Noes: 0.
Senate Bill 682
Relating to: intimidating a witness.
Ayes: 5 - Senators Grothman, Vukmir, Farrow, Risser and Harris.
Noes: 0.
GLENN GROTHMAN
Chairperson
Committee on Judiciary and Labor
_____________
The committee on Workforce Development, Forestry, Mining, and Revenue reports and recommends:
Assembly Bill 769
Relating to: the definition of project costs under the tax incremental financing program.
Ayes: 5 - Senators Tiffany, Darling, Grothman, Jauch and Lehman.
Noes: 0.
THOMAS TIFFANY
Chairperson
Committee on Workforce Development, Forestry, Mining, and Revenue
_____________
Petitions and Communications
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
March 27, 2014
The Honorable, the Senate:
The following bill(s), originating in the Senate, have been approved, signed and deposited in the office of the Secretary of State:
Bill Number Act Number Date Approved
Sincerely,
SCOTT WALKER
Governor
Pursuant to s. 35.095 (1)(b), Wisconsin Statutes, the following 2013 Act(s) have been published: Act Number Bill Number Publication Date
hist27394Wisconsin Act 146 324 March 28, 2014 hist27399Wisconsin Act 148 377 March 28, 2014 hist27402Wisconsin Act 149 548 March 28, 2014 hist27404Wisconsin Act 150 640 March 28, 2014 hist27406Wisconsin Act 151 641 March 28, 2014 hist27409Wisconsin Act 152 643 March 28, 2014 hist27411Wisconsin Act 153 655 March 28, 2014 _____________
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
March 27, 2014
The Honorable, the Senate:
I have approved Senate Bill 324 as 2013 Wisconsin Act 146 and deposited it in the Office of the Secretary of State. In addition, I exercised the partial veto in Sections 1, 2d and 2m. Senate Bill 324 establishes when in-person absentee voting may occur. Current law allows in-person absentee voting to occur between the third Monday preceding the election and the Friday preceding the election. This bill establishes the days and hours that in-person absentee voting may occur during that period to Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M to 7:00 P.M, excluding legal holidays. This bill also limits a municipality to 45 total hours of in-person absentee voting per week for statewide elections.
It is important to put in place measures that ensure the integrity of the voting process. I am partially vetoing Section 1 because I object to limiting municipalities to 45 total hours of in-person absentee voting per week for statewide elections, as this limitation is overly restrictive. I am approving the language allowing in-person absentee voting between Monday and Friday from 8:00 A.M to 7:00 P.M and the language prohibiting in-person absentee voting on legal holidays. Such measures will help ensure consistency of the voting process throughout the state.
I am also vetoing Section 2d, which would allow municipalities to hire individuals to assist with in-person absentee voting, and require municipalities to provide compensation for such individuals. In addition, I am vetoing Section 2m, which creates a state appropriation for the purpose of reimbursing municipalities 50 percent of the costs incurred for hiring individuals to assist with in-person voting during the 2014-12 fiscal year. I object to these provisions, as they result in a new state expenditure for a function traditionally performed by local governments.
Wisconsin needs laws that create uniform, predicable procedures in order to make voting east and accessible to all. This bill, as partially vetoed, creates a framework for municipalities throughout the state to maintain uniform voting hours without narrowly restricting access to voting. I would further encourage a future legislature to take another step towards uniformity and align in-person absentee voting hours with the hours that polls are open on Election Day: 7:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. We should all be focused on making it easier to vote, but also ensuring the integrity of the voting process by making it harder to cheat, and I fully support all efforts to do so.
Respectfully submitted,
SCOTT WALKER
Governor
_____________
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
March 27, 2014
The Honorable, the Senate:
hist27460I am vetoing Senate Bill 628 in its entirety and am returning it to the Senate because I object to the bill’s expansion of what constitutes a raffle as it could threaten the exclusive rights of the Indian tribes to conduct Class III gaming in return for making revenue-sharing payments to the state, which is reflected in the compacts signed by the tribes and the state. The exclusivity clauses prohibit the state from: 1) substantively altering the charitable games authorized under state law, 2) allowing the operation of electronic games of chance and 3) allowing the operation of an additional Class III game not authorized by current law. The bill makes many changes to the way that raffles are conducted and regulated. In particular, the bill expands the definitions of key concepts, including the definitions of raffle, drawing and ticket, and limits the Departments of Administration’s ability to promulgate rules relating to the conduct of raffles. The bill would allow any raffle where the winner is determined by a random process, with all tickets or instruments entitling a purchaser to an entry into a raffle having an equal opportunity to win. The bill also includes language that could allow games of chance in which electronic entries appear permissible and the winners are determined by any method of random selection, including non-traditional electronic random number generators.
Because these changes could expand the selection of winners to any random mechanism and allow non-traditional raffles, such as electronic raffles, this bill may constitute a violation of the exclusivity provisions of compacts between the state and the tribes and may consequently result in a significant loss of past, current and future gaming revenue to the state.
Respectfully submitted,
SCOTT WALKER
Governor
_____________
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Senate President
March 27, 2014
The Honorable, the Senate:
Pursuant to Senate Rule 46 (2)(c), I am writing to inform you that I have directed the following proposal to be withdrawn from committee and rereferred. I have obtained the consent of the appropriate standing committee chairperson and the chairperson of the committee on Senate Organization. hist27313Assembly Bill 726, relating to: providing that cannabidiol is not a tetrahydrocannabinol and dispensing cannabidiol as a treatment for a seizure disorder., withdrawn from Committee on Health and Human Services and rereferred to Committee on Senate Organization. Sincerely,
MICHAEL G. ELLIS
Senate President
_____________
State of Wisconsin
Government Accountability Board
March 26, 2014
The Honorable, the Senate:
The following lobbyists have been authorized to act on behalf of the organizations set opposite their names.
For more detailed information about these lobbyists and organizations and a complete list of organizations and people authorized to lobby the 2013 Regular Session of the legislature, visit the Government Accountability Board’s website at: lobbying.wi.gov