| Fall Session Begins on Sept. 20
Both Houses of the Wisconsin Legislature return
to Madison next week. The Assembly calendar for
September 20 includes efforts to override five
of the Governor’s Medical Assistance vetoes
relating to nursing home rate increases; pharmacy
reimbursement rates for brand name prescription
drugs; pharmacy reimbursement dispensing fees;
outpatient hospital reimbursement rates; and,
Bariatric surgery prohibition.
Assembly Majority Leader Mike Huebsch announced that the Assembly
will have floor sessions on Thursday, September
22 and Tuesday, September 27 in addition to Tuesday,
September 20. The legislature will also be meeting
the last week of October and the first two weeks
of November.
Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz has highlighted liability
reform, healthcare, state contracting and higher
education among the issues he expects the Legislature
to address over the next few months.
Eminent Domain Bill Introduced; Hearing Scheduled
There has been much discussion and debate
in Wisconsin and nationally in the wake of the
United States Supreme Court decision in Kelo
v. New London. The case, which deals with
eminent domain powers, was handed down
in June of this year. (Please see July
8 edition of Tidbits for a brief discussion
and link to the Court’s opinion.) Earlier
this week, AB 657,
which prohibits the condemnation of property
under certain conditions, was introduced as a
result of the Kelo decision. The Assembly
Committee on Property Rights and Land management
immediately scheduled a public hearing on the
bill for 10:00 a.m., next Tuesday, September 21.
The committee will also be hearing AB 656,
which allows evidence of business income
to be used in determining fair market value of
a property acquired by eminent domain even where
there is evidence of the sale of comparable property.
Medical Malpractice Task Force Schedules First Working Session
The task force charged with reviewing the
recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that struck
down caps on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice
cases will meet on September 29 to begin discussing
ideas, recommendations and legislative proposals.
The two previous meetings of the task force were
devoted to receipt of public testimony from invited
speakers in the medical, legal, and insurance
industries. The task force is expected to complete
its work not later than mid-October.
DNR Study: Ethanol Mandate Increases Ozone Pollution
A new study
by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) has found that mandating ethanol in
gasoline will worsen the state’s ozone problem
and increase regulatory burdens on businesses.
The controversial issue is being debated by lawmakers
and others in response to bills (AB-15/SB-15) that mandate regular 87 octane gas be blended
with 10 percent ethanol.
The DNR report states that the ethanol mandate will increase
NOx emissions up to 13 tons per day, which according
to DNR is equivalent to:
-
Twice as much as the NOx decrease Wisconsin got from its
motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program
in Southeastern Wisconsin; or
-
About as much NOx emissions as emitted by a 350 Megawatt
coal-fired power plant.
In a response to the study, Wisconsin
Manufacturer’s and Commerce has emphasized
the finding that should an ethanol mandate become
law it will impose additional regulatory burdens
on Wisconsin business.
Marotta Leaving; Doyle Appoints Steve Bablitch as DOA Secretary
Former Dept. of Corrections Secretary
Steve Bablitch will return to state government
as Department of Administration Secretary on October
3, when current DOA Secretary Marc Marotta leaves.
Bablitch, former president and chairman of Blue Cross Blue
Shield of Wisconsin (Cobalt), served as the first
secretary of the state Department of Corrections
from 1990 through 1991under then Governor Tommy
Thompson. Previously Bablitch served as Deputy
District Attorney for Dane when Governor Doyle
was the Dane County DA.
Governor Doyle Accepts Report on Homeland Security in Wisconsin
The Wisconsin
Homeland Security Council recently completed
the 2005
Report detailing ongoing state efforts to
improve homeland security measures in Wisconsin.
This report outlines some of the many measures
that state agencies have enacted to strengthen
homeland security efforts, with a focus on:
-
Prevention – identifying and protecting critical infrastructure
assets while improving the ability of state
and local agencies to gather, analyze, and
share information about terrorist activity.
-
Response – recognizing and closing existing gaps in
emergency response capabilities as well as
ensuring effective coordination of state and
local emergency response teams.
-
Recovery – ensuring that the necessary resources are
in place to enable an effective recovery from
a terrorist attack on the part of both private
and public entities.
Governor Doyle received the report from Major General Albert
Wilkening, Wisconsin Homeland Security Advisor.
Doyle also proclaimed September "Preparedness
Month" in Wisconsin.
Federal Judge Dismisses Greenhouse Gas Lawsuit
On Sept. 15, a federal judge dismissed
a lawsuit brought by several states and environmental
groups aimed at forcing five of the country’s
largest power producers to cut carbon dioxide
emissions. Peg Lautenschlager, Wisconsin AG, joined
her counterparts from six other states in the
federal court action.
The court found that the requested relief was “transcendently
legislative’ and thus could not be imposed
by a court without violating separation of powers
and the judicial doctrine that prohibits courts
from reviewing non-justiciable political questions.
Legislative policies the AGs requested the court decide included
determination of proper levels of greenhouse gas
emissions, necessary reduction levels for each
company and appropriate impacts on U.S. national
security and international treaty negotiations,
among others.
Minimum Mark-Up Bill Stalls in Committee
The bill to repeal the state's minimum mark-up
law on gasoline was defeated (3-2) in the Senate
Judiciary, Corrections and Privacy Committee on
Tuesday.
The minimum markup law, which has been in place since the 1930s,
requires wholesalers to mark up their prices by
at least 3 percent and retailers by at least 6
percent. Legislation was introduced earlier this
year by two Republican lawmakers to repeal the
law and the repeal is supported by Gov. Doyle.
Committee Chair Sen. Dave Zien (R-Eau Claire) and Sen. Carol
Roessler (R-Oshkosh) voted in favor of the bill
to end the minimum mark-up law. Sens. Glenn Grothman
(R-West Bend), Fred Risser (D-Madison) and Lena
Taylor (D-Milwaukee) voted against the bill. There
may be efforts to determine if there can be a
compromise position.
Committee Rejects Seat Belt Primary Enforcement
On September 8, the Assembly Transportation
Committee on a vote of 6-7 failed to support legislation
to authorize officers to issue tickets for failure
to wear seat belts as a primary violation.
Current law allows citations for failure to wear seat belts
only after there has been a stop for other alleged
infractions.
PSC: Forward Energy Wind Project is Right for Wisconsin/Denies
Rehearing
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin
affirmed its July approval of the state’s
largest clean energy project when it denied a
petition for rehearing of the decision. The PSC
outlined
the greater environmental benefits to air
and water that outweigh concerns regarding its
impact on Horicon Marsh.
In denying the petition, the PSC said its order issued July
14, 2005 recognized those concerns and required
a larger buffer zone between the wind turbines
and the marsh, as proposed by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service. The Commission’s decision
requires that turbines must be at least two miles
away from the Horicon Marsh to protect the wildlife.
On average, turbines will be four to 4.5 miles
away from the marsh.
Brown to Review Wisconsin’s Disaster Response Preparedness
In an effort to help safeguard Wisconsin from
the effects of catastrophic disasters, Sen. Ron
Brown (R-Eau Claire) has announced plans to pursue
an evaluation of the state’s ability to
respond to a major disaster.
Public officials and private sector representatives will be
invited to committee hearings to develop practices
and procedures for preventive measures that would
be needed in an emergency.
Partnership Aims to “Grow Milwaukee”; State
to Contribute Funding
Governor Jim Doyle
recently announced
that the state will provide $500,000 from the
Department of Commerce for the Greater Milwaukee
Economic Development partnership. The regional
collaboration will bring together public and private
sector leaders from seven counties including Kenosha,
Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, Washington,
and Waukesha Counties.
The $12 million, five-year campaign
will focus on the attraction and retention of
companies creating high-end jobs. The plan was
announced September 12 by Milwaukee Mayor
Tom Barrett and three dozen civic and political
officials.
The initiative was
designed by the leadership of the Greater Milwaukee
Committee and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association
of Commerce. A 30-member Economic Development
Council will oversee and implement plans for the
initiative.
Report: Wisconsin Economic Forecast Positive
The general outlook for Wisconsin employment
is for continued growth, but at a subdued pace
to coincide with population growth.
According to the State of Wisconsin’s
Economic Outlook report released last week,
total general purpose revenue tax collections
for the state fiscal year ending June 30, 2005,
totaled $11.4 billion. That represents an increase
of 6.6 percent from FY 2004 collections of $10.7
billion.
The report shows that on a per capita basis, real income in
the State is forecast to increase by about 2.7
percent this year and by 2.9 percent in 2006.
On average, real per capita income growth in Wisconsin
is expected to exceed real per capita income growth
in the nation by 0.15 percent annually from 2006
to 2010. Employment growth is expected to average
1.2 percent suggesting that productivity, a hallmark
of a society’s economic well being, is advancing
steadily.
DWD Healthcare Report Released/September is Workforce Development
Month
The Department of Workforce (DWD) released
the first annual Wisconsin
Health Care Workforce Annual Report, coinciding
with Gov. Doyle’s proclamation of September
as Workforce Development Month in Wisconsin.
According to the Department, the purpose of the report is to
illustrate:
-
Expected growth in the health care field and related projections
for occupation demand;
-
Graduation numbers for students in key health care fields;
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Statewide and regional innovative approaches currently being
taken to address the shortage; and
-
Focus areas identified by the Select Committee on Health
Care Workforce Development.
In Wisconsin, job totals are projected to increase 13.3 percent
by 2012, while growth in health care jobs is expected
to be 30.3 percent - or more than 10,000 health
care jobs annually over the next ten years for
both new and replacements jobs. Nationally, the
health care industry could add 3.5 million new
jobs by 2012, an increase of 30 percent.
For
more information on legislation of interest to
CTCW members, go to the CTCW
Tracking Report. |
