2011-2102 Bills Passed – Bills that WCCF took a position on that became law

 

Remove the Cap on Family Care (SB 380, AB 477, WI ACT 127) – WCCF supported legislation that removed the cap on Family Care and similar programs that provide community-based long-term care.  The Joint Finance Committee must review and approve expansion of Family Care into the 15 counties that don’t already have it.  A change that we didn’t support allows the committee to block expansion by refusing to schedule a vote.

Voter ID – (AB 7, SB 6, WI ACT 23) – WCCF opposed legislation that Wisconsin citizens are required to provide a photo ID to vote at the polls.  This legislation creates one more barrier for our most vulnerable citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote.  Due to court injunctions, a photo ID is not currently required to vote. However, appeals have been filed, and the situation could change before the election.

Extended Unemployment Insurance Benefits (SB 147, WI ACT 42) – WCCF supported legislation that adopted a new temporary mechanism for determining when jobless workers in Wisconsin are eligible for a period of federal-funded extended unemployment benefits.  WI can temporarily look back three years, rather than two, in comparing the current unemployment rates to the corresponding period in preceding years to determine whether Wisconsin meets the criteria for an extended benefits period.

Conceal Carry of Weapons (SB 93, WI ACT 35) – WCCF opposed legislation that allows citizens to conceal and carry weapons and firearms.

Use of Cell Phones for Probationary Licenses (AB 291, WI ACT 164) – WCCF supported legislation that bans the use of cell phones for probationary licenses holders while driving, unless there is an emergency, and providing a penalty.

Repeal of the Healthy Youth Act (SB 237, AB 337, WI ACT 216) – WCCF opposed legislation that repeals the Healthy Youth Act.  School Districts can now choose to teach abstinence only sex education, eliminating education on contraception.

Use of Seclusion and Restraint in Public Schools (SB 353, AB 455, WI ACT 125) – WCCF supported legislation that limits the use of seclusion and restraint on pupils in public schools.

Prosecution for Trafficking a Child (SB 536, AB 646, WI ACT 271) – WCCF supported legislation that increased the age of prosecution for trafficking of a child from before the victim reaches the age of 24 to 45; adds to the list of crimes that a victim may be compensated; and allows for termination of parental rights if parent commits trafficking of a child.

Safe Families Act (AB 30, WI ACT 87) – WCCF opposed this legislation because when the need arises; parents should have the opportunity to delegate custody of their children to people they know and trust.  However, when an agency steps into the middle of the arrangement and facilitates the placement of a child with a family who is unknown to the parents, an additional set of safeguards for child safety, should be set in place.  While numerous improvements were made to this legislation , it did not include these safeguards.

Purchase of Tobacco Products for Minors (AB 93, WI ACT 249) – WCCF supported legislation that would prohibit the purchase of tobacco products for distribution to minors.

Tougher Penalties for Violations of Public Assistance Programs (SB 426, AB 534, WI ACT 202) – WCCF opposed legislation that will punish families for intentional program violations by making it easier to disqualify people from receiving future W-2 benefits or emergency assistance and creating a graduated scale of penalties for program violations.  There were a number of suggestions made to lessen the negative impact on children that were not adopted.

Governor’s Read to Lead program (SB 461, AB 558, WI ACT 166) – WCCF supported the grants for literacy and early childhood development, and assessing kindergarten pupils for reading readiness. However, we had concerns about the legislation because it did not include accountability provisions.

Administration of Medication to Pupils (SB 45, AB 62, WI ACT 86) – WCCF opposed legislation that no longer requires a nurse that distributes medication to pupils to have a bachelor’s degree from an approved nursing program.  Under ACT 86, the school nurse can be approved by the district if he or she has successfully completed a course, determined to be satisfactory to DPI, in public health or community health.

Treatments of Concussions and Other Head Injuries Sustained in Youth Athletic Activities (AB 259, SB 243, WI ACT 172) – WCCF supported legislation that creates guidelines for treating concussions and other head injuries sustained in youth athletic activities.

Elimination of Tenants’ Rights (SB 466, AB 561, WI ACT 143) – WCCF opposed this bill that prevents tenants from reporting concerns to a building inspector or elected official until they notify the landlord in writing and give the landlord time to make repairs; allows landlords to use illegal contract provisions without consequences; allows the landlord to take property left behind; eliminates the right of local cities and counties to prohibit landlords from evicting under certain circumstances (i.e., over Christmas); and deletes other tenants’ rights provisions.

Caylee’s Law (AB 397, WI ACT 268) – WCCF supported legislation, named after Caylee Anthony, that provided a penalty for failure to report a child’s death or a missing child.

Repeal of Traffic Stop Data Collection (SB 15, WI ACT 29) – WCCF opposed legislation that repealed the collection of data regarding the driver and occupants of each motor vehicle at traffic stops.

Earmark Transparency Bill (SB 114, WI ACT 220) – WCCF supported legislation that would require biennial budget bills to be accompanied by reports listing all the earmarks in the bill.

Change of Terminology for Those with Intellectual Disability (SB 377, AB 471, WI ACT 126) – WCCF supported legislation that eliminates the words “mentally retarded” and “mental retardation” in statutes and replaces them with “intellectual disability.”

Medicaid Payer of Last Resort (SB 487, AB 554, WI ACT 189) – WCCF supported this bill that enhanced Medicaid third-party liability claiming ability, to ensure that Medicaid is truly the payer of last resort. This policy was part of the Medicaid efficiencies proposed by DHS in the fall of 2011. It would expand the state database to self-funded plans and limited benefit coverage. The Department estimates savings of between $1.1 million and $1.6 million GPR.

Case Planning for Child Placed in Out-Of-Home Care (SB 502, AB 599, WI ACT 181) – WCCF supported legislation that made changes to permanency planning for a child placed in out-of-home care; including concurrent planning, trial reunifications, and planned permanent living arrangements.

Release of Juvenile Records to Law Enforcement (SB 173, AB 537, AB 240, WI ACT 270) – WCCF supports the goal of this legislation.  SB173, as amended by Substitute 2, was passed and provides for the disclosure of information contained in the juvenile portion of CCAP to law enforcement officials, other courts (including municipal courts), and attorneys acting on behalf of a child/juvenile without having to get prior approval of a court operating under Chapter 48 or 938.  Overall, WCCF supports the notion that parties involved should have timely access to the information they need to perform their role in the system, and the substitute bill addressed a number of WCCF’s initial concerns about the breadth of information that could be obtained.

However, it does not sufficiently address the mechanisms by which the information will be accessed nor does it contain other safeguards as to how that information may be recorded so that subsequent proper use is ensured.