this short-sighted and harmful bill back in November. Today, I was proud to cast my vote against this veto override, and to stand in solidarity with Governor Evers, our CNAs, and those in need of nursing care.”

AB 76 would have cut the required number of training hours for certified nursing assistants (CNAs) from 120, with 32 required clinical hours, down to 75, with only 16 required clinical hours. Although this bill would have brought Wisconsin’s training requirements in line with federal standards, it goes against a nationwide push for increased minimum CNA training hours. Currently, more than half of US states require more than the 75-hour minimum federal standard, and the nonprofit National Academy of Medicine has advocated for a 120-hour federal training standard for CNAs since 2008.

“Since Republicans are apparently so deeply concerned with Wisconsin’s CNA shortage that they would push for this veto override, I look forward to their support and partnership in advancing the ‘CNA Pay Act’ bill package I authored last year with Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison). This bill package, including Assembly Bills 253, 254, and 255, would ‘raise the floor’ for new and continuing CNAs by creating a new tax credit to offset the training costs for aspiring CNAs, providing grants to Wisconsin’s technical colleges in order to expand access to CNA training programs, and finally, both expanding Medicaid in Wisconsin and using those critical federal dollars to directly increase reimbursements for personal care workers. Together, these three bills would support Wisconsin’s CNAs, both aspiring and current, and help give this critical profession and the professionals who represent it the dignity they so clearly deserve. I eagerly await notice of committee hearings for those important bills, and seeing them passed and sent to the Governor’s desk before the end of this legislative Session.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.