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 and Consumer Protection (2)
emergency_rules EmR0913 1.   EmR0913 — Rule adopted revising s. ATCP 21.17, relating to the quarantines of Brown County and Kenosha County for emerald ash borer.
Finding of Emergency
On July 24, 2009, APHIS identified emerald ash borer in Brown County. On August 12, 2009, APHIS identified emerald ash borer in Kenosha County. Emerald ash borer is an exotic pest that poses a dire risk to the ash forest. When APHIS declares quarantine, DATCP has regulatory authority for import controls and quarantine for emerald ash borer under ATCP 21.17. It is anticipated that APHIS will declare quarantines for Brown County and Kenosha County but that it will take up to six weeks for APHIS to act. A six week delay until enactment of the federal quarantines leaves too much time for businesses or individuals to move potentially emerald ash borer infested material out of the county to areas of Wisconsin or other states that are not infested with emerald ash borer.
DATCP is adopting this rule as a temporary emergency rule, pending completion of federal quarantine regulations. DATCP does not anticipate completing a permanent rule.
Publication Date:   August 22, 2009
Effective:   August 22, 2009 through
  January 18, 2010
Hearing Dates:   September 29 and 30, 2009
emergency_rules EmR0922 2.   EmR0922 — Rule adopted revising s. ATCP 21.17, relating to the quarantines of Milwaukee County, Racine County and Waukesha County for emerald ash borer.
Finding of Emergency
On August 28, 2009, APHIS identified emerald ash borer in Milwaukee County, near the borders of Racine County and Waukesha County. Emerald ash borer is an exotic pest that poses a dire risk to the ash forest. When APHIS declares quarantine, DATCP has regulatory authority for import controls and quarantine for emerald ash borer under ATCP 21.17. It is anticipated that APHIS will declare quarantines for Milwaukee County, Racine County and Waukesha County but that it will take up to six weeks for APHIS to act. A six week delay until enactment of the federal quarantines leaves too much time for businesses or individuals to move potentially emerald ash borer infested material out of the county to areas of Wisconsin or other states that are not infested with emerald ash borer.
DATCP is adopting this rule as a temporary emergency rule, pending completion of federal quarantine regulations. DATCP does not anticipate completing a permanent rule.
Publication Date:   September 14, 2009
Effective:   September 14, 2009
  through February 10, 2010
Hearing Date:   October 15, 2009
Children and Families
Family and Economic Security, Chs. DCF 101-153
emergency_rules EmR0906 EmR0906 — Rule adopted revising ss. DCF 120.05, 120.07 and 120.08, relating to emergency assistance for needy families.
Finding of Emergency
The Department of Children and Families finds that an emergency exists and that an emergency rule is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety, or welfare. A statement of facts constituting the emergency is:
The recent large increase in foreclosures has caused tenants living in rental properties that are in foreclosure to lose their housing. Under the current rule, these tenants are not eligible for Emergency Assistance due to impending homelessness and would only be able to receive assistance if they became homeless. This emergency rule will allow these tenants to receive assistance for impending homelessness and avoid the additional expense and trauma of homelessness.
The current maximum payment amounts for Emergency Assistance due to homelessness and impending homelessness are insufficient to allow a smaller family to obtain or retain a permanent living accommodation. Increasing the payments for smaller households immediately will help them obtain or retain a permanent living accommodation with fewer resources from other sources and may prevent homelessness for these families.
The current rule has no maximum payment amount for Emergency Assistance due to an energy crisis. All other categories of assistance have a maximum payment based on group size. This emergency rule requires that families first exhaust resources available through the Wisconsin Home Energy Program and sets a maximum payment amount for assistance available for Emergency Assistance due to energy crisis to make better use of the program's limited funds.
Publication Date:   April 9, 2009
Effective:   April 22, 2009 through
  September 18, 2009
Extension Through:   November 17, 2009
Hearing Date:   June 11, 2009
Commerce
Uniform Dwelling, Chs. Comm 20-25
emergency_rules EmR0917 EmR0917 — Rule adopted revising Ch. Comm 22, relating to energy conservation.
Finding of Emergency
The Department of Commerce finds that an emergency exists within the state of Wisconsin and that adoption of an emergency rule is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health, safety and welfare. A statement of the facts constituting the emergency is as follows.
1. Recently, chapter Comm 22, relating to energy conservation, was repealed and recreated to bring the Wisconsin requirements in line with the national model energy code. Effective April 1, 2009, chapter Comm 22 incorporates new prescriptive requirements that apply to individual components such as walls, windows, skylights, doors and ceilings. Within that subsection is section Comm 22.31 (2) (a), that allows the use of a “total dwelling thermal envelope" method, and (2) (b), that allows the use of REScheck software, version 4.1.0, or later, to calculate compliance with the Uniform Dwelling Code thermal envelope requirements.
2. The U.S. Department of Energy's Building Energy Codes Program develops and distributes REScheck software. The software program simplifies and clarifies residential code compliance with the Model Energy Code (MEC) and the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). REScheck software makes it easier for designers, builders, product manufacturers and code officials to comply with energy codes based on the IECC or ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1 requirements. Also, REScheck can be tailored to meet state-specific codes.
3. The department included the REScheck software edition requirement in anticipation that Version 4.1.0 would be compatible with the current code. Working with Pacific Northwest Laboratories, who contracts with the U.S. Department of Energy to develop the REScheck software, the department developed state-specific energy calculations that were not incorporated into REScheck software until Version 4.2.2. The calculations that reflect the current code are identified in the software as “Wisconsin 2009." Versions prior to 4.2.2 do not have the code choice “Wisconsin 2009."
4. Previous versions of REScheck, including Version 4.1.0, do not meet nor support the requirements of Wisconsin's current energy code. In fact, Version 4.1.0 includes other values, such as gross wall trade-offs and appliance credits that are not included in chapter Comm 22 that became effective April 1, 2009.
5. The department recognizes that without promulgating this emergency rule, there would be confusion and miscalculations surrounding the use of Version 4.1.0 and other previous and out-of-date versions of REScheck software to calculate compliance with Uniform Dwelling Code thermal envelope requirements.
Publication Date:   September 5, 2009
Effective:   September 5, 2009 through
  February 1, 2010
Hearing Date:   October 21, 2009
Commerce (2)
Financial Resources for Businesses and Communities, Chs. Comm 104
emergency_rules EmR0910 1.   EmR0910 — Rule adopted to create Chapter Comm 100, relating to tax benefits for job creation, capital investment, employee training, and corporate headquarters.
Exemption From Finding of Emergency
The Legislature, by section 9110 (4) in 2009 Wisconsin Act 2, exempts the Department from providing evidence that this emergency rule is necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, safety or welfare; and exempts the Department from providing a finding of emergency for the adoption of this rule.
Publication Date:   June 30, 2009
Effective:   June 30, 2009 through
  July 1, 2010 or the date
  permanent rules take
  effect, whichever is sooner
Hearing Date:   September 15, 2009
emergency_rules EmR0931 2.   EmR0931 — Rule adopted creating Chapter Comm 136, relating to midwestern disaster area bonds.
Finding of Emergency
The Department of Commerce finds that an emergency exists and that an emergency rule is necessary for the immediate preservation of public welfare. The facts constituting the emergency are as follows.
Between June 14 and July 9, 2008, thirty Wisconsin counties were declared major disaster areas by the President as a result of severe storms, tornados or flooding in 2008 that caused extensive damage to communities, residents, businesses, the economy and critical infrastructure. Subsequently, the federal Heartland Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2008 was enacted, authorizing the Governor of Wisconsin to designate up to $3,830,112,000 in Qualified Midwestern Disaster Area Bonds, which must be issued before January 1, 2013, for the purpose of encouraging economic development and recovery in the 30 counties.
To implement the provisions this federal Act, Governor Jim Doyle issued Executive Order #288, directing the Department to promulgate rules for allocating Wisconsin's Qualified Midwestern Disaster Area Bonding Authority, and including the necessary provisions to ensure that bonds are allocated to eligible projects on the basis of providing assistance to areas in the order in which the assistance is most needed. This rule is the result of that directive.
Publication Date:   November 9, 2009
Effective:   November 9, 2009 through
  April 7, 2010
Corrections
emergency_rules EmR0920 EmR0920 — Rule adopted revising s. DOC 309.466, relating to inmate release accounts.
Finding of Emergency
The Department of Corrections finds that an emergency exists and that an emergency rule is necessary for the immediate preservation of public peace, health, safety and welfare. A statement of facts constituting the emergency is:
Under 2009 WI Act 28, an increased number of inmates are being considered for release. In addition, the department has developed a number of release initiatives to address an inmate's successful transition from incarceration to community life. As part of those initiatives, there are costs associated with that transition, including acquiring housing, employment, and transportation. For example, an inmate must have a social security card, a driver's license or state identification card, the first months rent and security deposit for an apartment, and civilian clothing.
Under the current rule, an inmate may only use release account funds for “adequate clothing for release" and for “out-of-state release transportation." In addition, the rule limits the maximum amount of money which can be saved in the release account to $500.00. The emergency rule immediately permits the use of release account money for a wide variety of purchases, including fees associated with obtaining a driver's license or state identification card, housing, and a mode of transportation (bus tickets, vehicle, bicycle, etc.). In the past the Department has borne some of these costs, despite an inmate having the money in his or her release account. Given the initiatives of reentry and release, an inmate should be responsible for these expenditures.
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