Fitzgerald, Vos to Introduce a Single COVID-19 Bill
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 1, 2020
From WisPolitics…
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said today they plan to introduce a single piece of legislation that would provide a state response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The GOP leaders said on a conference call they hope to produce a bill with broad, bipartisan agreement. Still, it is too early to say when they will meet.
“We want to get this done as quickly as we are able to do it. But we also want to be smart,” said Vos, R-Rochester.
Over the weekend, the two GOP leaders said the initial bill Evers released just days ago was too expensive considering the state’s finances. They didn’t commit to a price tag for the bill they will produce, saying they wanted to have a better idea of what the $2.3 billion in federal money coming to Wisconsin — including $1.9 billion to state government — will mean.
Today, they said a broad consensus exists in their caucuses to approve suspension of the one-week delay before someone who’s laid off can begin collecting unemployment checks. The guv earlier had called on lawmakers to convene immediately to repeal the provision.
They also indicated they believed the change would be retroactive, though they weren’t clear whether it would go back to when Evers first issued the stay-at-home order last week or when the federal relief bill was signed into law on Friday.
Read the LFB memo on the federal stimulus bill here.
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Evers Seeks $388 Million in State Funds to Address COVID-19
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 1, 2020
From WisPolitics.com …
Gov. Tony Evers is seeking at least $388 million in state funds to address the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing money for health care providers, creating a reinsurance program to cut premiums, and providing grants for food assistance and meal delivery programs.
Evers’ latest proposal would also grant unlimited spending authority to the Department of Workforce Development to boost unemployment insurance.
The package would provide sum sufficient state dollars to: reimburse unemployment insurance claims relating to the COVID-19 pandemic; provide back payment for any lost benefits as a result of the delay in suspending the one-week waiting period to claim UI; allow employers to continue to pay laid-off employees without affecting UI eligibility; and waive a number of Work-Share program requirements.
The package would also seek $100 million in general fund-supported borrowing to cover increased capital costs if the state has to suspend construction projects.
Today’s move comes after Republicans over the weekend rebuffed his first legislative proposal, because the “current general fund balance can’t support” a proposal the Legislative Fiscal Bureau pegged at about $700 million; a WisPolitics.com tally of governor’s administration documents showed more than $800 million in spending.
In a letter to legislative leaders included with the proposals, Evers praised the federal government’s response as “welcome and necessary” but said there were a number of areas where state funding would be necessary to “fill gaps in.”
But a spokeswoman for Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said while the Assembly Republican caucus will review the package, “the state does not have the money to spend.”
“The governor can use federal stimulus dollars,” spokeswoman Kit Beyer said.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said in an email “many of these items have already been discussed” while “some appear to be redundant or previously discarded.”
“The Legislature plans to craft and negotiate a plan that doesn’t spend outside our state’s means,” the Juneau Republican said.
The biggest pieces of the package include: $150 million in GPR to support small businesses; $94 million in GPR to boost funding for Medicaid providers through supplemental payments and rate increases; and $30 million in GPR to reduce costs of health insurance for consumers.
Other provision would:
*Use $9.7 million in GPR to boost the Earned Income Tax Credit.
*Prohibit utility cooperatives and propane suppliers from cutting off service during the public health emergency. A separate measure seeks to prevent any utility from disconnecting service at a rental unit at the direction of a landlord.
*Provide $25 million in GPR to support child care providers who were forced to close.
*Allow municipalities to implement multiple installments of three or more payments for 2020 property taxes and waive interest and penalties on delinquent property taxes included in the 2019 payable 2020 tax roll.
*Create an $8 million GPR-supported fund to prevent single-family foreclosures and allow borrowers refinancing opportunities.
See the letter and package here.
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The Latest on the Steady Stream of DOL Guidance on FFCRA
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 1, 2020
From the Legal Side…
In its most recent School Law FYI, the BoardmanClark Law Firm provides the latest in its series on the steady stream of clarifying guidance released by the Department of Labor (DOL) on the Families First Coronavirus Response 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 BoardmanClark Law Firm. The information in this update is no substitute for consulting with your district legal counsel, and we encourage you to do so.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update, SAA Legal Side | No Comments »
DOL Issues More Guidance On FFCRA
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | April 1, 2020
From the Legal Side…
In its most recent School Law FYI, the BoardmanClark Law Firm reports on more clarifying guidance released by the Department of Labor (DOL) on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). This update focuses on common areas of concern for school districts.
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 BoardmanClark Law Firm. The information in this update is no substitute for consulting with your district legal counsel, and we encourage you to do so.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update, SAA Legal Side | No Comments »
COVID-19 and Individual Teacher Contracts
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | March 31, 2020
From the Legal Side…
In its most recent School Law FYI, the BoardmanClark Law Firm addresses issues related to the renewal and non-renewal of teacher contracts in light of COVID-19.
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 BoardmanClark Law Firm. The information in this update is no substitute for consulting with your district legal counsel, and we encourage you to do so.
Topics: SAA Capitol Reports, SAA Capitol Reports with Email Notifications, SAA Latest Update, SAA Legal Side | No Comments »