One-Hundred and Fifth Regular Session FRIDAY, April 15, 2022
The Chief Clerk makes the following entries under the above date:
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Administrative Rules
Relating to the development of site-specific numeric phosphorus water quality criteria for surface waters.
hist160146No action taken by committee on Environment on April 12, 2022. Referred on April 15, 2022.
Relating to adding narrative surface water criteria with numeric thresholds and analytical methods for poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) including PFOS and PFOA for the purpose of protecting public health as well as revisions to the procedures in the Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (“WPDES”) permitting program to implement the new water quality criteria and affecting small business.
hist160142No action taken by committee on Environment on April 11, 2022. Referred on April 15, 2022.
Relating to the promulgation of new drinking water maximum contaminant levels for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) including Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and affecting small business.
hist160144No action taken by committee on Environment on April 11, 2022. Referred on April 15, 2022.
Relating to commercial lines modernization.
hist160138No action taken by committee on Insurance on April 12, 2022. Referred on April 15, 2022.
Relating to holding company system regulation amendments.
hist160140No action taken by committee on Insurance on April 7, 2022. Referred on April 15, 2022.
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Executive Communications
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
Madison
April 15, 2022
To the Honorable Members of the Assembly:
The following bill, originating in the Assembly, has been approved, signed and deposited in the office of the Secretary of State:
Bill Number Act Number Date Approved
Respectfully submitted,
TONY EVERS
Governor
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Pursuant to s. 35.095 (1)(b), Wisconsin Statutes, the following 2021 Act has been published: Act Number Bill Number Publication Date
hist160137Wisconsin Act 263 Assembly Bill 251 April 16, 2022 _____________
Governor’s Veto Message
April 15, 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
Assembly Bill 963 April 15, 2022
Assembly Bill 970 April 15, 2022
I am vetoing Assembly Bill 299 in its entirety.
This bill would prohibit any governmental entity from requiring a person to provide proof that the person has received a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in order to receive any services, conduct any business, access any building, or participate in any government function. In addition, this bill would prohibit any person, firm, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity, including a nonprofit organization, engaged in any enterprise in this state from requiring a person to provide proof that the person has received a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in order to receive any services, conduct any business, access any building or participate in any non-private function.
I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to the Legislature’s continued efforts to inject partisan politics and rhetoric into public health practices by preventing public entities and businesses from making decisions that work for them, their customers, their workers, and their operations to help prevent and suppress the spread of COVID-19. As I previously said in my veto messages for Assembly Bill 1 and Assembly Bill 23, respectively, our response to this pandemic should be focused on following the science and the advice of public health experts and working together to save as many lives as we can - not on finding ways to make it harder to fight this virus or keep Wisconsinites healthy and safe. Private entities and businesses should remain free to implement COVID-19 mitigation measures to keep themselves, employees, and customers safe without unnecessary, political interference from this Legislature.
I remain committed to doing everything I can to keep Wisconsinites healthy and safe, by following the science and the advice of public health experts and putting people first.
I am vetoing Assembly Bill 316 in its entirety.
This bill would prohibit any governmental entity from “discriminating” against a person based on whether the person has received a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The bill does not define discrimination.
I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to the Legislature’s continued efforts to inject partisan politics and rhetoric into public health practices by preventing public entities from working to help prevent and suppress the spread of COVID-19. As I have previously said on countless occasions, government response to this and future pandemics should be focused on following the science and the advice of public health experts to keep Wisconsinites healthy and safe. This should not be subject to the unnecessary, politically driven interference by this Legislature.
I am vetoing Assembly Bill 883 in its entirety.
This bill would make several changes to the unemployment insurance program, including: (a) changing the name of the program to “reemployment assistance;” (b) creating additional qualifying requirements to receive benefits, particularly as they relate to work searches for claimants unemployed for over three weeks; (c) requiring the Department of Workforce Development to promulgate rules immediately for drug testing certain unemployment insurance beneficiaries; (d) requiring the department to continue participating in the federal Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment program; (e) modifying the weekly wage threshold (at which point unemployment insurance benefits are prorated) from $30 in any benefit week to $30 or 40 percent of the claimant's benefit week rate (whichever is greater); (f) requiring the Governor to provide American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 funding for $1,000 payments to employers that hire long-term unemployment benefit recipients who lost jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; (g) making technical changes regarding state plans submitted pursuant to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, and (h) requiring the department to report, twice each year, to the appropriate standing committees of the Legislature, an analysis of unemployment benefit claimants' employment outcomes.
During the coronavirus pandemic, individuals and families across our state relied on unemployment benefits to make ends meet. Now, Wisconsin has returned to work. Our state’s unemployment rate is at historic lows, and we have the fewest number of people unemployed ever in our state’s history. I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to creating more burdensome requirements for employers while adding more barriers for individuals applying for and receiving economic assistance through programs largely designed to provide support when individuals and families are experiencing economic hardship.
Moreover, the Department of Workforce Development is already performing much of the work this bill purports to newly require or support. The department already helps employers find available workers and provides job services, training, and employment assistance to workers and individuals seeking to join our workforce. For example, “reemployment assistance” is effectively already the function of the Division of Employment and Training’s Bureau of Job Service, which supports the mobile career lab, works in schools and libraries to connect available workers with jobs, supports Department of Corrections’ job labs, and various other in-person and online efforts to support workers and connect available workers with employers. They also already administer the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment program, which helps approximately 20,000 to 25,000 unemployment insurance claimants a year with conducting work searches, employment counseling and career exploration, and referrals to job training programs. Work registration and reemployment services are already required.
