I am vetoing Senate Bill 171 because I believe it places an unnecessary and burdensome restriction on local communities. Current law already requires school boards to provide ample notice for upcoming referenda held during a special election. This bill would limit the ability of school boards to respond to emergencies or financial crises. The children in a school building where a roof collapsed should not have to wait an additional three months or more for repairs simply because the roof happened to collapse just after a regularly scheduled election.
Elected school board members are accountable to local voters. The best way to influence the scheduling of school referenda is to encourage citizens to vote for school board members who reflect their views, not by eroding local control with more state mandates.
Sincerely,
JIM DOYLE
Governor
Office of the Governor
January 6, 2006
The Honorable, The Senate:
I am vetoing Senate Bill 402. This bill is the Legislature's response to Thomas v. Mallett, 2005 WI 129, the recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that allows persons injured by lead paint to pursue claims against lead paint manufacturers, in instances where an injured claimant is unable to identify the specific manufacturer that manufactured the specific lead paint that caused the claimant's injury. SB 402 would undo the effect of this decision and shield the lead paint industry from otherwise viable claims brought by persons injured by the ingestion of lead paint.
I am vetoing this bill because the problem of lead paint poisoning in Wisconsin is substantial and ongoing, and children injured by the ingestion of lead paint should have some recourse against the companies that manufactured lead paint. Since 1987, over 100,000 children have been poisoned by lead paint in Wisconsin, and thousands more cases are reported each year. Milwaukee has one of the highest rates of lead paint poisoning among children in the United States. The children injured by lead paint face potentially lifelong medical costs that they should not be forced to bear alone. They deserve to have justice.
In short, this bill puts lead paint companies first and children last. It is an attempt to whitewash decades of negligence by the lead paint companies. Many of these companies knew there was reason to believe their product was dangerous, yet they ignored that evidence in order to turn a profit. There is no reason why these companies should be given special legal protections given their documented record of endangering America's children.
I recognize that Wisconsin's manufacturing sector may have legitimate concerns in wanting to limit what it perceives as the potential reach of the Wisconsin Supreme Court decision in Thomas. I encourage the Legislature to craft a responsible solution that addresses the concerns of manufacturers as a whole, but I will not sign into law a bill that shuts the doors of justice on children poisoned by lead paint. I therefore must veto this bill.
Sincerely,
JIM DOYLE
Governor
Pursuant to Senate Rule
17 (5), Senator Brown added as a coauthor of
Senate Joint Resolution 33.
__________________
Relating to unemployment insurance availability.
Submitted by Department of Workforce Development .
Report received from Agency, January 6, 2006.
Referred to committee on Job Creation, Economic Development and Consumer Affairs, January 6, 2006
.
Relating to garnishment.
Submitted by Department of Workforce Development .
Report received from Agency, January 6, 2006.
Referred to committee on Job Creation, Economic Development and Consumer Affairs, January 6, 2006
.
__________________
The Chief Clerk makes the following entries dated Monday, January 9, 2006.
__________________
Read first time and referred:
Senate Bill 502
Relating to: references to certificates granted by the Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board and eligibility requirements for training certificates for marriage and family therapists and professional counselors.
By
Senators
Harsdorf and Cowles; cosponsored by Representatives Montgomery, Lamb, Wasserman, Hahn, Turner, Musser, Krawczyk, Albers, Ott, Owens, Van Roy and Lehman.
To committee on Health, Children, Families, Aging and Long Term Care.
__________________
The committee on Veterans, Homeland Security, Military Affairs, Small Business and Government Reform reports and recommends:
Assembly Bill 775
Relating to: fermented malt beverages wholesalers.
Concurrence.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Brown, Zien, Kanavas, Breske and Wirch.
Noes, 0 - None.
Bablitch, Stephen,
of Whitefish Bay, as Secretary of the Department of Administration, to serve for the term ending at the pleasure of the Governor.
Confirmation.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Brown, Zien, Kanavas, Breske and Wirch.
Noes, 0 - None.
Ronald Brown
Chairperson
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
January 6, 2006
The Honorable, The Senate:
I am pleased to nominate and with the advice and consent of the Senate, do appoint Jansen
, Allan,
of Hazel Green, as a member of the Waste Facilities Siting Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2006.
Sincerely,
JIM DOYLE
Governor
Read and referred to committee on Natural Resources and Transportation.
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
January 6, 2006
The Honorable, The Senate:
I am pleased to nominate and with the advice and consent of the Senate, do appoint Bielecki, Darin,
of Madison, as a member of the Accounting Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2009.
Sincerely,
JIM DOYLE
Governor
Read and referred to committee on Job Creation, Economic Development and Consumer Affairs.
The committee on Veterans, Homeland Security, Military Affairs, Small Business and Government Reform reports and recommends:
Relating to manufactured home parks and affecting small businesses.
No action taken.
Relating to conduct, examinations, continuing education, and affecting small business.
No action taken.
Relating to cheating on an examination and breach of examination security.
No action taken.
Relating to the military funeral honors program.
No action taken.
Relating to the veterans retraining grant program.
No action taken.
Relating to the veterans tuition reimbursement program.
No action taken.
