hist160022Wisconsin Act 220 Assembly Bill 578 April 9, 2022 hist159931Wisconsin Act 221 Assembly Bill 607 April 9, 2022 hist159933Wisconsin Act 222 Assembly Bill 686 April 9, 2022 hist159935Wisconsin Act 223 Assembly Bill 727 April 9, 2022 hist159937Wisconsin Act 224 Assembly Bill 759 April 9, 2022 hist159939Wisconsin Act 225 Assembly Bill 765 April 9, 2022 hist160023Wisconsin Act 226 Assembly Bill 820 April 9, 2022 hist159942Wisconsin Act 227 Assembly Bill 842 April 9, 2022 hist159944Wisconsin Act 228 Assembly Bill 874 April 9, 2022 hist159946Wisconsin Act 229 Assembly Bill 887 April 9, 2022 hist159948Wisconsin Act 230 Assembly Bill 909 April 9, 2022 hist159950Wisconsin Act 231 Assembly Bill 910 April 9, 2022 hist159952Wisconsin Act 232 Assembly Bill 911 April 9, 2022 hist159954Wisconsin Act 233 Assembly Bill 914 April 9, 2022 hist159956Wisconsin Act 234 Assembly Bill 943 April 9, 2022 hist160020Wisconsin Act 235 Assembly Bill 953 April 9, 2022 hist160021Wisconsin Act 236 Assembly Bill 975 April 9, 2022 Wisconsin Act 237 Assembly Bill 994 April 9, 2022
hist159962Wisconsin Act 238 Assembly Bill 1020 April 9, 2022 hist159964Wisconsin Act 239 Assembly Bill 1021 April 9, 2022 hist159966Wisconsin Act 240 Assembly Bill 1022 April 9, 2022 hist159968Wisconsin Act 241 Assembly Bill 1023 April 9, 2022 hist159970Wisconsin Act 242 Assembly Bill 1024 April 9, 2022 hist159972Wisconsin Act 243 Assembly Bill 1025 April 9, 2022 hist159974Wisconsin Act 244 Assembly Bill 1026 April 9, 2022 hist159976Wisconsin Act 245 Assembly Bill 1027 April 9, 2022 hist159978Wisconsin Act 246 Assembly Bill 1028 April 9, 2022 hist159980Wisconsin Act 247 Assembly Bill 1029 April 9, 2022 hist159982Wisconsin Act 248 Assembly Bill 1030 April 9, 2022 hist159984Wisconsin Act 249 Assembly Bill 1031 April 9, 2022 hist159986Wisconsin Act 250 Assembly Bill 1032 April 9, 2022 _____________
Governor’s Veto Message
April 8, 2022
To the Honorable Members of the Assembly:
The following bills, originating in the Assembly, have been vetoed in their entirety, and were returned to their house of origin, together with the objections in writing:
Bill Number Date of Veto
I am vetoing Assembly Bill 122 in its entirety.
This bill permits and defines a “micro education pod” as an educational program between two and ten family units and up to 20 children in a single location with a designated administrator. The ability to use micro education pods would sunset after the 2023-2024 school year.
I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to creating an entirely new type of largely unregulated educational structure. The bill would functionally create a new class of small private entities that would operate outside of the current laws applying to private schools and homeschooling, such as those relating to special education, employment, building codes, teacher licensing, and health and safety standards. Micro education pods would operate as mostly unregulated, small private schools with some components of homeschooling. More broadly, this bill is part of a series of efforts by this Legislature to politicize our schools and our education system while refusing to make meaningful, necessary investments in our kids and our schools. I welcome the opportunity to work together with the Legislature to do what’s best for our kids.
I am vetoing Assembly Bill 152 in its entirety.
This bill creates an exemption from the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Service's examination requirement for certain building and plumbing plans and modifies other aspects of the building plan review process.
I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to passing unnecessary legislation that could ultimately compromise safety by undermining the department’s current process, which helps ensure public health and safety standards are met. Moreover, my administration has already successfully addressed the problem this bill seeks to solve. Three years ago, building and plumbing plan review times were taking much too long and negatively impacting building constructions and renovations. As a result, my administration, and specifically the department's secretary, took the initiative to find a way to reduce plan review time and successfully did so. Since taking these steps, plan review time has been reduced by about half; from 10 to 12 weeks to four to six weeks, on average. In fact, in 2020, most plan reviews were completed in three to five weeks. Therefore, what this legislation intends to do has already been accomplished without compromising safety.
I am vetoing Assembly Bill 414 in its entirety.
The bill would require the Departments of Revenue and Administration, respectively, to potentially withhold state funding from any local or state government agency if that agency requires employees to attend training relating to any number of concepts prescribed in the bill.
I am vetoing the bill in its entirety because I object to the Legislature attempting to infringe upon the executive branch of state government, especially under cover of politically motivated claims and erroneous assumptions for which the Legislature has no meaningful basis.
I am vetoing Assembly Bill 446 in its entirety.
The bill would mandate school boards and independent charter schools to assess the early literacy skill of pupils in four-year-old kindergarten to second grade using screening assessments throughout the year and to create a personal reading plan for each pupil in five-year-old kindergarten to second grade who is identified as at-risk. It would also require the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to establish and maintain lists of approved fundamental skills screening assessments, universal screening assessments, and diagnostic assessments on its Internet site based on alignment with model academic standards in reading and language arts, and a mandatory minimum sensitivity rate and specificity rate. Further, this bill would mandate a school board, for each school and district, or operator of an independent charter, to annually submit a report to DPI regarding the number of pupils identified as at-risk, the names of reading assessments used, and the number of pupils in five-year-old kindergarten to second grade who receive literacy interventions, all information which the department would then annually compile and report to the Legislature. The amended bill requires the use of at least $5,000,0000 in one-time American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 federal funding to implement its new mandates for screenings and interventions or to address staffing or other resource needs necessary for implementation.
When I vetoed the Senate version of this bill, SB 454, I raised concerns about the need for long-term sustainable funding. Wisconsin is projected to have a $3.8 billion surplus at the end of the 2021-23 biennium—nearly $2.9 billion more than was expected in June 2021—while the state’s ‘rainy day’ fund now sits at the highest level in state history. Instead of amending the bill to utilize state dollars and ensure ongoing funding, the bill was amended to require the use of already allocated one-time federal funds. I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I continue to object to overhauling Wisconsin’s reading readiness system for assessment and intervention without evidence that the proposed approach is best suited to our students, without long-term, sustainable funding.
As I stated previously, we need to address reading proficiency and increase literacy success in our schools, particularly after the challenges our kids, parents, and schools faced during the pandemic. A bill that will ultimately lead to reducing valuable instruction time and asks schools to rely on one-time money for long-term expenses fails to provide the necessary and meaningful investments our kids and our schools deserve.
As I advocated for as Superintendent of Public Instruction, and have proposed as Governor is that we need to provide the necessary funding to support the work of our educators, administrators, and staff currently doing the work with our kids to ensure reading and literacy success.
I am vetoing Assembly Bill 495 in its entirety.
This bill would weaken current conceal carry weapon license regulations establishing gun-free school zones by allowing, under certain circumstances, a concealed carry weapon licensee to possess a loaded firearm on school grounds.
I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to creating another exception to the gun-free school zone law. Wisconsin's gun-free school zone law passed with strong bipartisan support and was signed into law by Governor Thompson in 1991. Wisconsinites desperately want their elected leaders to take action to find common-sense solutions that both respect and uphold rights and ensure our schools, our streets, and our communities are safe. To that end, I have been proud to invest more than $100 million into violence and crime prevention and efforts to support local and tribal public safety agencies.
