News of the Day

Wisconsin workers without employer-funded family medical leave would be able to buy in to a state-run insurance program under a proposal reintroduced Tuesday by Democratic state lawmakers.

Under the plan, participating employees would pay income-based premiums to support the program and be eligible to receive paid leave under certain circumstances, including to care for a newborn child, adopted child or sick family member.  Premiums would be deducted from employees’ paychecks. There would be no cost to their employers.

The proposal would also expand the state’s current family medical leave law to allow individuals to take leave for more family members, including grandparents and siblings.

The measure, sponsored in the Assembly by Rep. Sondy Pope, D-Cross Plains, has been introduced twice previously. It has never received support from Republican lawmakers, who currently control both the state Assembly and Senate.

Opponents to similar plans in other states have expressed concerns with administrative costs for the state, as well as the effect of employee leave on businesses.

This month, President Donald Trump’s administration issued rules allowing Wisconsin and other states to test those who seek unemployment compensation if the only jobs they can do are in fields that routinely perform drug tests.

The state Department of Workforce Development oversees unemployment insurance in Wisconsin and will be responsible for the drug testing program.

Department spokesman Ben Jedd said Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ administration is waiting for more guidance from the federal Department of Labor before requiring drug tests.

Specifically, the Evers administration wants details on which types of applicants should have to undergo drug testing, he said.

Whether drug testing would be required for a narrow set of applicants, such as pilots, or a broad range of typical workers is unclear. Jedd offered no timeline for making that determination or starting the program.

Under the state’s plan, those who failed a drug test would have a chance to get state-funded drug rehabilitation. If they participated in rehab, they would receive their unemployment benefits. If they did not, they would lose their benefits. The state has budgeted $250,000 a year for drug testing and providing rehab.

A beginning teacher’s salary in Wisconsin averaged $38,181 for the 2017-2018 school year, the 25th highest rank among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to data analyzed by the National Education Association (NEA).

Nationwide, the average starting teacher’s salary last year stood at $39,249, the NEA reported. In inflation-adjusted dollars, starting teachers’ pay has dipped 2.9 percent over the past decade, according to the analysis.

In addition, more than six out of every 10 school districts nationwide offer starting teacher salaries that are under $40,000, the NEA said. And first-year teachers in 300 public school districts receive annual pay of below $30,000, according to the study.

Gov. Tony Evers, along with Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, today signed Executive Order #52, establishing the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change at the Urban Ecology Center’s Riverside Park location in Milwaukee.

“For too long we’ve been ignoring science, and frankly, we can’t afford to do it any longer. It’s time for us to deliver on the promise to our kids that we’re leaving them a better life and world than the one we inherited,” Gov. Evers said. “I am confident that this task force will find meaningful sustainable solutions to the climate crisis to carry our state into the future.”

The Task Force on Climate Change will advise and assist the governor in developing a strategy to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change for the benefit of all Wisconsin communities. Members of the task force will work closely with the Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy, created through Executive Order #38. The task force will report their findings and policy recommendations to Governor Evers by August 2020.

Governor Evers has appointed Lieutenant Governor Barnes to serve as chairman of the task force, who noted communities of color and low-income communities experience the first and worst consequences of climate change.

“All of Wisconsin can prosper in transitioning to a just and equitable clean economy,” Lt. Gov. Barnes said. “I’m eager to work alongside a number of brilliant and diverse individuals from across the state on this task force being created by Governor Evers, and I’m proud he’s given me the opportunity to lead it.”

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has agreed to take up a challenge brought by a conservative firm that aims to scale back the governor’s veto powers.

Filed over the summer on behalf of three Wisconsin taxpayers, the suit calls on the court to determine whether the governor may veto portions of a budget bill that are “essential, integral, and interdependent parts of those which were approved.”

Wisconsin governors hold the country’s most powerful partial veto authority on spending measures, but aren’t able to use the veto pen to create new words by striking out individual letters, and they can’t craft new sentences by combining parts of two or more lines in legislation. Both limitations were imposed after voters approved previous constitutional amendments to limit governors’ authority in that arena.

In an hour-long hearing Tuesday, the state Senate’s Government Oversight Committee heard arguments for and against a constitutional amendment that would curb the governor’s veto power.

Constitutional amendments must pass consecutive legislative sessions and then be approved by a statewide referendum before they are ratified.

Governor Evers used partial veto powers in July to rewrite the state budget and allocate $65 million more to public schools than was proposed in the budget.

Joint Resolution 59 is one of several attempts made by legislators to curb the governor’s veto power, Craig notes. If passed, it would create a new section (10 (1) (d)) of article V of the state constitution “prohibiting the governor from using the partial veto to increase state expenditures.”

JR 59 “would shield taxpayers from further unauthorized spending in the future,” Craig said.

Two Democrats on the committee, Sens. Fred Risser and Lena Taylor, spoke against the amendment, arguing it wasn’t necessary.

Federal dollars remained the second-largest source of states’ revenue in fiscal 2017, accounting for about $639 billion, or about a third of the $1.97 trillion collected by state governments. Tax collections are states’ leading revenue generator and reached $943 billion in fiscal 2017, or nearly half of state revenue.

According to new research from The Pew Charitable Trusts, 26.3% of the state’s budget came from federal dollars, ranking Wisconsin 45th among states in its ability to harness dollars from Uncle Sam.

Wisconsin has consistently ranked in the bottom half of states with regard to the share of federal dollars it receives, due in part to its middle ranking in household income compared to other states. The amount of federal spending in a given state depends on several factors, including demography, industry mix and presence of major universities.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressed optimism Monday that the U.S. and China have a workable first-phase agreement that addresses some key elements of the trade war between the two nations.

“We made substantial progress last week in the negotiations,” Mnuchin said during an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “We have a fundamental agreement that is subject to documentation.”

Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance announced today that many Wisconsin consumers will have more options for health insurance on the individual market in 2020.

“Every Wisconsinite should have access to affordable health insurance coverage that fits their needs,” said Gov. Evers. “Now, more than ever, Wisconsinites will have the chance to find the right plan for them, including those plans available on Healthcare.gov. Open enrollment starts on November 1. Now is the perfect time for folks to look at what coverage they have and make sure it is the best fit for them.”

In 2020, 61 counties will be served by three or more insurers compared to only 46 counties with three or more insurers in 2018. Counties that saw an expansion of insurers include:

• Ashland, Chippewa, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Oneida, and Portage counties, which went from two insurers to three insurers;
• Jefferson, Green Lake, Sheboygan, Walworth, Waupaca, and Waushara counties, which went from three to four insurers;
• Calumet, Fond Du Lac, Kenosha, Milwaukee, and Racine counties, which went from four to five insurers;
• Kewaunee, Manitowoc, and Winnebago counties, which went from three to five insurers;
• Dodge, Door, and Oconto counties, which went from four to six insurers; and
• Brown County, which went from five to six insurers.

An interactive map of health insurers available by county can be found here.

Many Wisconsinites will also benefit from lower rates in 2020. Rates on the individual market, which include plans available on Healthcare.gov, will be 3.2 percent lower in 2020 on a weighted average than rates in 2019. The Wisconsin Healthcare Stability Plan (WIHSP), which Gov. Evers fully funded in his 2019-2021 state biennial budget, has helped stabilize the health insurance marketplace in Wisconsin, leading to more options for consumers and lower rates.

From improving human nutrition to assuring clean water to growing the farm economy while caring for animals, the Dairy Innovation Hub will harness the intellectual and creative power of three University of Wisconsin institutions to address the most complex challenges facing the state’s dairy industry.

The Legislature allocated $8.8 million for the Dairy Hub in the 2019-21 budget to UW-Madison, UWPlatteville, and UW-River Falls. Last week, the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee released the funding, $1 million this fiscal year and $7.8 million allocated for 2020-21.

The vision for the Dairy Innovation Hub was originally crafted by industry partners following the 2017 UW System Dairy Summit and was supported as a top priority by members of the state’s Dairy Task Force 2.0.

The Hub will enable the expansion of research efforts in four focus areas:

• Stewarding land and water resources
• Enriching human health and nutrition
• Ensuring animal health and welfare
• Growing farm businesses and communities