WISCONSIN CATHOLIC CONFERENCE
Capitol Update
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Contents
1. Catholics at the Capitol Goes Virtual on April 21
2. State Budget Agency Briefings
3. Senate Passes Holocaust and Genocide Education
4. Assembly Passes Protections for Religious In-Person Gatherings
5. Upcoming Hearings of Interest
6. New Bills of Interest
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Catholics at the Capitol Goes Virtual on April 21
Due to the current pandemic and numerous factors affecting individuals’ ability to travel and gather, the WCC will not hold an in-person Catholics at the Capitol this year. Instead, it will host a free virtual advocacy day on April 21. Registration is now open at: www.wisconsincatholic.org/catholics-at-the-capitol. All registered participants will be provided with background information on the advocacy asks and instructions for arranging meetings with legislators. On April 21, a live virtual advocacy training and review will be held from 9 am to 9:50 am, which includes the opportunity for attendees to ask questions of WCC staff. Participants will then conduct meetings between 10 am and 4 pm with their elected officials to discuss several key issues that are currently being considered by the Legislature in the state’s biennial budget proposal. Everyone is encouraged to take part and no prior advocacy experience is necessary.
State Budget Agency Briefings
Governor Evers’ budget proposal has been introduced as companion bills, Senate Bill 111 and Assembly Bill 68, and referred to the Wisconsin Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance (JCF). The JCF has announced the following informational budget hearings, which are limited to testimony from state agency representatives. The hearings will be streamed on Wisconsin Eye.
Tuesday, April 6, 10 am, 412 East:
- Department of Public Instruction
- Department of Workforce Development
Wednesday, April 7, 10 am, 412 East:
- Department of Natural Resources
- Public Service Commission
Senate Passes Holocaust and Genocide Education
On March 16, on a voice vote, the Senate passed SB-069 (Darling, Alberta), which requires instruction on the Holocaust and other genocides in social studies curricula. The bill now awaits action in the Assembly. The WCC provided written testimony in support.
On March 23, on a vote of 61-33, the Assembly passed an amended AB-024 (Thiesfeldt, Jeremy), which prohibits local health officers from closing or forbidding gatherings in places of worship during the current pandemic. The WCC testified in support. The bill now awaits action in the Senate.
WCC Supports Ground Water Protections
The WCC registered in favor of companion bills designed to protect ground water from contamination. SB-152 (Cowles, Robert) prohibits the sale and use of coal tar-based and high PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) sealant products. On March 25, a companion bill, AB-131 (Kitchens, Joel) received a public hearing before the Assembly Committee on Transportation. The committee took no further action.
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Upcoming Hearings of Interest
(N.B. Only bills of interest are flagged. In most cases, committees will be considering other bills as well.)
Joint Assembly and Senate Education, 10:00 am, Thu, Apr 8, 411-S
Federal funding distributed to Wisconsin related to K-12 Education. The committee will hear from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
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New Bills of Interest
SB-221 School Transportation (Bradley, Julian) Transportation to a private school during the 2020-21 school year for pupils who reside in a first class city school district. Referred to Senate Education
SB-220 Payday Loans (Jacque, Andre) Interest rates on payday loans. Referred to Senate Government Operations, Legal Review & Consumer Protection
SB-224 Unemployment (Smith, Jeff) The unemployment insurance waiting period. Referred to Senate Labor & Regulatory Reform / AB-206 (Meyers, Beth) Referred to Assembly Workforce Development
SB-227 Tax Exemption (Jacque, Andre) Sales and use tax exemption for diapers, undergarments for incontinence, tampons, and sanitary napkins. Referred to Senate Labor & Regulatory Reform
SB-228 Cremation (Testin, Patrick) The use of alkaline hydrolysis to cremate human remains and providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures. Referred to Senate Health / AB-207 (Novak, Todd) Referred to Assembly Health
SB-230 Essential Visitor (Kooyenga, Dale) Visitation of a long-term care facility resident or hospital patient by an essential visitor or member of the clergy. Referred to Senate Human Services, Children & Families
SB-231 Schools (Testin, Patrick) Providing information about educational options offered in a school district. Referred to Senate Economic & Workforce Development
SB-238 Hotline Posting (Jacque, Andre) Posting the child abuse and neglect reporting hotline in school buildings. Referred to Senate Education
SB-245 Prostitution (Darling, Alberta) Prosecuting or adjudicating delinquent a person under the age of 18 for committing an act of prostitution. Referred to Senate Judiciary & Public Safety / AB-185 (Billings, Jill) Referred to Assembly Criminal Justice and Public Safety
SB-248 Recycling (Cowles, Rob) Changes to the electronic waste recycling program and granting rule-making authority. Referred to Senate Natural Resources & Energy
AB-167 DFI (Mursau, Jeff) Requiring the Department of Financial Institutions to study and report on establishing a section 529A ABLE savings account program. Referred to Assembly Financial Institutions
AB-171 Raffles (Murphy, Dave) Paddlewheel raffles. Referred to Assembly State Affairs
AB-174 Probation (Sanfelippo, Joe) Recommendation to revoke extended supervision, parole, or probation if a person is charged with a crime and expunging a criminal record of a crime. Referred to Assembly Criminal Justice and Public Safety
AB-176 Law Enforcement (Macco, John) Appointment of certain lawfully present aliens as law enforcement officers. Referred to Assembly Criminal Justice and Public Safety
AB-188 School Start (Knodl, Dan) The commencement of fall classes in public schools. Referred to Assembly Education
AB-190 Law Enforcement (Tusler, Ron) The responsibilities of the Law Enforcement Standards Board and disclosure of employment files when recruiting former or current officers. Referred to Assembly Criminal Justice and Public Safety
AB-195 College Athletics (Dittrich, Barbara) Designating University of Wisconsin and technical college sports and athletic teams based on the sex of the participants. Referred to Assembly Colleges and Universities
AB-196 School Athletics (Dittrich, Barbara) Designating athletic sports and teams operated or sponsored by public schools or private schools participating in a parental choice program based on the sex of the participants. Referred to Assembly Education
AB-197 Adoption (Snodgrass, Lee) Pre-adoption training formats. Referred to Assembly Family Law
AB-210 Grants (VanderMeer, Nancy) Grants for suicide prevention programming and making an appropriation. Referred to Assembly Mental Health
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Websites of Interest
Wisconsin Eye – Independent, nonpartisan video coverage of state government proceedings.
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Capitol Update is a periodic e-mail on legislative issues from the Wisconsin Catholic Conference.
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Wisconsin Catholic Conference
© 2021
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