WEEK OF JANUARY 15, 2018
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY

Happy MLK Day to everyone. Here are a few Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Fast Facts courtesy of cnn.com.

January 15, 2018 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
King's actual birthday was on January 15.

Timeline:
  • April 8, 1968 - Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) introduces legislation for a federal holiday to commemorate King, just four days after his assassination.
  • January 15, 1969 - The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Center in Atlanta sponsors and observes the first annual celebration of King's birthday. 
  • April 1971 - The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) presents to Congress petitions containing three million signatures in support of the holiday. Congress does not act.
  • 1973 - Illinois is the first state to adopt Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a state holiday.
  • November 4, 1978 - The National Council of Churches urges Congress to enact the holiday.
  • 1979 - Coretta Scott King speaks before Congress and joint hearings of Congress in a campaign to pass a holiday bill. A petition for the bill receives 300,000 signatures, and President Jimmy Carter supports passage of a bill. 
  • November 1979 - The House fails to pass Conyers' King Holiday bill by five votes.
  • 1982 - Coretta Scott King and Stevie Wonder bring the Speaker of the House, Tip O'Neill, petitions with over six million signatures in favor of a holiday. 
  • 1983 - Congress passes and President Ronald Reagan signs legislation creating Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a national holiday. Senators Jesse Helms (R-NC) and Gordon Humphrey (R-NH) attempt to block the bill's passing. 
  • January 20, 1986 - First national celebration of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday takes place.
  • January 16, 1989 - The King holiday is legal in 44 states. 
  • 1994 - Coretta Scott King goes before Congress and quotes King from his 1968 sermon, "The Drum Major Instinct," in which he said, "Everybody can be great because everybody can serve." She requests that the holiday be an official national day of humanitarian service. 
  • 1994 - Congress designates the holiday as a national day of service through the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday and Service Act. 
  • 1999 - New Hampshire becomes the last state to adopt a holiday honoring King.
  • January 17, 2011 - Marks the 25th anniversary of the holiday.
LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY PICKS UP
 
There is a flurry of activity at the Wisconsin State Capitol. Floor sessions begin this week for the Wisconsin State Assembly and the number of committee hearings and executive sessions continues to increase.
STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS
 
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate President Roger Roth invited the governor to deliver his State of the State Address on Wednesday, January 24, 2018.
ASSEMBLY AND SENATE SESSION DAYS FOR JANUARY

Members of the Wisconsin State Senate have been told to keep January 23 open for a floor session.  
Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly have been told to hold January 16 and January 23 open for floor sessions. 
ASSEMBLY FLOOR SESSION

Tuesday, January 16, 2018; 1:00 p.m.

Assembly Bill 475 - lighting requirements for animal-drawn vehicles operated on highways. WCA supports this bill.

Assembly Bill 506 - the responsibilities of the Law Enforcement Standards Board. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Assembly Bill 539 - plans for supervised release of sexually violent persons, representation of sexually violent persons by the state public defender, and making an appropriation. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Assembly Bill 572 - the collection and maintenance of certain public library data by the Division for Libraries and Technology, authorizing small, rural libraries to apply for information technology block grants and educational technology training grants, and making appropriations. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Assembly Bill 85 - allowing a local public official to serve as an election official. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Senate Bill 390 - creating family treatment court and juvenile treatment court grant programs in the Department of Children and Families. WCA supports this bill.

COMMITTEE HEARINGS FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 15, 2018

Note: The Committee hearings and bills listed below reflect action on legislation impacting county government.  See a complete listing of weekly hearings here.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Senate Committee on Sporting Heritage, Mining and Forestry, 10:00 a.m.
Senate Bill 602 - enforcement of federal and state laws relating to the management of the wolf population and to the killing of wolves and expenditure of funds for wolf management purposes.
WCA is monitoring this bill.

Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, 10:00 a.m.
Senate Bill 403 - the responsibilities of the Law Enforcement Standards Board. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Senate Bill 446 - plans for supervised release of sexually violent persons, representation of sexually violent persons by the state public defender, and making an appropriation. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Senate Bill 611 - reporting requirements for crimes involving firearms, distribution of marijuana, and the theft of motor vehicles. WCA opposes this bill.

Senate Bill 612 - the availability of information on crimes through the consolidated court automation programs. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Senate Bill 626 - discrimination based on arrest or conviction record under the fair employment law. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Assembly Bill 566 - service of certain pleadings and other papers by electronic mail. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Assembly Committee on Children and Families, 10:00 a.m.
Assembly Bill 776 - foster home licensing. WCA supports this bill.

Assembly Bill 779 - grant to organization to provide referrals to community-based services and making an appropriation. WCA supports this bill.

Assembly Bill 783 - a committee to study and make recommendations on the caseloads of child welfare workers. WCA supports this bill.

Assembly Bill 785 - funding for child abuse and neglect prevention grants. WCA supports this bill.

Assembly Bill 787 - funding for grants to support foster parents and foster children and making an appropriation. WCA supports this bill.

Assembly Committee on Government Accountability and Oversight, 10:00 a.m.
Assembly Bill 553 - eligibility for state procurement contracts and certain actions taken by state and local governmental bodies involving a boycott of Israel. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Assembly Committee on Science and Technology, 10:30 a.m.
Assembly Bill 563 - dissemination of threats against law enforcement. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Senate Committee on Workforce Development, Military Affairs and Senior Issues, 1:00 p.m.
Senate Bill 517 - referrals for subjects of alerts for missing adults and operator's license review. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Assembly Committee on Mental Health, 11:00 a.m.
Assembly Bill 782 - limited release of mental health information to out-of-home care providers and child welfare agencies. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Assembly Bill 815 - allowed detention facilities for emergency detention and involuntary commitment. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Assembly Committee on State Affairs, 11:00 a.m.
Assembly Bill 688 - establishing a Wisconsin conservation corps program, extending the time limit for emergency rule procedures, providing exemptions from emergency rule procedures, requiring the exercise of rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Assembly Bill 718 - fingerprinting and conducting background investigations of employees in the state civil service or of a political subdivision, and of individuals performing contractual services for the state who have access to federal tax information. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Assembly Bill 821 - public contracting requirements and donated improvements. WCA supports this bill.

Assembly Committee on Transportation, 2:00 p.m.
Assembly Bill 754 - vehicle weight limits, and permits for vehicles transporting certain loads, on certain state trunk highways in Ashland County and Vilas County. WCA is monitoring this bill.

Senate Committee on Labor and Regulatory Reform, 10:00 a.m.
Senate Bill 564 - worker's compensation claims by certain public safety employees for post-traumatic stress disorder. WCA opposes this bill.

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Assembly Committee on Regulatory Licensing Reform, 10:00 a.m.
Assembly Bill 733 - fee waivers for certain occupational credentials. WCA is monitoring this bill.
UPCOMING WCA MEETINGS/EVENTS
  • January 16 - Transportation and Public Works Steering Committee
  • January 24 - Mining 101
  • February 6-7 - 2018 WCA Annual Legislative Exchange
  • March 2 - Health and Human Services Steering Committee
  • March 16 - WCA Board of Directors
  • March 22 - County Organization and Personnel Steering Committee
  • March 23 - Judicial and Public Safety Steering Committee
HOW CAN YOU FOLLOW THE SESSION WITH US?  

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QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions about any legislative items, please feel free to contact any member of WCA's Government Affairs Team.

Kyle Christianson, Director of Government Affairs
608.663.7188
christianson@wicounties.org

Sarah Diedrick-Kasdorf, Deputy Director of Government Affairs
608.663.7188
diedrick@wicounties.org

Dan Bahr, Government Affairs Associate
608.663.7188
bahr@wicounties.org

Marcie Rainbolt, Government Affairs Associate
608.663.7188
rainbolt@wicounties.org

Chelsea Fibert, Government Affairs Assistant
608.663.7188