Senate Leaders Indicate More COVID-19 Legislation May Be Needed
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 16, 2020
From WisPolitics.com . . .
The Senate’s top leaders praised the COVID-19 bill as it unanimously cleared the chamber, but indicated more may be needed.
“This bill is imperfect, and it might be the first bill of a number that we are going to have to pass in the Legislature,” said Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau.
Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling, meanwhile, said she hopes the package was “not a one-and-done.”
“I hope that this Legislature realizes that our work is not done,” the La Crosse Dem said. “Today is not the end; this is just the beginning.”
After yesterday’s session, President Roger Roth, R-Appleton, directed Legislative Technology Services Bureau staff to leave the infrastructure for Senate-wide video conferencing in place in the Capitol room where the meeting was conducted in case the Senate needs to meet again virtually.
As the Assembly signed off on the bill 97-2 earlier in the week, Speaker Robin Vos, R-Vos, said he expected the chamber to return at some point to “deal with the economic carnage” after not cutting state spending in the package.
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Evers signs COVID-19 Bill
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 15, 2020
From WisPolitics.com …
Within hours of the Senate passing the bill unanimously, Gov. Tony Evers today signed a bipartisan COVID-19 bill even as he said there’s “much more work to be done.”
After calling for the bill to speed up the signing process, Evers said the legislation provides neither hazard pay or workers comp for all frontline and critical workers nor meaningful support for small businesses and farmers.
Senate Dems today tried to substitute a proposal that reflected the more than $1 billion in new state spending that Evers had previously proposed. But it was shot down along party lines before the overall bill passed 32-0.
“My pen has been waiting for weeks to sign legislation that guarantees Wisconsin will capture our fair share of federal dollars under the CARES Act and ensures workers experiencing unemployment and underemployment won’t be forced to wait an extra week for needed benefits to kick in,” Evers said. “This bill is finally a step in the right direction, but there is much more work to be done.”
The final action on the bill comes as the state faced a deadline later this month to change eligibility requirements for the Medicaid program to qualify for additional federal funding. The bill also would set up the state for more federal money for the unemployment program.
Other key provisions include giving the Joint Finance Committee new powers to move around state money to pay for COVID-19 expenses and reducing the minimum training hours required to qualify as a certified nursing assistant.
Evers had earlier proposed two bills that sought to spend more than $1 billion in general purpose revenue while allowing the Department of Health Services to spend an unlimited amount in dealing with a public health emergency. His proposals also sought a joint resolution that would indefinitely extend the public health emergency Evers issued March 12 in response to the pandemic. Under the proposal, the extension would last until it was revoked by a subsequent executive order or a joint resolution.
The bill that Evers signed adds no new GPR spending.
Evers’ stay-at-home order is set to expire April 24 and his public health emergency May 11. But he indicated in an interview with a Minnesota TV station it could be another month before he starts relaxing social distancing requirements.
Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said the bill that cleared the Legislature is a reaction to the stimulus legislation that cleared Congress and was signed into law. Under that effort, Wisconsin is in line to receive $2.3 billion with $1.9 billion of that going directly into state coffers.
Fitzgerald said the state bill combined elements of what Evers originally proposed with input from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle while “extending a lifeline to the recently unemployed.”
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau said the federal money impacted by the bill is separate from the $1.9 billion the state is set to receive through the stimulus package that was signed into law. LFB previously has noted the Legislature has no oversight in how the $1.9 billion is spent.
“We have to get businesses and the economy moving again, and I’m hopeful that this bill marks the first step in that direction,” Fitzgerald said. “Those revenue streams support our schools, our social safety net, and our infrastructure.”
See the report from Minnesota’s KSTP here.
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Senate Approves COVID-19 Legislation
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 15, 2020
From WisPolitics.com …
The state Senate — meeting virtually for the first time — today unanimously approved legislation responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, sending the bill to Gov. Tony Evers.
The guv is expected to sign the bill quickly. The state faces deadlines this month to change eligibility requirements for the Medicaid program to qualify for additional federal funding. The bill also would set up the state for additional federal money for the unemployment program.
After clearing the Assembly 97-2 yesterday, the bill was backed in the Senate 31-0. Dems Tim Carpenter and Lena Taylor, both of Milwaukee, weren’t recorded as voting during the virtual roll call. They each complained during the session that they hadn’t been allowed to address their colleagues.
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau said the federal money impacted by the bill is separate from the $1.9 billion the state is set to receive through the stimulus package that was signed into law.
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Five Takeaways from the Department of Labor’s FFCRA Regulations
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 15, 2020
From the Legal Side…
In its most recent Legal Update, the Strang Patteson Law Firm focuses on the U.S. Department of Labor’s regulations designed to clarify the paid leave provisions in the recently-enacted Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA).
The SAA regularly receives these legal updates and we believe this is valuable information for SAA members. We are distributing this update to SAA members with the permission of the Strang Patteson Law Firm. The information in this update is no substitute for consulting with your district legal counsel, and we encourage you to do so.
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A Near Record Year for Wisconsin School Referendums
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 15, 2020
Check out the coverage of Wisconsin school referendums from Wisconsin Public Radio.
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