Thursday, March 4, 1999
10:00 A.M.
Ninety-Fourth Regular Session
The Senate met.
The Senate was called to order by Senator Fred Risser.
The Chair, with unanimous consent, asked that the proper entries be made in the journal.
__________________
Read first time and referred:
Senate Bill 69
Relating to: requiring cemetery authorities to provide for burials during each season.
By
Senators
Moen and Rude; cosponsored by Representatives Montgomery, Musser, Albers, Gronemus and Sykora.
To committee on Human Services and Aging.
Senate Bill 70
Relating to: contributions for a World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. and making appropriations.
By
Senators
Moen, Wirch, Erpenbach, Burke, Breske, Drzewiecki, Clausing, Baumgart, Fitzgerald, Grobschmidt, Welch, Schultz, Roessler and Darling; cosponsored by Representatives Musser, Albers, Hahn, Ryba, Huber, Brandemuehl, Turner, Handrick, Plouff, Hasenohrl, Ladwig, Kreuser, Plale, Miller, Freese, Riley, Seratti, Gunderson, Montgomery and Berceau.
To committee on Health, Utilities, Veterans and Military Affairs.
Senate Bill 71
Relating to: allowing a "Class A" licensee to provide wine free of charge for consumption on the licensee's premises.
By
Senators
Breske, Shibilski, Moen, Grobschmidt, Burke, George, Zien, Erpenbach, Darling and Rude; cosponsored by Representatives Pettis, Handrick, Kaufert, Staskunas, Carpenter, Albers, Freese, Grothman, Hoven, Hundertmark, Kestell, Ladwig, Powers, Sykora, Walker, Nass, Seratti, Underheim, Vrakas, Huebsch and Gunderson.
To committee on Economic Development, Housing and Government Operations.
Senate Bill 72
Relating to: creating an office of public intervenor in the department of justice and making an appropriation.
By
Senators
George, Erpenbach, Moen, Baumgart, Jauch, Grobschmidt, Moore, Risser, Plache, Shibilski, Decker, Robson, Wirch, Burke and Clausing; cosponsored by Representatives Black, Bock, Sherman, Berceau, Balow, Young, Richards, Miller, Krug, Coggs, Carpenter, Pocan, Huber, Cullen, Plale, Schooff, Ryba, Wood, La Fave, J. Lehman, Travis, Kreuser, Meyer, Plouff, Turner, Reynolds, Lassa, Hasenohrl, Morris-Tatum, Boyle and Meyerhofer.
To committee on Judiciary and Consumer Affairs.
Senate Bill 73
Relating to: the Milwaukee parental choice program, charter schools and state aid to the Milwaukee Public Schools.
By
Senators
George and Moore; cosponsored by Representatives Sinicki, Young, Bock, Morris-Tatum, Turner and Coggs.
To committee on Education.
Senate Bill 74
Relating to: creating a nonrefundable individual income tax credit for certain expenses related to child or dependent care.
By
Senators
Robson, Baumgart, Plache, Risser, Erpenbach and Clausing; cosponsored by Representatives Black, Powers, Carpenter, Sinicki, J. Lehman, Ryba, Bock, Hasenohrl, Pocan, Lassa, Meyer, Schooff, Cullen and Plouff.
To committee on Economic Development, Housing and Government Operations.
Senate Bill 75
Relating to: establishing a service award program for volunteer fire fighters and emergency medical technicians, creating a volunteer fire fighter and emergency medical technician service award board, requiring the exercise of rule-making authority and making appropriations.
By
Senators
Zien, Shibilski, Welch, Breske, Fitzgerald, Schultz, Drzewiecki, Rude, Moen, Darling, A. Lasee, Wirch, Roessler, Panzer, Baumgart, Lazich and Farrow; cosponsored by Representatives Powers, Pettis, Musser, Klusman, Gunderson, Gronemus, Kreibich, Duff, Huebsch, Handrick, Sykora, Porter, Schneider, Freese, Sherman, Miller, Hasenohrl, Ainsworth, Brandemuehl, Suder, Spillner, Owens, Ryba, Lassa, Johnsrud, Seratti, Boyle, Kestell, Hoven, Hebl, Nass, Albers, Petrowski, Ott, Olsen, Reynolds, Skindrud, Hutchison, Hahn, Rhoades and Hundertmark.
To committee on Labor.
Senate Bill 76
Relating to: school uniforms.
By
Senator
George
; cosponsored by Representatives Young, Colon and Riley.
To committee on Education.
The committee on Insurance, Tourism, Transportation and Corrections reports and recommends:
Speros
, Richard "Moose",
of Madison, as Secretary of the Department of Tourism, to serve for the term ending at the pleasure of the Governor.
Confirmation.
Ayes, 7 - Senators
Breske, Grobschmidt, Baumgart, Shibilski, Schultz, A. Lasee and Zien.
Noes, 0 - None.
Roger Breske
Chairperson
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Workforce Development
February 26, 1999
The Honorable, The Senate:
Pursuant to Chapter
109 of Wisconsin Statutes, I have attached the department's 1998 annual report on business closings and/or mass layoffs. The report lists all businesses which notified the department in 1998 of planned closings/mass layoffs. The report also lists the complaints filed in 1998 and in January and February 1999. It includes the name of the business, location, date the complaint was received, date of determination and the disposition of each complaint. In addition, the report updates the disposition of those cases that were still pending at the end of 1997.
Five 1997 plant closing complaints remained under investigation at the beginning of 1998. The department since has completed four of the investigations finding no violation. The fifth case (Menasha Corporation) remains under investigation and will be completed in the next two months. At the beginning of 1998, four cases had been referred to the Department of Justice for potential litigation. The Department of Justice determined litigation in two of those cases would be futile given the financial status of the employer. In a third case, the Department of Justice has filed a claim with the bankruptcy court for increased wages for affected employees. The Department of Justice currently is working with the bankruptcy court to resolve that claim. The final case is scheduled for trial in July.
In 1998 the department received 17 complaints alleging violations of the notification law. Thus far in 1999, an additional two complaints have been received. Eight of the completed complaint investigations of 1998 cases concluded no violation occurred. Two completed investigations documented violations and actions are currently pending to collect the increased wages found due in those cases. The other seven complaints remain under investigation at this time.
If you have any questions regarding the information in this report, please contact the Equal Rights Division Administrator Sheehan Donoghue at 266-0946.
