Governor Doyle Vetoes Three More Civil Justice Reform
Bills
In Milwaukee on Friday, Gov. Doyle vetoed SB-402,
legislation that would have prevented businesses or individuals from
being held liable for products they did not manufacture, sell,
distribute or promote.
Very late Friday afternoon, in the Capitol, Governor Doyle
also vetoed: SB 58, product liability legislation that would have put Wisconsin’s
standard for product liability in line with 46 other states; and SB
70, which would have heightened
the standards for the admission of expert opinion evidence and would
have made Wisconsin’s law in this regard consistent with 37 other
states and the entire federal system.
Please see the Governor’s
press release and veto
message, and reaction from Wisconsin
Manufacturers and Commerce, Wisconsin
Coalition for Civil Justice, and the U.S.
Chamber Institute for Legal Reform regarding the veto of
SB-402.
Governor Doyle’s State of the State Scheduled
Gov.
Jim Doyle will deliver his State of the State Address to a joint
session of the Legislature on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 7:00 p.m. in the
Assembly Chambers of the State Capitol. The speech will focus on the
Governor’s priorities for the next year, including improving
education, expanding access to health care, protecting the
environment and creating jobs for the people of
Wisconsin.
The Governor has been holding “town hall meetings” to preview
initiatives that will be included in his message later this month.
Among the overall themes, the Governor did specifically endorse
higher math and science requirements for high school
graduation.
The speech will be broadcast live with closed captioning on
Wisconsin Public Television stations statewide. The speech will also
be web cast live via Governor Doyle’s
website.
Governor Doyle Signs Economic Development Legislation
On Wednesday, Jan. 4, Gov. Doyle signed 15 bills into law.
Two of the bills are aimed at promoting economic development in
Wisconsin.
SB-290,
(Act
97) makes technical changes to simplify the administration of
the Angel Investment Tax Credit and Early State Seed Investment Tax
Credit and makes them easier for investors to claim. Senate bill
290, authored by Senator Kanavas and part of the Legislature’s
Invest Wisconsin initiative, simplifies the administration of the
risk/reward ratio that favors investments in new Wisconsin
companies. This law is intended to improve capital investment and
technological entrepreneurship in Wisconsin and benefit the state’s
emerging high-tech, high growth businesses.
The Governor also signed Assembly
Bill 464, as Act
93, which assists cities and counties in the cleanup of
additional environmentally contaminated properties (brownfields) so
they have the opportunity to be revitalized into productive,
job-creating properties.
Other Bills Signed into Law
-
SB-41.
Definition of biodiesel fuel; labeling, advertising and promotion
of biodiesel fuel and biodiesel fuel blends. Act
83
-
AB-512. Traffic regulations and traffic control devices at railroad
crossings. Act
95.
-
AB-593.
WHEDA modernization. Act
75
-
AB-844.
HIRSP reauthorization. Act
74
-
AB-783.
Duties of real estate brokers and salespersons. Act
87
-
SB-426.
Various changes in unemployment insurance law. Act
86
-
SB-4. Size of county boards and city councils in certain counties and
cities. Act
100
-
SB-146. Authorizes a county to participate in a municipal revenue sharing
agreement. Act
98
-
AB-105. State contractual service contracting procedures. Act
89
-
AB-627. Electronic voting system standards. Act
92
Upcoming Committee Activity
The Assembly Judiciary
is scheduled to act on several bills in Thursday, Jan. 12. Among the
bills slated for action are:
-
AB-843.
Changes proof the plaintiff must provide to recover punitive
damages (Wischer v. Mitsubishi.)
-
AB-855.
Requires damages be paid in frivolous claims. (Affects Supreme
Court Order 03-06, which repealed a previous provision, in July
2005).
The Senate Committee on Health, Children, Families, Aging and
Long Term Care will hold a public hearing on the licensing of
midwives (SB-477)
at 10 am on Jan. 12 in Room 412-E.
On Wednesday, Jan. 11, the Senate Committee on Judiciary will
hold a public hearing on AB-657 relating to eminent domain and the 2005 Kelo decision from the U.S.
Supreme Court, as well as SB-447,
relating to punitive damages and the companion to AB 855 referenced
above.
The Senate Job Creation, Economic Development and Consumer
Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing on Jan 12 in Manitowoc
to hear testimony on SB-483,
regarding income/franchise tax credit for sales/use taxes paid on
purchase of Internet equipment used in the broadband
market.
The Senate Committee on DNR regulatory reform has held
hearings this week in Arbor Vitae and Cadott, Wisconsin. A third
hearing is scheduled for Green Bay on Tuesday, Jan. 10.
Governor Doyle Unveils Ethics Reform Package
Gov.
Doyle recently
released an ethics reform package that includes the following
proposals:
-
Banning all fundraising during the budget process by state
office incumbents and challengers alike, from the date of
introduction of the budget until it is signed into law;
-
Placing a one-year ban on lobbying their respective
branches of government by legislators, legislative staffers,
former governors, and all gubernatorial political appointees once
they leave office;
-
Banning the use of campaign contributions or state tax
dollars to pay for legal defense fees by someone who’s been
criminally charged with violating state ethics or campaign finance
laws;
-
Offering 100 percent of public funding for Supreme Court
candidates who agree to limit their campaign spending; and
-
Renewing the call for SB-1, which would merge the Wisconsin
Elections and Ethics Boards. This bill passed the Senate Nov. 1,
2005 with various amendments and if passed by the full
legislature, would provide greater enforcement power over our
elections and ethics laws.
Governor Announces Transportation Funding for Local
Counties
As part of his ongoing "Grow Wisconsin" initiative
to support economic development and encourage job growth, Gov. Jim
Doyle has announced that quarterly checks totaling nearly $98.7
million for General Transportation Aids, Connecting Highway Aids,
and Expressway Policing Aids have been conveyed to Wisconsin units
of local government.
The Governor said that the January payments from the
Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) included $95.2
million in General Transportation Aids to 1,923 units of government;
$3.2 million to 122 municipalities for Connecting Highway Aids; and
$272,700 to Milwaukee County for Expressway Policing
Aids.
General
Transportation Aids (GTA) return to local governments roughly 30
percent of all state-collected transportation revenues (fuel taxes
and vehicle registration fees) - helping offset the cost of county
and municipal road construction, maintenance, traffic and other
transportation-related costs.
WISTAX Examines Migration Patterns Using 2000
Census
Evidence of both brain drain and retiree flight from
Wisconsin is contained in a new study from the Wisconsin Taxpayers
Alliance (WISTAX).
The report, "Moving In, Moving On: Migration in Wisconsin,"
also found that adults in their 30’s and 40’s, often with children
under 18, were more likely to move to the Badger State than
leave.
WISTAX, now in its eighth decade, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan
organization dedicated to government research and citizen
education.
For
more information on legislation of interest to CTCW members, go to
the CTCW
Tracking Report.
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