Latest news with #WisEye
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Democrats in the state Legislature call for LGBTQ+ equality measures
Flanked by state Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) and state Rep. Lee Snodgrass (D-Appleton), Rep. Christian Phelps (D-Eau Claire) outlines a joint resolution for Pride Month, (Screenshot/WisEye) Wisconsin Democratic lawmakers are circulating four draft bills and two joint resolutions to address issues of discrimination against members of the lesbian, gay, trans and queer community. The package was announced just before Pride Month begins on June 1. 'We celebrate the history of the LGBTQ+ movement and the future of our population, and I can't think of a more important time to do that,' said Rep. Christian Phelps (D-Eau Claire), at a Capitol press conference Thursday. 'Meanwhile in Washington the Trump administration and Republicans here in Wisconsin are engaging in rhetoric and political activity that seeks to erase LGBTQ+ people and target us … the goal in that rhetoric and in that movement is to make us feel alone.' Embracing diversity and joining with allies give the community strength, Phelps said. 'Everybody who is not themselves a member of the LGBTQ+ community knows and loves at least one person in the community. And I think when they shut out all the noise and look inside, they know that they want the best for that person or those people,' Phelps said. In addition to a joint resolution embracing Pride Month, the Equality Agenda legislation includes measures to: Update various Wisconsin laws pertaining to married couples, including laws on adoption and on in vitro fertilization, to ensure they apply to same-sex couples. Prohibit 'conversion therapy' aimed at changing a minor's sexual orientation or gender identity and subjecting licensed professionals who practice it to professional discipline. Bar the use of a 'gay or trans panic' as a defense by persons accused of crimes. Provide grants for training school counselors and social workers on LGBTQ+ rights. Also part of the package is a proposed amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution that would repeal the 2006 amendment declaring marriage to be only between one man and one woman. The amendment preventing the state from legally recognizing same-sex marriages remains on the books although it was overridden by the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage across the country. 'With the 20th anniversary of Wisconsin's constitutional amendment that banned marriage equality coming up next year,' said Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit), chair of the Legislature's LGBTQ+ Caucus. 'It is long past time to give voters the chance to remove that discriminatory language from our constitution.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republican Josh Schoemann criticizes Evers, says he'll ‘outwork' others in governor's race
Schoemann spoke at the Dane County Republican's monthly 'Pints and Politics' meeting on Tuesday. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner) Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann stepped up to the front of a room in the back of Kavanaugh's Esquire Club on the east side of Madison with a grin and quickly started a chant about Gov. Tony Evers. 'Tony's got to go. Who's with me?' Schoemann said about the current second-term Democratic governor. He encouraged others in the room to join him. 'Tony's gotta go… Tony's gotta go. I'd like him to hear it if you don't mind.' The crowd of about 30 clapped enthusiastically and slowly started to pick up the chant. Schoemann, who wore a red UW-Madison quarter zip up, jeans and a camo hat with his campaign logo across the front, was at the restaurant for the Dane County Republican's monthly 'Pints and Politics' meeting. It's the one of the latest stops for Schoemann, who is the first candidate of either major party to launch his campaign in the 2026 governor's race. Evers' decision on whether he will seek a third term is still up in the air. He recently told WisEye that he is 'not spending very much time at all thinking about whether I'm going to run or not.' With about 14 months before a Republican primary might be held, Schoemann is working to get a head start on other potential candidates. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is mulling a run for the office, was critical of Evers as he addressed party members at the state GOP's annual convention. Bill Berrien, a Whitefish Bay businessman and Navy SEAL veteran, recently formed a political action committee. Schoemann said that it's 'entirely possible' for Wisconsin to be more competitive for Republicans. He launches his campaign as the Republican Party of Wisconsin is reevaluating how to win after their preferred candidate lost in the state Supreme Court race and as Democrats have won 12 of the last 15 statewide elections. Schoemann sought to start his 'Tony' chant a couple times as he spoke to the group — at one point telling attendees that he is the son of a Lutheran Minister and 'can't handle a congregation unless they join with me.' The crowd joined the chant more quickly this time, but Schoemann cut it off quickly as he pulled his camo hat off and placed it over his heart and encouraged attendees to stand up to sing 'My Country, 'Tis of Thee' with him. Schoemann has worked in Washington County as the elected county executive for the last five years and as the county administrator for six years prior. He owns a farm in the town of Trenton, located between West Bend and Grafton, with his wife and is the father of two. Schoemann told attendees that he joined the Army National Guard, attended UW-Whitewater and then served in Iraq in 2003. Throughout the event, Schoemann returned to his faith and military service, telling the crowd that 'love your neighbor' has been central to his work and will be central to his campaign. 'It's changed the trajectory of my life permanently,' Schoemann said, describing a memory of his time in Iraq when he gave bottles of water to a child who was drinking from a puddle. 'As he approaches the puddle, I'm thinking, 'Oh, he's just going to jump around in the puddle and play.' He kneels down, and starts cupping his hands and starts drinking out of that puddle,' Schoemann said. 'When I came back home, that moment kept coming back to me over and over and over, and I dedicated the rest of my life to the service and sacrifice of the guys and gals who didn't come home, either in whole or in part, and of my Lord, Jesus, by loving my neighbor,' he continued, ' and that, ladies and gentlemen, is how we are going to win this election. We are going to turn Wisconsin red by loving our neighborhood.' Schoemann said he grew up a 'Rush Limbaugh' and 'Ronald Reagan baby' — with beliefs in smaller government, lower taxes and strong defense — and that those ideas have shaped his service in local government. Schoemann repeatedly criticized Evers and spoke about his record. 'Under the education governor, are your schools better than they were six years ago?' Schoemann asked, with answers of 'no' coming from some in the room. 'He's filling potholes right now — getting his picture taken in every community can get to… Are your roads really all that much better than they were six years ago? No, no. They're not, and if you look across the state of Wisconsin on every issue issue after issue, things aren't better.' Evers has been traveling across the state last week helping fill potholes as a part of an annual effort to call attention to the issue of improving the roads and his recent budget proposal of to dedicate funds for that purpose — though Republicans have removed that from the budget. At one stop on his trip, Evers told reporters that he didn't know much about Schoemann but thinks he's 'gonna have to be another Donald Trump.' 'That's the only way Republicans can kind of move forward in this day and age,' Evers said, according to WSAW-TV 7. Schoemann said that he decided to run because he is 'sick and tired of our kids, leaving the state for other opportunities in different states and not coming back' and 'sick and tired of our retirees leaving this state that has become a complete tax hell.' Schoemann also compared himself to former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson. 'Back when I was a kid in 1986, Tommy Thompson took out another Tony — [former Gov.] Tony Earl. A young, energetic Republican did very, very well in Dane County, and eventually by 1994, I believe he won Dane County,' said Schoemann, who is 43. Thompson is the last Wisconsin governor to win a third term in office, and Schoemann wants to ensure that stays true by taking a page out of Thompson's playbook. Schoemann said he would have three rules for his campaign: go to the Northwoods, go to Milwaukee and go to Dane County. He said that since his campaign launched he had visited Florence County to talk with a group of people, who, he said, likely 'hadn't seen a statewide elected official in decades,' had been on the radio in Milwaukee and his Tuesday evening stop in Madison was his second already. Schoemann said Republicans need to lose by less in Dane County, pointing out that President Donald Trump won the state of Wisconsin with nearly 23% of the vote in the deep blue county. 'We've got to be pushing back towards 26, 27, 28[%], and we're only going to do it by having conversations with our neighbors and physically being present,' Schoemann said. 'I can tell you you're going to get sick of seeing me because I will be back again and again and again. I want to hear from you what this state needs to be. I want to hear from you what direction the state needs to go.' Schoemann then took questions from the audience. One attendee asked about what he would do about property taxes. Local communities across the state have been strapped for funds in recent years due to restrictions in the ways that they can raise revenue with many turning to raising property taxes through referendums to help afford services. 'How many of you live in the city of Madison? How are you liking that new referendum for the school district and the city — one-two punch?' Schoemann replied. He added that property tax rates in Washington Co. are low because of decisions he's made. He said that at times when they have 'considered alternatives where we needed additional resources, we go to the people and ask.' The county went to referendum in 2024 to help prevent cuts to its public safety services. While the referendum failed, a deal on shared revenue and a local sales tax for Milwaukee that lawmakers and Gov. Tony Evers made helped the county avoid the cuts. That deal led to a back and forth over social media between Schoemann and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson after Schoemann took a jab at the city because of the tax. Milwaukee leaders were prominent advocates in helping secure the state funding, which has helped communities across the state, including Washington County. In response to a question about elections, Schoemann said that he believes in purging voter rolls, banning voting events including 'Democracy in the Park' — a COVID-era effort held by the city of Madison where poll workers picked up absentee ballots from voters who dropped them off — and having 'significant election integrity' measures. He also talked about promoting early voting in more rural areas. 'The clerks are part time, most of them work out of their houses. They don't have an office at the town hall… In those places. If you want to have in-person absentee voting, you have to schedule an appointment at the home of the clerk. In Madison and in Milwaukee… the convenience level is through the roof right now,' Schoemann said. 'It's not quite seven days a week, 24 hours a day for those 13 days, but it isn't far either, especially as compared to those towns.' Schoemann said his county sought to incentivize local municipal workers to add in-person absentee voting days and times by paying them 150% of the cost. He said the state needs to 'completely transform how we think about elections in Wisconsin.' Schoemann segued to criticizing Evers for his relationship with lawmakers and the number of bills he has vetoed, saying changes in law need to come as the result of the governor working as a 'coequal' branch with the Legislature. He said that the governor should work with bills before outright vetoing them. 'The fact that this governor doesn't have the leadership capability to walk down the hallway and talk to legislative leaders is an embarrassment to our state,' Schoemann said, referring to communication difficulties between lawmakers and Evers, who are currently negotiating the next state budget. Schoemann said that he wouldn't want to 'throw money' to help address education problems, though he thinks the system currently in place is outdated. He also said that he would seek to help change the veto power that governors have. This will be the first time Schoemann runs in a statewide election. He promised the room that no one would 'outwork' him. 'There might be more money. There might be worse press, there might be all kinds of things, but no one will outwork me,' Schoemann said. In the weeks before deciding to run, Schoemann told the room that he asked his wife if she was sure she wanted him to run. 'You know what she said to me?' Schoemann asked. ''Well, can't be worse than Iraq.'' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers want more films made in Wisconsin and hope tax credits will help
Sen. Julian Bradley (R-New Berlin) said SB 231 offers tax credits to encourage more films to be made in Wisconsin. (Screenshot via WisEye) Wisconsin Republicans advocated on Tuesday for a bill to encourage filmmaking in Wisconsin through tax credits and a state film office. Another bill would declare that 'gig workers' for app-based delivery services aren't employees of a company. During a Tuesday Senate Utilities and Tourism committee meeting, Sen. Julian Bradley (R-New Berlin) said SB 231 offers tax credits to encourage more films to be made in Wisconsin. Bradley described a recent movie called 'Green and Gold,' about a fourth-generation dairy farmer in Wisconsin who is on the verge of losing his farm and makes a bet on the Green Bay Packers to help save it. Bradley said the director of the film, Anders Lindwall, chose to make it in Wisconsin, but that decision meant a financial sacrifice as the director turned down a major studio offer to purchase his film. The studio wanted him to relocate production to Alabama — a state with film tax incentives. 'He turned down the offer to keep his project authentically Wisconsin,' Bradley said. Wisconsin had a film incentive for a brief time in 2010 under former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, though the Republican-led Legislature discontinued that program just a few years later. Now, Wisconsin is one of only four states in the country without a film office and one of 13 without any film tax incentives. The bill would create new tax credits including one for 30% of the total cost of the salaries paid to employees who reside in Wisconsin and work in Wisconsin, one for 30% of acquiring or improving property and one for 30% production costs paid by a company to produce a film, video, broadcast advertisement or television production. A person's total credits would be capped at $1 million for a fiscal year. The bill would also create a new State Film Office housed in the Department of Tourism that would implement the tax credits. Rep. David Armstrong (R-Rice Lake) said having the rate at 30% would put Wisconsin in the top tier of states offering film incentives. 'How many of you like me flinch when you see the Georgia peach logo in the credits after a movie or TV show?' Armstrong asked at the hearing. 'Do we want Illinois or Minnesota or Georgia to poach productions that could just as easily be shot in Wisconsin?' Bradley said the bill 'aims to make Wisconsin competitive by attracting filmmakers and productions through meaningful incentives, which in turn support local businesses, job creation, and increased tourism. Simply put, it would encourage filmmakers like Mr. Lindwall to choose Wisconsin, bringing their stories and economic activity to our state.' The bill has broad bipartisan support with cosponsors including Sens. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point), Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee), Romaine Quinn (R-Birchwood) and Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska). Sen. Melissa Ratcliff (D-Cottage Grove) expressed some concerns about whether the funding for the proposal would be included in the budget since it is not in the bill. Wisconsin lawmakers are in the progress of writing the next biennial budget and while Gov. Tony Evers included a similar proposal in his budget, it was pulled out along with more than 600 other items by Republican lawmakers on the committee. 'I have a motion to bring that back in,' Bradley told Ratcliff. 'But if we pass this bill, it does not include the funding?' Ratcliff asked. 'This bill does not have the funding. The funding would come through the budget… We're going to fight real hard to try to get that funded,' Bradley said. According to fiscal estimates, the cost to state revenues would be at max $10 million. The new office would require three new positions in the tourism agency and would cost about $199,300 in 2026 and $254,000 in 2027. Film stakeholders testified in favor of the bill during the hearing. Paulina Lule, a Milwaukee native and an actress who recently starred in the MGM+ series Emperor of Ocean Park and has been in other shows including The Good Place and Scandal, told lawmakers that the bill would help people who want to showcase Wisconsin as it is in real life. Lule said she has a film she has been working on called Sherman Park, which is about the neighborhood in Milwaukee. 'I have had producers who have been interested in making this film as long as I make it not in Sherman [Park],' Lule said. 'I don't want to, and so this film has sat unfilmed for 10 years.' Lule said she recently began shooting a short film version in the Milwaukee park and was proud to be able to include a shot of the neighborhood's name on a sign. She said that making films in Wisconsin would be a powerful way to promote the state and encourage people to visit. 'Show off Racine. We can show off the real Green Bay, not just the Packers. There's more to Green Bay than just the Packers as much as I love them,' Lule said. 'You're missing out on one of the broadest… ways of promoting the state is by having stories that are authentically about Wisconsin, made in Wisconsin… with actors in it that sound like they're from Wisconsin.' Michelle Maher, a River Falls movie theater owner, said that having movies filmed in the state would also provide an opportunity for local theaters. She noted that the movie Sinners, a vampire movie set in the Jim Crow South directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan, was filmed on-site in Clarksville, Mississippi. 'It was a town similar to the size of the town that I live in, River Falls,' Maher said. 'Unfortunately, that town doesn't have the movie theater that I have in my town… [Coogler and Jordan] got together and said, we are going to make sure this movie shows in this town, so they brought in a crew to be able to show that movie locally to the town that it was filmed at. What if there was a movie filmed in River Falls? Not only would I have a huge premiere for a regional area, I would have an annual event built in that would generate huge tourism opportunities and other ways to invent and reinvent that same wheel.' Lawmakers also considered SB 256, which would declare delivery drivers for app-based companies, including Uber and Doordash, are not employees of the company for the purposes of compensation insurance, minimum wage laws and unemployment insurance. The bill would allow 'portable benefits' for those workers. Bradley, the coauthor of the proposal, said the legislation is needed so that companies can provide benefits to workers without changing their 'independent contractor' status. Under this type of benefit system, accounts are linked to a worker rather than the employer, meaning the benefits follow workers to other employment opportunities, and companies and workers would both be able to contribute. 'The gig economy is here to stay, and with it, the flexibility that many workers value and desire,' Bradley said. 'Unfortunately, current laws prevent drivers from accessing crucial benefits. These include health care, paid leave and retirement savings. That's the problem SB 256 aims to address. This legislation creates portable benefit accounts funded through contributions from the platforms based on drivers' earnings. These accounts can be used by drivers to pay for a range of expenses, including health care, retirement, or coverage of loss of wages due to illness or an accident.' Lawmakers have considered the proposal before, including last session. The bill passed the Senate but never came up for a vote in the Assembly. The bill specifies that if an app-based delivery company doesn't prescribe dates, times of day or a minimum number of hours during which someone must work; terminate the contract of the driver for not accepting a specific request for transportation or delivery service request; allow drivers to work for other companies; or restrict the driver from working in any other lawful occupation or business, then a driver is not considered an employee or agent of the company. 'Previous versions of this legislation have garnered bipartisan support, and that support is only growing,' Bradley said. 'It's time we modernize our policies to meet the realities faced by thousands of Wisconsin workers.' Sen. Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick) said he found it 'embarrassing, disappointing' that the committee was considering the proposal. He said there is an 'independent contractor travesty in this country.' 'As an independent contractor, these workers know what they're signing up for,' Rep. Alex Dallman (R-Markesan) said. 'They understand that they're on an independent contractor basis. They understand that they want to remain independent contractors.' Katie Franger, public affairs manager for Uber, told lawmakers that flexibility is the 'fundamental reason' people choose the company's platform for work. She said that the legislation would fit with this by allowing workers to have flexibility in benefits as well. 'Portable benefits allow each individual to choose what truly matters to them, ensuring resources are directed where they're most needed,' Franger said. When Smith asked about why they couldn't provide the benefits already, Addison DiSesa, legislative policy advisor for DoorDash, said 'providing the benefits proactively jeopardizes the independence of these workers' and that the bill 'empowers workers to get access to the benefits that they want while protecting their independence.' Maliki Krieski, a Ripon mother and Doordash worker, told lawmakers that she supports the bill because she wants to keep the flexibility that is part of the work currently. She said it allows her to take care of her child, who has diabetes. 'Our state system is outdated…,' Krieski said. 'The one thing that stands between us and any form of health care incentive, retirement plan… The only thing that stands between us and that is the state law.' Stephanie Bloomingdale, president for the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, cautioned that the bill seeks to create an exemption to current law and could be harmful to workers, who depending on the situation might qualify for certain benefits. She also pointed out that it doesn't require companies to provide access to any benefits. 'It exempts app-based delivery drivers from settled Wisconsin law concerning our workers compensation, minimum wage and unemployment insurance laws,' Bloomingdale said. Bloomingdale noted that to be considered an 'independent contractor,' when it comes to worker's compensation, workers have to meet a nine-part test, otherwise a worker is automatically considered an employee. The bill would replace this with the four-part test, which she said would be quite 'minimal.' She noted that depending on the situation some workers could potentially qualify for worker's compensation. A legislative council representative explained that 'the default is that you're an employee, and then there's a nine factored test and that leads to a determination that you might be an independent contractor.' The bill, he said, would implement a 'route that's more streamlined for these app-based drivers.' 'We oppose the bill because it does not guarantee any more or less flexibility for workers. It does not guarantee good wages and it does not guarantee benefits for workers in the gig economy. It does none of these things because the bill eliminates employee status for these workers and all the rights that come with that status,' Bloomingdale said. 'The bill does not guarantee or require that these tech giants provide any benefits, portable or fixed.' Bloomingdale said the bill would instead just 'create special exemption for these powerful corporations at the expense of Wisconsin's working men and women' and called the bill a 'slippery slope.' 'If this bill passes, we will be back here as those who do the bidding on international corporations come to this legislative body to similarly carve out a certain class of workers to evade state law and reclassify each group of workers one by one,' Bloomingdale said. 'If these companies succeed in passing this bill, their low-pay, no-protection business model could expand in virtually every industry.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bill to let qualified nurses practice independently overcomes divisions
Terri Vandenhouten, a nurse practitioner in Brown County, testifies Tuesday in favor of a bill that would allow nurses with advanced credentials practice independently after a period of supervision. (Screenshot/WisEye) Legislation to allow nurses with advanced training to practice independently has overcome objections that led the measure to be vetoed twice in the last four years, the Assembly's health committee heard Tuesday. AB 257 would create a new health care professional category of Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). APRNs would include certified nurse-midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners. Under the bill, an APRN would be permitted to practice on their own after working under the supervision of a medical doctor. Currently, nurse practitioners in Wisconsin must have a continuing collaboration agreement with a practicing physician. Advocates for the legislation have said such agreements shouldn't be necessary for a fully trained APRN, and that some nurse practitioners have faced barriers in enlisting a collaborating doctor despite their own qualifications. The legislation to end that requirement is a goal that organizations representing the nursing profession have been pursuing for more than a dozen years in Wisconsin. There are now 28 states that have a similar standard in place, advocates said. At Tuesday's public hearing on the bill before the Assembly Committee on Health, Aging and Long-term Care, advocates and one-time opponents of the measure alike appeared ready to see it finally enacted this year. 'Where health care providers are even more scarce, when the difference between a good outcome or a bad outcome is on the line, access to quality, dependable health care is everything,' said Rep. Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc), lead author of the Assembly bill, in his hearing testimony. 'Recognizing APRNs will help ease the provider shortage we feel across our state and make Wisconsin a more attractive place for these professionals to practice.' The bill 'is important to meeting the demands for health care throughout Wisconsin and in particular our rural and at-risk populations,' said Terri Vandenhouten, a nurse practitioner in Brown County. Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a version of the APRN legislation in 2022 after it passed both houses of the Legislature, and he did so again in 2024. This time around, Evers along with legislators from both parties spent time working through the objections that led to Evers' previous vetoes. 'We had very good conversations with the governor's office and came up with a compromise,' said Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point), for whom the legislation has been a long-time goal. Testin said that 'not everyone is 100% happy' with the bill in its current form — 'which probably tells me we landed in a really good spot.' As the last version of the bill was under debate, Evers laid down markers for three elements that he required before he would sign the measure: increasing the amount of training and supervision before an APRN can practice independently; requiring additional supervision for some APRN practitioners in the field of pain treatment; and ensuring that APRN practitioners didn't use titles that might confuse patients about their credentials. The new bill addresses all three points, said Testin. Under the new bill, in order to be credentialed as an APRN, a nurse must have the equivalent of two years of practice under a doctor's supervision. The new APRN must then work for another two years under a doctor's collaborative supervision before going solo. The bill added a requirement — sought by doctors in the field of pain medicine — requiring APRN practitioners who treat pain syndrome and who use 'invasive techniques' to work in collaboration with a pain medicine physician. The bill also addresses the use of professional titles, which doctors have argued are sometimes improperly appropriated by providers without a physician's credential. For an APRN to use a title, it must be one granted under Wisconsin's nursing statutes, according to the bill. An APRN with a doctorate may use the title of 'Doctor,' but with identifying information about what field the degree is in, so patients don't misinterpret the practitioner as being a physician. Representatives for the medical profession who have opposed previous versions of the bill told lawmakers Tuesday they now were officially neutral. The Wisconsin chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians hasn't taken a position for or against the bill, said the group's representative, Dr. Aurora Lybeck. While she praised the 'significant strides' in adding experience requirements, provider title protection and restrictions on pain practice, Lybeck said Wisconsin should institute specific requirements to staff emergency rooms with doctors. Mark Grapentine, the Wisconsin Medical Society's policy advocate, also testified that the doctors' organization was now neutral on the measure after having opposed it. His remarks all but conceded that the arguments of the bill were now over. 'We are grateful that so many bipartisan members of the Legislature and that Gov. Evers listened to the concerns that physician groups brought forward and were able to include three of those important elements in the bill that you have before you,' he said. Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison), the health committee's ranking Democrat, told the Wisconsin Examiner that years of working on the bill as well as Evers' role in encouraging a resolution helped the legislation reach a point where its enactment now seems likely. 'This was a good example of a bill where there was both bipartisan support and bipartisan opposition,' Subeck said. 'It felt like we were a long way from getting it done, and I think the governor has really helped to get this bill moving forward.'
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
GOP bills revamping unemployment rules get Assembly hearing
State Rep. Jerry O'Connor gives testimony in favor of a bill that would require state agencies to report on various metrics for training and workforce development programs they supervise. (Screenshot/WisEye) Republicans in the state Legislature are taking another run at changes to unemployment insurance and workforce programs in Wisconsin that Gov. Tony Evers vetoed in August 2023. While sponsors of the bills cited a couple of modifications in some measures, they are for the most part unchanged, they said during public hearings Wednesday for four bills in the Assembly's labor committee. One, AB 162, would require state agencies to compile a series of metrics on training and workforce development programs under their supervision, including the unemployment rates and median earnings of participants six months after they graduate from a program. 'We want to make certain our money's being spent in a way that generates a positive beneficial return both for taxpayers and for the individuals participating in the programs,' said state Rep. Jerry O'Connor (R-Fond du Lac), testifying in favor of the bill. 'We'd look at the percent of individuals enrolled in training programs who obtained a measurable skill gain.' O'Connor said the bill draws its performance measures from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), a federal workforce training law updated in 2014. In vetoing the version of the bill that passed the last session of the Legislature, Evers said that many state programs it covered didn't fit with WIOA's reporting structure and 'have separate requirements under current state law.' Three other bills would impose tighter restrictions on the unemployment insurance (UI) system. AB 167 would expand the definition of employee misconduct that would be grounds for denying an unemployment insurance claim as well as for a worker's compensation claim. The bill would also require DWD to conduct random audits of 50% of all work searches reported by people claiming UI. AB 168 would extend the statute of limitations for prosecuting felony fraudulent UI claims to eight years. It would also require the state Department of Workforce Development (DWD) to produce more training materials for employers and UI claimants, operate a call center and expand its hours in times of higher volume, check various state and national databases to verify that UI applicants qualify, and implement 'identity-proofing' measures. AB 169 would penalize UI recipients who do not show up for a job interview they have been granted or a job they've been offered — 'commonly referred to as ghosting,' said state Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown), the bill's author. A UI recipient who fails to respond to an interview request or job offer, fails to report for a scheduled job interview or who is not available to return to work at their previous job would lose unemployment benefits for the week in which that occurred. The bill does not impose the penalty for the first offense. State Rep. Joan Fitzgerald (D-Fort Atkinson) asked Knodl whether the bill had gone through the state's Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council. The joint labor-management body revises the state's UI law every two years. In the past Evers has vetoed UI proposals for not going through the council. 'This is one of those that they're not going to visit,' Knodl said. 'So that's why we're here as a stand-alone bill.' Nobody testified against the bills Wednesday, but Victor Forberger, a Madison attorney who represents people with UI claims, sent the committee a four-page memo opposing them. He wrote that DWD already does most of what AB 168 would require, and that it would 'hamstring' the department 'when new practices and resources emerge.' The measures 'will do nothing to make unemployment more useful and efficient for Wisconsin workers and employers,' Forberger wrote. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
