Finding of emergency
The Wisconsin Technical College System Board finds that 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 an emergency is:
The
2005 Wis. Act 25 (the 2005-2007 biennial budget bill) created the training program grants under Wis. Stats. §§
20.292 (1) (eh) and
38.41. An annual appropriation of $1,000,000 GPR in was established. These funds were provided to address a critical need of Wisconsin employers for skills training and education necessary to protect the state's economic vitality and health.
The Act requires the WTCS Board to promulgate rules to implement and administer the awarding of these grants. The Board has begun the permanent rule making process for establishing administrative rules for these grants, but cannot complete the required public hearing and review of these rules prior to the middle of the fiscal year. Therefore, to ensure that business in need of skills training and other education may access these services as soon as possible and that appropriated funds are distributed to technical college districts for this purpose, emergency administrative rules must be established immediately.
Publication Date:
October 7, 2005
Effective Date:
October 7, 2005
Expiration Date:
March 6, 2006
Hearing Dates:
January 4, 2006
Extension Through:
May 4, 2006
Transportation
A rule adopted amending
s. Trans 325.02, relating to motor carrier safety regulations.
Finding of emergency
The Department of Transportation finds that 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 on October 1, 2005 the new hours-of-service regulations became effective. The new regulations apply to drivers and carriers transporting property and passengers by commercial vehicles in interstate commerce. It is imperative the industry operates under a single set of regulations. Additionally, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance out-of-service criteria is directly formulated to the new hours-of-service. Also pursuant to
49 CFR 350.331(d), States are required to adopt compatible laws or rules to remain eligible for Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program funding. Currently, Wisconsin receives approximately $4 million in such funding and that funding could be in jeopardy if Wisconsin does not implement these changes immediately. The Motor Carriers Association has urged the Department to implement these changes as it will help ensure uniformity and increased highway safety.
Publication Date:
December 1, 2005
Effective Date:
December 1, 2005
Expiration Date:
April 30, 2006
Hearing Dates:
February 13, 2006
Workforce Development
(Labor Standards, Chs.
DWD 270-
279)
Rules adopted revising
ss. DWD 274.015 and 274.03 and creating
s. DWD 274.035, relating to overtime pay for employees performing companionship services.
Finding of emergency
The Department of Workforce Development finds that an emergency exists and that a rule is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety, or welfare. A statement of facts constituting the emergency is:
On January 21, 2004, pursuant to s.
227.26(2)(b), Stats., the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules directed the Department of Workforce Development to promulgate an emergency rule regarding their overtime policy for nonmedical home care companion employees of an agency as part of ch.
DWD 274.
Analysis Prepared by the Department of Workforce Development
Section
103.02, Stats., provides that “no person may be employed or be permitted to work in any place of employment or at any employment for such period of time during any day, night or week, as is prejudicial to the person's life, health, safety or welfare." Section
103.01 (3), Stats., defines “place of employment" as “any manufactory, mechanical or mercantile establishment, beauty parlor, laundry, restaurant, confectionary store, or telegraph or telecommunications office or exchange, or any express or transportation establishment or any hotel."
Chapter
DWD 274 governs hours of work and overtime. Section
DWD 274.015, the applicability section of the chapter, incorporates the statutory definition of “place of employment" and limits coverage of the chapter to the places of employment delineated in s.
103.01 (3), Stats., and various governmental bodies. Section
DWD 274.015 also provides that the chapter does not apply to employees employed in domestic service in a household by a household.
Section
103.02, Stats., directs that the “department shall, by rule, classify such periods of time into periods to be paid for at the rate of at least one and one-half times the regular rates." Under s.
DWD 274.03, “each employer subject to this chapter shall pay to each employee time and one-half the regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week." Section
DWD 274.04 lists 15 types of employees who are exempt from this general rule and s.
DWD 274.08 provides that the section is inapplicable to public employees.
Nonmedical home care companion employees who are employed by a third-party, commercial agency are covered by the overtime provision in s.
DWD 274.03. Section
DWD 274.03 applies to all employees who are subject to the chapter and not exempt under ss.
DWD 274.04 or
274.08. The chapter applies to companion employees of a commercial agency because under s.
DWD 274.015 a commercial agency is considered a mercantile establishment. Section
DWD 270.01 (5) defines a mercantile establishment as a commercial, for-profit business. The chapter does not apply to companion employees of a nonprofit agency or a private household. In addition, none of the exemptions to the overtime section in ss.
DWD 274.04 or
274.08 apply to companion employees of a commercial agency.
The Joint Committee for the Review of Administrative Rules has directed DWD to promulgate an emergency rule regarding the overtime policy for nonmedical home care companion employees of an agency. This provision is created at s.
DWD 274.035 to say that employees who are employed by a mercantile establishment to perform companionship services shall be subject to the overtime pay requirement in s.
DWD 274.03. “Companionship services" is defined as those services which provide fellowship, care, and protection for a person who because of advanced age, physical infirmity, or mental infirmity cannot care for his or her own needs. Such services may include general household work and work related to the care of the aged or infirm person such as meal preparation, bed making, washing of clothes, and other similar services. The term “companionship services" does not include services relating to the care and protection of the aged or infirm person that require and are performed by trained personnel, such as registered or practical nurses.
This order also repeals and recreates the applicability of the chapter section and the overtime section to write these rules in a clearer format. There is no substantive change in these sections.
Publication Date:
March 1, 2004
Effective Date:
March 1, 2004*
Expiration Date:
July 29, 2004
* On April 28, 2004, the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules suspended s.
DWD 274.035 created as an emergency rule.
Workforce Development
(Public Works Construction Projects, Chs.
DWD 290-
294)
Rules adopted amending
ss. DWD 290.155 (1) and DWD 293.02 (1) and (2), relating to the adjustment of thresholds for application of prevailing wage rates and payment and performance assurance requirements.
Finding of emergency
The Department of Workforce Development finds that an emergency exists and that a rule is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety, or welfare. A statement of facts constituting the emergency is:
Adjusting the thresholds for application of the prevailing wage rate requirements by emergency rule ensures that the adjustments are effective on a date certain that is prior to the time of year that project requests are generally submitted to the Department and applicability of the prevailing wage law is determined. The adjustment avoids imposing an additional administrative burden on local governments and state agencies caused by an effective decrease of the thresholds due solely to inflation in the construction industry. The adjustment of the thresholds for the application of the payment and performance assurance requirements avoids imposing an additional administrative burden on contractors for the same reason. If these new thresholds are not put into effect by emergency rule, the old thresholds will remain effective for approximately six to seven months, until the conclusion of the permanent rule-making process. The thresholds are based on national construction cost statistics and are unlikely to be changed by the rule-making process.
Publication Date:
December 27, 2005
Effective Date:
January 1, 2006
Expiration Date:
May 31, 2006
Hearing Dates:
February 15, 2006
