Emergency Rules Now in Effect
Under s. 227.24, Stats., state agencies may promulgate rules without complying with the usual rule-making procedures. Using this special procedure to issue emergency rules, an agency must find that either the preservation of the public peace, health, safety or welfare necessitates its action in bypassing normal rule-making procedures.
Emergency rules are published in the official state newspaper, which is currently the Wisconsin State Journal. Emergency rules are in effect for 150 days and can be extended up to an additional 120 days with no single extension to exceed 60 days.
Occasionally the Legislature grants emergency rule authority to an agency with a longer effective period than 150 days or allows an agency to adopt an emergency rule without requiring a finding of emergency.
Extension of the effective period of an emergency rule is granted at the discretion of the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules under s. 227.24 (2), Stats.
Notice of all emergency rules which are in effect must be printed in the Wisconsin Administrative Register. This notice will contain a brief description of the emergency rule, the agency finding of emergency or a statement of exemption from a finding of emergency, date of publication, the effective and expiration dates, any extension of the effective period of the emergency rule and information regarding public hearings on the emergency rule.
Copies of emergency rule orders can be obtained from the promulgating agency. The text of current emergency rules can be viewed at www.legis.state.wi.us/rsb/code.
Beginning with rules filed with the Legislative Reference Bureau in 2008, the Legislative Reference Bureau will assign a number to each emergency rule filed, for the purpose of internal tracking and reference. The number will be in the following form: EmR0801. The first 2 digits indicate the year of filing and the last 2 digits indicate the chronological order of filing during the year.
Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection (2)
Exemption From Finding of Emergency
DATCP has general authority under s.
93.07 (1), Stats., to interpret laws under its jurisdiction. Section
93.48 (1), Stats., specifically requires DATCP to adopt rules for the “buy local" grant program. Section
9103(3i) of
2007 Wisconsin Act 20 (biennial budget act) authorizes DATCP to adopt temporary emergency rules without the normal “finding of emergency," pending the adoption of “permanent" rules. This temporary emergency rule implements the “buy local" grant program on an interim basis, pending the adoption of “permanent" rules.
Publication Date:
February 22, 2008
Effective Date:
February 22, 2008
Expiration Date:
May 1, 2009
Hearing Date:
May 30, 2008
Finding of Emergency
(1) The Wisconsin department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (“DATCP") administers Wisconsin's animal health and disease control programs, including programs to control diseases of fish and farm-raised deer.
Disease Testing of Fish
(2) DATCP regulates fish farms, including fish farms operated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (“DNR"). DATCP also regulates the import, movement and disease testing of fish.
(3) Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) is a serious disease of fish. VHS was first reported in Wisconsin on May 11, 2007, after the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed positive samples from freshwater drum (sheepshead) in Little Lake Butte des Mortes (part of the Lake Winnebago system). VHS was subsequently found in Lake Winnebago, and in Lake Michigan near Green Bay and Algoma. The source of VHS in these wild water bodies is not known. VHS has not yet been reported in any Wisconsin fish farms. VHS can be fatal to fish, but is not known to affect human beings.
(4) Current DATCP rules require health certificates for fish and fish eggs (including bait) imported into this state, for fish and fish eggs stocked into waters of the state, and for fish and fish eggs (including bait species) moved between fish farms in this state. Import health certificates must include VHS testing if the import shipment includes salmonids (salmon, trout, etc.) or originates from a state or province where VHS is known to occur. VHS testing is not currently required for fish or fish eggs stocked into waters of the state from Wisconsin sources, for bait fish or eggs originating from Wisconsin sources, for fish or fish eggs moved between fish farms in Wisconsin, or for non-salmonids imported from states where VHS has not yet been found.
(5) Because VHS has now been found in waters of the state, it is necessary to expand current VHS testing requirements. Because of the urgent need to minimize the spread of VHS in this state, it is necessary to adopt VHS testing requirements by emergency rule, pending the adoption of a “permanent" rule.
Disease-Free Herd Certification of
Farm-Raised Deer Herds
(6) DATCP registers farm-raised deer herds in this state. DATCP also regulates the import, movement and disease testing of farm-raised deer. Under current DATCP rules, DATCP may certify a farm-raised deer herd as brucellosis-free or tuberculosis-free, or both, based on herd test results provided by the farm-raised deer keeper. Certification is voluntary, but facilitates sale and movement of farm-raised deer.
(7) Under current rules, a tuberculosis-free herd certification is good for 3 years, but a brucellosis-free herd certification is good for only 2 years. There is no compelling veterinary medical reason for the difference. A rule change (extending the brucellosis-free certification term from 2 to 3 years) is needed to harmonize the certification terms, so that farm-raised deer keepers can conduct simultaneous tests for both diseases. Simultaneous testing will reduce testing costs and limit stress on tested deer. An emergency rule is needed to avoid some unnecessary costs for farm-raised deer keepers this year, pending the adoption of permanent rules.
Publication Date:
July 9, 2008
Effective Date:
July 9, 2008
Expiration Date:
December 6, 2008
Hearing Date:
August 1, 2008
Children and Families
(Formerly Workforce Development)
Finding of Emergency
The Department of Workforce Development finds that an emergency exists and that the attached rule is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety, or welfare. A statement of facts constituting the emergency is:
The federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) has notified Wisconsin that OCSE will not certify the state's request for federal income tax refund offset for birth cost orders that have not been set in accordance with the child support guidelines in Chapter
DWD 40, which take into consideration the payer's ability to pay.
Federal income tax refund offset is one of the primary tools for collection of birth cost orders owed to the State of Wisconsin. In calendar year 2007, the child support program collected $11,481,000 in birth costs through federal income tax refund offset. Of the nearly $11.5 million collected, approximately $6.62 million was returned to the federal government to reimburse Medicaid costs, $1.72 million was used by county child support agency programs to benefit children in the state, and the remaining $3.14 million was returned to the state Medicaid program.
Publication Date:
June 27, 2008
Effective Date:
June 27, 2008
Expiration Date:
November 24, 2008
Hearing Date:
July 29, 2008
Commerce
Exemption From Finding of Emergency
Under the nonstatutory provisions of
2007 Wisconsin Act 205, the Department of Commerce is directed to issue emergency rules that implement provisions of the Act. The Act specifically states: “Notwithstanding section
227.24 (1) (a) and
(3) of the statutes, neither the department of commerce or the department of health services is required to provide evidence that promulgating rules under this subsection as emergency rules is necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, safety, or welfare and is not required to provide a finding of emergency for the rules promulgated under this subsection."
The Act mandates the installation and maintenance of carbon monoxide alarms in buildings accommodating certain types of residential occupancies and within which fuel burning appliances are located. Residential occupancies include tourist rooming houses, bed and breakfast establishments, and any public building that is used for sleeping or lodging, such as, hotels, motels, condominiums, apartment buildings, dormitories, fraternities, sororities, convents, seminaries, community based residential facilities, home shelters, but not hospitals and nursing homes. The Act requires the installation of carbon monoxide alarms in new buildings as of October 1, 2008. The owners of existing buildings will have until April 1, 2010 to install the carbon monoxide alarms. The Act also provides for the omission of carbon monoxide alarms in certain instances which are further clarified by the administrative rules.
Publication Date:
September 10, 2008
Effective Date:
October 1, 2008
Expiration Date:
February 28, 2009
Hearing Date:
October 14, 2008
Commerce (2)
Financial Resources for Businesses and Communities, Chs.
Comm 104-
135
Finding of Emergency
The Department of Commerce finds that an emergency exists and that adoption of the rule included in this order is necessary for the immediate preservation of public health, safety, and welfare. The facts constituting the emergency are as follows.
Currently under sections
Comm 108.06,
108.07, and
108.22 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code, as promulgated under sections
560.04,
560.045, and
560.9809 of the Statutes, the Department may annually use up to 5 percent of its federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to repair or replace public infrastructure or facilities, or for emergency services necessitated by a natural disaster or catastrophic event. Also under sections
Comm 108.07 and
108.22, the maximum amount of CDBG funds that the Department can award to any local government for a natural disaster or catastrophic event is $500,000.
Currently under section
Comm 154.06, as promulgated under sections
560.02 (4) and
560.9809 (2) of the Statutes, the Department may annually use up to $2,000,000 of CDGB funds to address emergency housing needs caused by natural disasters or catastrophic events.
Because of the unprecedented levels of damage to public infrastructure and facilities from the severe storms and widespread flooding that occurred throughout the State in June 2008, the need for emergency assistance to communities far exceeds the $1.35 Million of CDBG funding that results from the above 5-percent limit, and the need for emergency housing assistance for low and moderate income households far exceeds the above $2,000,000. Communities and households in 28 of the 30 counties where the Governor has declared a state of emergency are eligible for this CDBG program assistance.
This emergency rule repeals the above limits of 5 percent, $500,000 and $2,000,000. This will enable the Department to (1) use any available CDBG funds for emergency assistance with repairing or replacing public infrastructure and facilities, and with repairing or replacing homes damaged by the severe storms and flooding; and (2) base the award amounts on the scope of the damages and destruction in the community and on the funds available.
Publication Date:
July 16, 2008
Effective Date:
July 16, 2008
Expiration Date:
December 16, 2008
Hearing Date:
August 27, 2008
Finding of Emergency
The Department of Commerce finds that an emergency exists and that adoption of the rule included in this order is necessary for the immediate preservation of public welfare.
The facts constituting the emergency are as follows. Because of widespread disruption of the housing markets, Congress has enacted the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (the “Act"), which contains various relief measures relating to housing. Section 3021 of the Act creates a special one-time additional allocation of volume cap for calendar year 2008, to be used for the issuance of single-family housing bonds and multifamily housing bonds no later than December 31, 2010.
