MADISON, Wis. — State lawmakers in Madison had a busy Wednesday as both chambers of the Legislature convened to pass bills, some of which will now head to the governor’s desk.
Lawmakers in the Assembly spent Wednesday afternoon focused on an overhaul of Wisconsin's licensing system, which has dealt with numerous processing delays since the pandemic. Meanwhile, counterparts in the Senate gave final approval to several bills and sent them to the governor.
However, the Assembly’s "to-do" list was a little shorter than normal, as shared revenue negotiations continued in the background. Last month, the Assembly passed legislation reforming how the state shares money with local governments, which has yet to be approved by the Senate. Now, members of the Joint Finance Committee plan to put their work on hold after Thursday as many of the remaining budget items would be impacted by shared revenue.
“At this point, then we will not be noticing any further executive sessions of the committee, pending the continued work on the shared revenue bill, and we hope to have, you know, those negotiations be successful soon, so we can continue our work, and we certainly stand ready to do that, but at this time we won’t be continuing the executive sessions beyond [Thursday] until we can reach some consensus on that bill,” State Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, who co-chairs the committee, explained.
With floor session scheduled, the Assembly turned its focus to changing how the state issues licenses to prevent future processing delays. The proposed changes include allowing those seeking a business license to work in Wisconsin immediately if they already have a license in another state that remains in good standing. Another bill would double the length of time a license is in effect, from two to four years, which several health care providers supported.
All of the licensing-related bills passed with Republicans unified in support, while Democrats were mixed depending on the measure. The bills still need approval from the Republican-controlled Senate and, if passed by that chamber, be signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers.
Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Senate gave final approval along party lines of a measure to outlaw bans on gas powered engines.
Several unemployment bills already passed by the Assembly in April were also approved by the Senate Wednesday, which means they now go to Gov. Evers for approval, who has previously vetoed similar legislation.
Prior to Wednesday’s floor votes, Senate Democrats told reporters the items on the agenda “miss the mark” and ignore the will of Wisconsinites.
“We need to focus on the real issues,” State Sen. Brad Pfaff, D-Onalaska, said of the unemployment measures. “The real issues that we hear, that all of us in this building hear, every single day. Education, job training, workforce development, the need for affordable and accessible child care.”
One proposal Republicans in both the state Senate and Assembly voted on was a measure from the Legislature’s rules committee that would block the Evers administration from requiring seventh graders to get the Meningitis vaccine. The vote came along party lines, with all Republicans in favor and all Democrats opposed.
Currently, there is no such requirement for students in Wisconsin.