SB655,1,2 1An Act to create 13.83 (4) of the statutes; relating to: special joint legislative
2committee on strengthening Wisconsin's families.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill requires the Joint Legislative Council to create a permanent, special
committee on strengthening Wisconsin's families, consisting of not fewer than 6 nor
more than 11 members who are not legislators and not fewer than 6 nor more than
12 legislator members of the senate and assembly, including at least one member of
the majority party and at least one member of the minority party from each house.
All members are appointed by the Joint Legislative Council. The special committee
is required to study issues related to strengthening Wisconsin's families and develop
specific recommendations and legislative proposals relating to these issues. Among
the issues that the special committee may study are the following:
1. Ways to increase awareness of the importance of families in society and to
resolve social issues.
2. Ways to target public moneys for family services to families and not
individuals.
3. Existing laws relating to strengthening families.
4. Ways in which the results from the scientific study of attachment and brain
development can be incorporated into public schools, day care centers, and homes.
5. Child support and custody issues involving fathers, for the purpose of
ensuring that fathers are appropriately engaged in the lives of their children.
6. Changes to state agency rules, policies, guidelines, and procedures to
strengthen families, reduce reliance on social service professionals for family
support, and maximize community support for families.

7. Core values held by Wisconsin families and proposed legislation to
incorporate these values into state law.
8. Changes to the state tax code to strengthen families and provide incentives
to engage in family-supporting activities and services.
9. The advantages and disadvantages of merging the departments of workforce
development and health and family services to create a new department of family
supports to integrate family services currently administered by multiple
departments.
10. Proposed legislation to create a reconciliation council, consisting of
representatives of different cultural and religious groups, that would seek to bridge
cultural and religious differences among these groups.
11. Identification and support of private sector initiatives to strengthen
families.
12. Ways in which local government services can be performed by volunteer
groups of individuals and ways in which the saved moneys currently spent for these
services by local governments can be allocated to the volunteer groups.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
SB655, s. 1 1Section 1. 13.83 (4) of the statutes is created to read:
SB655,2,92 13.83 (4) Special committee on strengthening Wisconsin's families. (a) The
3joint legislative council shall, in each biennium, create a special committee on
4strengthening Wisconsin's families. The special committee shall study issues
5related to strengthening Wisconsin's families and develop specific recommendations
6and legislative proposals relating to these issues. The special committee shall, from
7time to time, report its findings and its legislative and other recommendations to the
8joint legislative council. Among the issues that the special committee may study are
9the following:
SB655,2,1110 1. Ways to increase awareness of the importance of families in society and
11resolving social issues.
SB655,3,2
12. Ways to target public moneys for family services to families and not
2individuals.
SB655,3,43 3. Existing laws relating to strengthening families, including specifically chs.
446, 48, 49, and 938.
SB655,3,65 4. Ways in which the results from the scientific study of attachment and brain
6development can be incorporated into public schools, day care centers, and homes.
SB655,3,87 5. Child support and custody issues involving fathers, for the purpose of
8ensuring that fathers are appropriately engaged in the lives of their children.
SB655,3,119 6. Changes to state agency rules, policies, guidelines, and procedures to
10strengthen families, reduce reliance on social service professionals for family
11support, and maximize community support for families.
SB655,3,1312 7. Core values held by Wisconsin families and proposed legislation to
13incorporate these values into state law.
SB655,3,1514 8. Changes to the state tax code to strengthen families and provide incentives
15to engage in family-supporting activities and services.
SB655,3,1916 9. The advantages and disadvantages of merging the departments of workforce
17development and health and family services to create a new department of family
18supports to integrate family services currently administered by multiple
19departments.
SB655,3,2220 10. Proposed legislation to create a reconciliation council, consisting of
21representatives of different cultural and religious groups, that would seek to bridge
22cultural and religious differences among these groups.
SB655,3,2423 11. Identification and support of private sector initiatives to strengthen
24families.
SB655,4,3
112. Ways in which local government services can be performed by volunteer
2groups of individuals and ways in which the saved moneys currently spent for these
3services by local governments can be allocated to the volunteer groups.
SB655,4,44 (b) The special committee shall be composed of the following:
SB655,4,65 1. Not fewer than 6 nor more than 11 members appointed by the joint legislative
6council who are not legislators.
SB655,4,107 2. Not fewer than 6 nor more than 12 legislator members of the senate and
8assembly, including at least one member of the majority party and at least one
9member of the minority party from each house, appointed by the joint legislative
10council.
SB655,4,1311 (c) The joint legislative council shall pay the expenses incurred by the members
12appointed under par. (b) 1., in performing their functions on the special committee,
13from the appropriation under s. 20.765 (3) (e).
SB655,4,1414 (End)
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