E m e r g e n c y R u l e s N o w I n E f f e c t
Under s. 227.24, Stats., state agencies may promulgate rules without complying with the usual rule-making procedures. Using this special procedure to issue emergency rules, an agency must find that either the preservation of the public peace, health, safety or welfare necessitates its action in bypassing normal rule-making procedures.
Emergency rules are published in the official state newspaper, which is currently the Wisconsin State Journal. Emergency rules are in effect for 150 days and can be extended up to an additional 120 days with no single extension to exceed 60 days.
Extension of the effective period of an emergency rule is granted at the discretion of the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules under s. 227.24 (2), Stats.
Notice of all emergency rules which are in effect must be printed in the Wisconsin Administrative Register. This notice will contain a brief description of the emergency rule, the agency finding of emergency, date of publication, the effective and expiration dates, any extension of the effective period of the emergency rule and information regarding public hearings on the emergency rule.
EMERGENCY RULES NOW IN EFFECT (2)
Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection
1. Rules adopted revising chs. ATCP 10 to 12, relating to animal health.
Finding of Emergency
The state of Wisconsin department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection (“department”) finds that an emergency exists and that an emergency rule is necessary to protect public health, safety and welfare. The facts constituting the emergency are as follows:
(1) 1995 Wis. Act 79 was published December 8, 1995. Under its provisions, no person may keep farm-raised deer in Wisconsin after June 1, 1996, unless that person is registered with the department.
(2) 1995 Wis. Act 79 requires the department to adopt rules which specify the fee for registration. In addition, rules are necessary to establish the mechanism for registration.
(3) Prior to 1995 Wis. Act 79, persons who kept farm-raised deer were required to be licensed by the department of natural resources (DNR). Many persons who keep farm-raised deer will have become licensed with DNR for calendar year 1996. Those licenses will be transferred to the department as registrations.
(4) Permanent rules implementing 1995 Wis. Act 79 will not take effect until on or about January 1, 1997. This emergency rule establishes an interim procedure for registering herds of farm-raised deer, pending the effective date of the permanent rules. Without this emergency rule, no person would be able to start a farm-raised deer herd in Wisconsin between June 1, 1996, and the effective date of the permanent rules, because there would be no way to register that herd.
(5) 1995 Wis. Act 79 also requires animal owners to provide a means of testing those animals for tuberculosis without endangering the animal or the person performing the test. In addition, a non-statutory provision of that Act requires all keepers of farm-raised deer to have the deer tested for tuberculosis between December 8, 1995, and June 30, 1997.
(7) Concerns for the safety of farm-raised deer during testing prohibit testing during significant periods of the year. For example, deer should not be tested during the birthing season, the rut season and the season in which the animals are in velvet. Therefore testing is restricted to periods in late August to early October or during January and February.
(8) The department anticipates that many keepers of farm-raised deer will perform their testing in July, August or September of 1996, before a permanent rule can be adopted. This emergency rule establishes three alternative ways in which the animal owner can insure the safety of the persons doing the testing. This is necessary to insure the safety of the person conducting the test and to permit the keeper of farm-raised deer to know what constitutes adequate restraint of the animals.
(9) In September, 1995, the United States department of agriculture adopted new regulations relating to identification and slaughter shipment of bovines or cervidae which are reactors or suspects for bovine tuberculosis. Wisconsin's current administrative rules are in conflict with the current federal regulations. This emergency rule will make Wisconsin's rules consistent with the federal regulations, so that persons who comply with federal law will not be placed in violation of state law.
(10) In March 1996, the department was advised by the United States department of agriculture that the Russian federation intends to prohibit shipment of poultry meat into the Russian federation from any state which does not require veterinarians to report the presence of specific poultry diseases to the state animal health agency. Wisconsin's current administrative rules do not require reporting of 5 of the diseases which concern the Russian federation.
(11) Wisconsin poultry producers ship poultry meat valued in excess of $1 million per year to the Russian federation. By adopting a provision requiring veterinarians to report the existence of 5 diseases to the department, the department will protect the poultry producers' export market in the Russian federation. The department has proposed a permanent rule requiring reporting of the diseases. This emergency rule protects the export market during the period before the permanent rule is effective.
Publication Date:
June 3, 1996
Effective Date:
June 3, 1996
Expiration Date:
October 31, 1996
Extension Through:
December 29, 1996
2. Rule adopted creating s. ATCP 139.04 (11), relating to prohibiting the sale of butane, propane, mixtures of butane and propane, or other gaseous hydrocarbons for use as refrigerants in mobile air conditioners.
Finding of Emergency
(1) On June 2, 1995, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued a final rule prohibiting the use of HC-12a, a hydrocarbon-based refrigerant containing liquified petroleum gas, as a refrigerant in mobile air conditioning systems. EPA prohibited HC-12a, and a predecessor product called OZ-12, because of safety risks associated with the use of flammable refrigerants in mobile air conditioning systems. According to EPA, the manufacturer of HC-12a did not provide adequate information to demonstrate that the product was safe when used in a mobile air conditioning system.
(2) Despite the current EPA rule, at least one company is currently engaged in manufacturing and distributing HC-12a for use in motor vehicle air conditioning systems. The Idaho manufacturer argues that EPA lacks jurisdiction to regulate the sale of its product. HC-12a is currently being offered, distributed or promoted for sale at wholesale and retail outlets in Wisconsin and surrounding states, for use as a refrigerant in mobile air conditioning systems.
(3) HC-12a is a highly flammable substance, as defined by the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard test procedure for refrigerants, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and Underwriter's Laboratories. Use of HC-12a or its predecessor, OZ-12, in mobile air conditioning systems is inconsistent with standards adopted by the Society of Automotive Engineers. According to those standards, refrigerants used in mobile air conditioning systems must be of low toxicity, and must be nonflammable and nonexplosive.
(4) At least 13 states have enacted legislation prohibiting the sale of refrigerants for use in air conditioning or refrigeration systems unless those refrigerants meet flammability standards or are specifically approved for their intended use.
(5) HC-12a and other hydrocarbon-based refrigerants, when sold for use in motor vehicle air conditioning systems, present a serious risk to public health and safety for the following reasons:
(a) Motor vehicles and mobile air conditioning systems are not currently designed to use flammable refrigerants, or to prevent hazards associated with flammable refrigerants.
(b) Refrigerants in mobile air conditioning systems commonly leak into the engine compartments or passenger compartments of motor vehicles. Leaking refrigerant is often routed into the passenger compartment through the air distribution system from the evaporator. Hydrocarbon refrigerants, which are heavier than air, will tend to accumulate in low or confined spaces of a motor vehicle.
(c) Hydrocarbon refrigerants are flammable at low concentrations.
(d) Internal components of a motor vehicle provide many potential sources of ignition for flammable refrigerants. Passenger activities, such as smoking, may also create ignition sources.
(e) Fires or explosions resulting from the ignition of leaked flammable refrigerant may cause serious bodily injury or death to motor vehicle passengers. Automotive technicians who test for leaks, or who repair or service mobile air conditioning systems containing flammable refrigerants, are also at risk.
(6) The risk to public health and safety cannot be adequately addressed by product packaging or labeling, for the following reasons:
(a) The use of flammable hydrocarbon-based products in motor vehicle air conditioning systems is inherently hazardous. That hazard will not be materially altered by mere packaging or labeling.
(b) Use is hazardous to persons who are not aware that the refrigerant is present, and have not have seen or read the product label.
(c) Current product labels for HC-12a already contain a warning statement that the contents are under pressure and are extremely flammable. Current labels direct use by qualified personnel only, and list other cautions and instructions when recharging a mobile air conditioning system with this substitute refrigerant. These label statements do not materially alter the hazard inherent in the use for which the product is sold. There are few if any protective actions which a customer or technician could take to reduce the hazards associated with use of the product.
(d) There are no automotive industry standards which would allow a flammable refrigerant to be used in a motor vehicle air conditioning system as currently designed.
(7) Flammable hydrocarbon-based refrigerants, including HC-12a, OZ-12, and other refrigerants containing butane, propane, mixtures of butane and propane, or other gaseous hydrocarbons, pose a serious risk to public health and safety when sold for use as refrigerants in mobile air conditioners. At this time, the public health and safety can only be protected by keeping these products out of the channels of commerce in this state. The department can and should adopt rules, under ss. 93.07(1) and 100.37(2), Stats., prohibiting the sale of such products in this state.
(8) Pending the adoption of rules according normal administrative rulemaking procedures, it is necessary to adopt emergency rules under s. 227.24, Stats., to protect the public health, safety and welfare.
Publication Date:
October 9, 1996
Effective Date:
October 9, 1996
Expiration Date:
March 8, 1997
Hearing Date:
November 15, 1996
EMERGENCY RULES NOW IN EFFECT
Department of Corrections
Rules adopted creating s. DOC 309.05 (2)(d), relating to inmate mail.
Finding of Emergency
The Department of Corrections finds an emergency exists and that a rule is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety or welfare. A statement of the facts constituting the emergency is:
Wisconsin state prison inmates outgoing mail is generally not reviewed or censored. Inmates have used mail to:
1. Contact the victims of their crimes, which has caused severe emotional distress;
2. Threaten and harass elected officials, law enforcement officers, and other persons; and
3. Defraud mail order and other businesses.
Since November 1, 1993, pursuant to Internal Management Procedure #35, the department has stamped outgoing inmate mail to indicate that the mail was sent from the Wisconsin state prison system. IMP #35 was adopted to protect victims of crime, the public, and businesses from inmate harassment and fraud.
The Wisconsin Court of Appeals ruled in an unpublished decision that IMP #35 had to be promulgated as an administrative rule.
In order to protect the public welfare of the state, it is necessary for the department to adopt the following emergency rule to ensure that victims of crime are not further victimized by inmate mail, that members of the public are not threatened or harassed, and that businesses are not defrauded.
Publication Date:
August 15, 1996
Effective Date:
August 15, 1996
Expiration Date:
January 12, 1997
EMERGENCY RULES NOW IN EFFECT (3)
Health and Social Services
(Community Services, Chs. HSS 30--)
1. Rules were adopted revising ss. HSS 55.70 to 55.76, relating to administration of child care funds.
Exemption From Finding of Emergency
The Legislature in s. 275 (2) of 1995 Wis. Act 289 directed the Department to promulgate rules relating to public assistance required under chs. 46, 48 and 49, Stats., as affected by the Acts of 1995, before July 1, 1996, for the period before permanent rules take effect, by using emergency rulemaking procedures but without having to make a finding of emergency. These are public assistance-related rules. They are for administration of health care funds. They will take effect on July 1, 1996.
Analysis
The Department's rules for county agency, tribal agency and other child care administrative agency administration of funds for child day care under s. 46.98, Stats., are revised by this order to bring the rules into compliance with statute changes made by 1995 Wis. Acts 27 and 289 and changes in federal regulations, including federal regulations for child care and development block grant funding, 45 CFR Parts 98 and 99, and at-risk child care, 45 CFR Part 257, since the rules were last revised in late 1991; to made policies relating to eligibility for low-income child care more like child care eligibility policies under the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) training program under 42 USC 682 and s. 49.193, Stats.; to prevent and deal with fraud; and to clarify the applicability of certain policies.
Key changes are the following:
1. Income Eligibility
Income eligibility for low income child care is changed to be in compliance with changes made in s. 46.98 (4), Stats., by Act 289.
2. Costs Charged to Parents
Parent co-payment responsibilities are revised to be those established in state law based on family income and the cost of care.
3. Eligibility for Parents in Training or Educational Programs
Parent eligibility to received low-income child care funds when the parents are in training or educational programs is modified so that only parents under 20 years of age enrolled in high school or an equivalent program are eligible, in compliance with Act 289 changes in the statutes.
4. Loss of Eligibility
A local agency is permitted to determine that a parent is no longer eligible for child care funds if the parent fails to make required co-payments or provides false information to the agency about income or other matters affecting eligibility.
5. Recovery of Funds
Rules are added in compliance with 1995 Wis. Act 27 to provide for recovery of funds from a parent if the parent was not eligible for child care funds, and for recovery of an overpayment made to a provider when the provider is responsible for the overpayment.
6. Reimbursement
Local agencies are permitted to reimburse parents under certain circumstances for the cost of health care services or to make funds available to parents for the purchase of child care services, and local agencies are directed when to reimburse child care providers on the basis of authorized units of service or for days of attendance.
7. Authorized Child Care Providers
Local agencies are permitted to make payments, under certain conditions, to child care providers who are not licensed or certified, including:
a. When an AFDC recipient is involved in orientation, enrollment or initial assessment in the JOBS program.
