40.51 (2m) (b) If an eligible employee is divorced or was a domestic partner in a dissolved domestic partnership, the eligible employee may not enroll a new spouse or domestic partner in a group health insurance plan under this subchapter until 6 months have elapsed since the date of the divorce or dissolved domestic partnership.
59,709g
Section 709g. 40.51 (6) of the statutes is amended to read:
40.51 (6) This state shall offer to all of its employees at least 2 insured or uninsured health care coverage plans providing substantially equivalent hospital and medical benefits, including a health maintenance organization or a preferred provider plan, if those health care plans are determined by the group insurance board to be available in the area of the place of employment and are approved by the group insurance board. The group insurance board shall place each of the plans into one of 3
5 tiers established in accordance with standards adopted by the group insurance board. The tiers shall be separated according to the employee's share of premium costs.
59,710
Section 710
. 40.513 (3) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
40.513 (3) (b) The employee's spouse or domestic partner is receiving health care coverage under s. 40.51 (6).
59,711
Section 711
. 40.52 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
40.52 (2) Health insurance benefits under this subchapter shall be integrated, with exceptions determined appropriate by the group insurance board, with benefits under federal plans for hospital and health care for the aged and disabled. Exclusions and limitations with respect to benefits and different rates may be established for persons eligible under federal plans for hospital and health care for the aged and disabled in recognition of the utilization by persons within the age limits eligible under the federal program. The plan may include special provisions for spouses, domestic partners, and other dependents covered under a plan established under this subchapter where one spouse or domestic partner is eligible under federal plans for hospital and health care for the aged but the others are not eligible because of age or other reasons. As part of the integration, the department may, out of premiums collected under s. 40.05 (4), pay premiums for the federal health insurance.
59,712
Section 712
. 40.55 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
40.55 (1) Except as provided in sub. (5), the state shall offer, through the group insurance board, to eligible employees under s. 40.02 (25) (bm) and to state annuitants long-term care insurance policies which have been filed with the office of the commissioner of insurance and which have been approved for offering under contracts established by the group insurance board. The state shall also allow an eligible employee or a state annuitant to purchase those policies for his or her spouse, domestic partner, or parent.
59,719d
Section 719d. 40.65 (7) (am) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
40.65 (7) (am) 1. To the surviving spouse or domestic partner until the surviving spouse remarries or the surviving domestic partner enters into a new domestic partnership or marries, if the spouse was married to the participant on the date that the participant was disabled under sub. (4) or the domestic partner was in a domestic partnership with the participant on the date that the participant was disabled under sub. (4), 50 percent of the participant's monthly salary at the time of death, but reduced by any amount payable under sub. (5) (b) 1. to 6.
59,719e
Section 719e. 40.65 (7) (am) 1g. of the statutes is created to read:
40.65 (7) (am) 1g. To the surviving spouse until the surviving spouse remarries, if the spouse was in a domestic partnership with the participant on the date that the participant was disabled under sub. (4) and the disability under sub. (4) occurred before January 1, 2018, 50 percent of the participant's monthly salary at the time of death, but reduced by any amount payable under sub. (5) (b) 1. to 6.
59,719f
Section 719f. 40.65 (7) (am) 1m. of the statutes is created to read:
40.65 (7) (am) 1m. To the surviving domestic partner until the surviving domestic partner marries, if the domestic partner was in a domestic partnership with the participant on the date that the participant was disabled under sub. (4) and the disability under sub. (4) occurred before January 1, 2018, 50 percent of the participant's monthly salary at the time of death, but reduced by any amount payable under sub. (5) (b) 1. to 6.
59,719g
Section 719g. 40.65 (7) (am) 3. of the statutes is amended to read:
40.65 (7) (am) 3. The total monthly amount paid under subds. 1., 1g., 1m., and 2. may not exceed 70 percent of the participant's monthly salary at the time of death reduced by any amounts under sub. (5) (b) 1. to 6. that relate to the participant's work record.
59,719h
Section 719h. 40.65 (7) (ar) 1. a. of the statutes is amended to read:
40.65 (7) (ar) 1. a. To the surviving spouse
or domestic partner until the surviving spouse or domestic partner remarries or enters into a new domestic partnership, if the surviving spouse was married to the participant on the date that the participant was disabled under sub. (4) or the domestic partner was in a domestic partnership with the participant on the date that the participant was disabled under sub. (4), 70 percent of the participant's monthly salary at the time of death, but reduced by any amount payable under sub. (5) (b) 1. to 6.
59,719i
Section 719i. 40.65 (7) (ar) 1. ag. of the statutes is created to read:
40.65 (7) (ar) 1. ag. To the surviving spouse until the surviving spouse remarries, if the spouse was in a domestic partnership with the participant on the date that the participant was disabled under sub. (4) and the disability under sub. (4) occurred before January 1, 2018, 70 percent of the participant's monthly salary at the time of death, but reduced by any amount payable under sub. (5) (b) 1. to 6.
59,719j
Section 719j. 40.65 (7) (ar) 1. am. of the statutes is created to read:
40.65 (7) (ar) 1. am. To the surviving domestic partner until the surviving domestic partner marries, if the domestic partner was in a domestic partnership with the participant on the date that the participant was disabled under sub. (4) and the disability under sub. (4) occurred before January 1, 2018, 70 percent of the participant's monthly salary at the time of death, but reduced by any amount payable under sub. (5) (b) 1. to 6.
59,725
Section 725
. 40.80 (2r) (a) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:
40.80 (2r) (a) 2. Assigns all or part of a participant's accumulated assets held in a deferred compensation plan under this subchapter to a spouse, former spouse, domestic partner, former domestic partner, child, or other dependent to satisfy a family support or marital property obligation.
59,726
Section 726
. 41.41 (10) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
41.41 (10) (b) Each year, the department shall ascertain from the clerk of each taxation district in which the reserve or any land acquired by the board is located the aggregate gross general property tax rate for the taxation district, exclusive of the rate that applies under s. 70.58 and without respect to the school levy tax credit under s. 79.10.
59,727
Section 727
. 41.41 (10) (c) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
41.41 (10) (c) 1. Except as provided in par. (d), on or before each January 31, the department shall pay to the treasurer of each taxation district specified in par. (b), with respect to all land in the Kickapoo valley reserve and all land acquired by the board on or before January 1 of the preceding year, an amount determined by multiplying the estimated value of the land equated to the average level of assessment in the taxation district by the aggregate gross general property tax rate, exclusive of the rate that applies under s. 70.58 and without respect to the school levy tax credit under s. 79.10, that would apply to the land in that taxation district for that year if it were taxable.
59,727p
Section 727p. 43.24 (6) of the statutes is repealed.
59,728
Section 728
. 44.16 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:
44.16 (title) Circus World Museum
Foundation.
59,729
Section 729
. 44.16 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
44.16 (1) The Except as provided in sub. (3), the historical society may enter into a lease agreement with the Circus World Museum Foundation, Inc., for the purpose of operating Circus World Museum, located in Baraboo, Wisconsin. The lease agreement shall not include any provision for the payment of a percentage of gross admissions income at Circus World Museum to the historical society.
59,730
Section 730
. 44.16 (3) of the statutes is created to read:
44.16 (3) If a lease agreement under sub. (1) is in effect on the effective date of this subsection .... [LRB inserts date], the lease agreement shall terminate on January 1, 2018, or on the date that any termination occurs as provided under the lease agreement, whichever is earlier.
59,731
Section 731
. 44.20 (1) of the statutes is renumbered 44.20 (1) (a).
59,732
Section 732
. 44.20 (1) (b) of the statutes is created to read:
44.20 (1) (b) The historical society shall operate and maintain Circus World Museum. If a lease agreement under s. 44.16 (1) is in effect on the effective date of this paragraph .... [LRB inserts date], this paragraph does not apply until the termination date of the lease agreement that is specified in s. 44.16 (3).
59,732m
Section 732m. 45.03 (13) (p) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.03 (13) (p) (intro.) Before June 30 September 15 of each even-numbered year, submit to the joint committee on finance a report describing the condition of the veterans trust fund. The report shall include information regarding all of the following:
59,732n
Section 732n. 45.03 (13) (p) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
45.03 (13) (p) 1. The projected revenues and expenditures of the veterans trust fund beginning with
for the current fiscal year that starts immediately after the submittal of the report and each fiscal year of the following fiscal biennium.
59,732p
Section 732p. 45.03 (13) (p) 1m. of the statutes is created to read:
45.03 (13) (p) 1m. The actual revenues and expenditures of the veterans trust fund for the previous fiscal year.
59,733
Section 733
. 45.20 (1) (d) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.20 (1) (d) “Tuition," when referring to the University of Wisconsin System, means academic fees and segregated fees; when referring to the technical colleges, means “program fees" and “additional fees" as described in s. 38.24 (1m) and (1s); and when referring to a high school, a school that is approved under s. 45.03 (11), or a proprietary school that is approved under s. 38.50 440.52, means the charge for the courses for which a person is enrolled.
59,734
Section 734
. 45.20 (2) (a) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
45.20 (2) (a) 1. The department shall administer a tuition reimbursement program for eligible veterans enrolling as undergraduates in any institution of higher education in this state, enrolling in a school that is approved under s. 45.03 (11), enrolling in a proprietary school that is approved under s. 38.50 440.52, enrolling in a public or private high school, enrolling in a tribal school, as defined in s. 115.001 (15m), in any grade from 9 to 12, or receiving a waiver of nonresident tuition under s. 39.47.
59,735
Section 735
. 45.20 (2) (a) 2. (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.20 (2) (a) 2. (intro.) A veteran who is a resident of this state and otherwise qualified to receive benefits under this subsection may receive the benefits under this subsection upon the completion of any correspondence courses or part-time classroom study from an institution of higher education located outside this state, from a school that is approved under s. 45.03 (11), or from a proprietary school that is approved under s. 38.50
440.52, if any of the following applies:
59,736
Section 736
. 45.20 (2) (c) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
45.20 (2) (c) 1. A veteran who meets the eligibility requirements under par. (b) 1. may be reimbursed upon satisfactory completion of an undergraduate semester in any institution of higher education in this state, or upon satisfactory completion of a course at any school that is approved under s. 45.03 (11), any proprietary school that is approved under s. 38.50 440.52, any public or private high school, any tribal school, as defined in s. 115.001 (15m), that operates any grade from 9 to 12, or any institution from which the veteran receives a waiver of nonresident tuition under s. 39.47. Except as provided in par. (e), the amount of reimbursement may not exceed the total cost of the veteran's tuition minus any grants or scholarships that the veteran receives specifically for the payment of the tuition, or, if the tuition is for an undergraduate semester in any institution of higher education, the standard cost of tuition for a state resident for an equivalent undergraduate semester at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, whichever is less.
59,737
Section 737
. 45.20 (2) (d) 1. (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.20 (2) (d) 1. (intro.) Subject to subd. 1m., a veteran's eligibility for reimbursement under this subsection at any institution of higher education in this state, at a school that is approved under s. 45.03 (11), at a proprietary school that is approved under s. 38.50
440.52, at a public or private high school, at a tribal school, as defined in s. 115.001 (15m), that operates any grade from 9 to 12, or at an institution where he or she is receiving a waiver of nonresident tuition under s. 39.47 is limited to the following:
59,738h
Section 738h. 45.21 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.21 (2) (a) The veteran is enrolled in a training course in a technical college under ch. 38 or in a proprietary school in the state approved by the educational approval board under s. 38.50 440.52, other than a proprietary school offering a 4-year degree or 4-year program, or is engaged in a structured on-the-job training program that meets program requirements promulgated by the department by rule.
59,738j
Section 738j. 45.21 (2) (a) of the statutes, as affected by 2017 Wisconsin Act .... (this act), is amended to read:
45.21 (2) (a) The veteran is enrolled in a training course in a technical college under ch. 38 or in a proprietary school in the state approved by the educational approval board department of safety and professional services under s. 440.52, other than a proprietary school offering a 4-year degree or 4-year program, or is engaged in a structured on-the-job training program that meets program requirements promulgated by the department by rule.
59,739g
Section 739g. 45.41 (2) (intro.) of the statutes is renumbered 45.41 (2) (am) and amended to read:
45.41 (2) (am) Upon application the department may make a payment to any state veterans organization that establishes that it, or its national organization, or both, has maintained a full-time service office at the regional office for 5 consecutive years out of the 10-year period immediately preceding the application. Any payment shall be as follows, calculated based on the total amount of all salaries and travel expenses under sub. (3) paid during the previous fiscal year by the state veterans organization to employees engaged in veterans claims service and stationed at the regional office:. The department shall pay an amount equal to 50 percent of all salaries and travel expenses under sub. (3) or $100,000, whichever is less, to a recipient under this paragraph.
59,739h
Section 739h. 45.41 (2) (a) of the statutes is repealed.
59,739i
Section 739i. 45.41 (2) (d) of the statutes is repealed.
59,739j
Section 739j. 45.41 (2) (e) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.41 (2) (e) An organization that receives a payment under par. (a) or (d) (am) shall maintain records as required by the department concerning the organization's expenditure of the payment. That organization shall give the department access to those records upon request of the department, and the department may audit those records.
59,739k
Section 739k. 45.41 (3m) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.41 (3m) If the total amount of payments committed to be paid under sub. (2) (a) and (d) (am) exceeds the amount available for the payments from the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (vw), the department shall prorate the reimbursement payments among the state veterans organizations receiving the payments.
59,739m
Section 739m. 45.41 (4) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.41 (4) (a) From the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (s), the department shall annually provide a payment of $120,000 $200,000 to the Wisconsin department of the Disabled American Veterans for the provision of transportation services to veterans.
59,739n
Section 739n. 45.41 (5) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.41 (5) From the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (vw) (vs), the department may annually grant up to $50,000 $75,000 to the Wisconsin department of the American Legion for the operation of Camp American Legion.
59,739pg
Section 739pg. 45.45 of the statutes is repealed.
59,739pm
Section 739pm. 45.46 of the statutes is amended to read:
45.46 Grants to nonprofit organizations that serve veterans and their families. From the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (tf) (th), the department may make grants of up to a total of $250,000 annually to nonprofit organizations, as defined in s. 108.02 (19), and no more than $25,000 to each grant recipient, to provide financial assistance or other services to veterans and their dependents.
59,739pv
Section 739pv. 45.50 (2m) (d) of the statutes is repealed.
59,739py
Section 739py. 45.50 (4) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.50 (4) (b) The department may accept gifts, bequests, grants, or donations of money or of property from private sources to be administered by the department for the purposes of veterans homes. All moneys received shall be paid into the general fund and appropriated as provided in s. 20.485 (1) (h), except that gifts or grants received specifically for the purposes of the geriatric program at veterans homes are appropriated as provided in s. 20.485 (1) (hm). The department may not apply to the gifts and bequests fund interest on certificate of savings deposits for those members who do not receive maximum monthly retained income. The department shall establish for those persons upon their request individual accounts with savings and interest applied as the member requests.
59,739qg
Section 739qg. 45.57 (1) of the statutes is renumbered 45.57 (1) (a) and amended to read:
45.57 (1) (a) The Subject to par. (b), the department may transfer all or part of the unencumbered balance of any of the appropriations under s. 20.485 (1) (g), (gd), (gk), or (i) to the veterans trust fund or to the veterans mortgage loan repayment fund.
59,739qm
Section 739qm. 45.57 (1) (b) of the statutes is created to read:
45.57 (1) (b) Before transferring all or part of an appropriation balance under par. (a), the department shall notify the joint committee on finance in writing of the proposed balance transfer. If the cochairpersons of the committee do not notify the department within 14 working days after the date of the department's notification that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the proposed balance transfer, the balance transfer may be made as proposed by the department. If, within 14 working days after the date of the department's notification, the cochairpersons of the committee notify the department that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the proposed balance transfer, the balance may be made only upon approval of the committee.
59,739r
Section 739r. 45.58 of the statutes is amended to read:
45.58 Grants to local governments. From the appropriation under s. 20.485 (1) (kj), the department may make up to $300,000 each fiscal biennium in grants to cities, villages, and towns that provide services to veterans homes and other facilities for veterans. A city, village, or town may not expend grant moneys it receives under this section for any purpose other than providing fire and emergency medical services to veterans homes and other facilities for veterans.
59,739s
Section 739s. 45.70 (1m) of the statutes is repealed.
59,740
Section 740
. 45.82 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.82 (2) The department of veterans affairs shall award a grant annually, on a reimbursable basis as specified in this subsection, to a county that meets the standards developed under this section if the county executive, administrator, or administrative coordinator certifies to the department that it employs a county veterans service officer who, if chosen after April 15, 2015, is chosen from a list of candidates who have taken a civil service examination for the position of county veterans service officer developed and administered by the bureau of merit recruitment and selection in the department of administration, or is appointed under a civil service competitive examination procedure under s. 59.52 (8) or ch. 63. The department of veterans affairs shall twice yearly reimburse grant recipients for documented expenses under sub. (5), subject to the following annual reimbursement limits: grant shall be $8,500 for a county with a population of less than 20,000, $10,000 for a county with a population of 20,000 to 45,499, $11,500 for a county with a population of 45,500 to 74,999, and $13,000 for a county with a population of 75,000 or more. The department of veterans affairs shall use the most recent Wisconsin official population estimates prepared by the demographic services center when making grants under this subsection.
59,741
Section 741
. 45.82 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.82 (4) The department shall provide grants
on a reimbursable basis as specified in this subsection to the governing bodies of federally recognized American Indian tribes and bands from the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (km) or (vw) (vu) if that governing body enters into an agreement with the department regarding the creation, goals, and objectives of a tribal veterans service officer, appoints a veteran to act as a tribal veterans service officer, and gives that veteran duties similar to the duties described in s. 45.80 (5), except that the veteran shall report to the governing body of the tribe or band. The department shall twice yearly reimburse grant recipients for documented expenses under sub. (5), may make annual grants in an amount not to exceed $15,000 per grant under this subsection and shall promulgate rules to implement this subsection.
59,742m
Section 742m. 45.82 (5) of the statutes is repealed.
