News of the Day

Wisconsin’s top health official is joining the Biden administration, according to Governor Tony Evers.

Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm will be nominated to be Deputy Secretary of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, Gov. Evers’ office confirmed Monday morning.

The governor’s office says Palm will leave her post at Wisconsin DHS on January 20, 2021.

Gov. Evers says Karen Timberlake will take over the top spot at Wisconsin DHS. Timberlake was DHS secretary under former Gov. Jim Doyle during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic response.

“Karen Timberlake brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in public health, healthcare, and healthcare systems that will be critical as we continue distributing vaccines quickly in our fight against this virus,” said. Gov. Evers “Our response to this pandemic and our vaccine distribution program will continue under the leadership of Karen and given her expertise and familiarity with the Department, I have no doubts she will be able to hit the ground running.”

Timberlake will officially start at the DHS on January 25, 2021

Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary-designee Amy Pechacek today announced that DWD started issuing Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) payments made available through the Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act, or CAUWA.

The CAUWA extends many of the provisions included in the previously passed Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020, including FPUC, while also containing numerous new programming requirements.

“DWD staff have worked diligently to rapidly code, test and implement the FPUC extension, which provides an additional $300 per week in benefits to claimants who are receiving at least $1 in benefits from another program, and are otherwise eligible,” DWD Secretary-designee Pechacek said.

For more information on the FPUC program, and other UI programs please visit DWD’s website.

Gov. Tony Evers’ plan to nearly quadruple spending on broadband access in the state would include about $40 million to subsidize service for low-income consumers, the governor said Wednesday.

Broadband, as defined by the Federal Communications Commission, is a minimum internet speed of 25 megabits per second for downloads and 3 megabits for uploads — adequate for streaming videos or taking an online class.

About 430,000 rural Wisconsinites lack broadband access, according to a state estimate, representing close to 25% of the rural population.

Scores of sparsely populated communities remain stuck with internet speeds that lag cities by more than a decade, if they have access at all.

For many reasons, bridging the rural digital divide is a daunting task, especially with solutions such as fiber-optic cable that can cost tens of thousands of dollars a mile to install in rugged terrain.

But the $200 million would get Wisconsin “much, much closer” to having ubiquitous coverage, according to Evers.

“There are some places in the state where we may need to use different technology, but if we need to do that, we could use some of the money for it,” the governor said.

Wisconsin’s tax burden continued its slide last year, hitting its lowest level in at least 50 years, according to a report being released Tuesday.

State and local taxes ate up 10.2% of Wisconsinites’ income in 2020, according to the report from the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum. That’s the lowest it’s been since at least 1970, the report says.

Wisconsin’s tax ranking compared to other states continues to fall as well. In 2018 — the latest year for which U.S. Census Bureau information is available — Wisconsin had the 23rd highest state and local taxes, down from 17th place a year earlier, according to the policy forum.

That put Wisconsin in better standing than three of its neighbors — Minnesota (ranked seventh highest), Illinois (12th highest) and Iowa (13th highest). Michigan ranked 30th for its tax burden.

Wisconsin’s tax burden has been shrinking for years. In 1994, state and local takes took up 13.1% of personal income. By 2019, they took up 10.3%. The dip last year was just a tenth of a percentage point, but that was enough to put it at the lowest level in at least half a century.

On Friday, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) and the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) announced almost 55,000 state small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic received approximately $240 million last year through the We’re All In grants program – the largest direct-aid program for small businesses in WEDC history.

“Wisconsin’s small businesses have exemplified remarkable resilience throughout this pandemic, finding new, innovative ways to keep the doors open and the lights on. But it wasn’t easy, and I am glad we were able to provide this critically needed support,” said Gov. Evers. “We aren’t out of the woods just yet, and it is vital that we continue to support our local businesses and their employees to help them get through these tough times.”

Funded by the federal CARES Act, the We’re All In grants were awarded to Wisconsin small businesses in three phases throughout first year of the pandemic.

Starting in the summer, Phase 1 distributed $65 million to more than 26,000 businesses around the state. The grants were administered by WEDC, with each receiving a $2,500 grant.

In the fall, Phase 2 provided $130 million to more than 26,000 businesses. The program was created by WEDC but received technical and customer service assistance from the DOR. Due to greater demand and limited resources, Phase 2 grants were targeted toward industries hit hardest by the pandemic, as well as diverse businesses and businesses that had not received Phase 1 grants. Businesses received $5,000 awards.

In the late fall, Phase 3, We’re All in For Restaurants, was specifically targeted at food, beverage, and amusement businesses with annual revenues between $1 million and $7 million, with each qualified business receiving $20,000. More than 2,000 received these grants, which were also administered by DOR in collaboration with WEDC.

The Small Business Administration and the Treasury Department are preparing to revive the PPP five months after its first two rounds of funding ended.

In the latest round, businesses that received loans last year will be able to borrow up to $2 million as long as they have no more than 300 employees and suffered at least a 25% drop in quarterly revenue. First-time borrowers with no more than 500 workers will be able to borrow up to $10 million.

The loans, which can be forgiven, will have five-year terms and carry an interest rate of 1%.

The SBA will initially accept only applications submitted by community financial institutions, or CFIs, lenders whose customers are minority-owned and economically disadvantaged businesses. Starting Monday, applications for first-time borrowers submitted by these lenders will accepted, and on Wednesday, applications for second loans. The SBA said it would begin accepting applications from all its lenders within a few days of that initial period reserved for CFIs.

As with the first two rounds of the PPP, applications must be submitted online at banks and other SBA-approved lenders. All applications must be submitted and approved by March 31. Loan amounts are calculated using a company’s payroll expenses; businesses can use either their 2019 or 2020 payroll to compute how much they can ask for.

Companies will have 24 weeks from the date they receive a loan to use the money. While 60% of the proceeds must be used for payroll in order for loans to be forgiven, companies can use the rest for employee health benefits, mortgage interest, rent, utilities and expenses that are essential to business operations.

The PPP is being restarted under the coronavirus relief bill Congress approved in late December, providing for $284 billion in new loans. The first two rounds, which began April 3 and ended Aug. 8, gave out more than 5.2 million loans worth $525 billion.

Interim UW System President Tommy Thompson told WISN 12 the schools could help administer the vaccine to all Wisconsin residents.

Thompson said if allowed, the mass vaccinations could be done by the end of March or early April.

“We could set it up on our campuses,” Thompson said. “We could take care of the vaccine and keep it at the necessary temperatures to keep it safe. We have nursing students, nursing deans, individuals qualified to administer vaccines. We could do it the same way as testing and vaccinate as many people as needed.”

The former Wisconsin governor and Health and Human Services Secretary said he has contacted state and federal agencies about his mass vaccination plan.

“We think we could really be helpful. That’s why we’ve volunteered the university system,” he said.

Thompson said he has not yet received approval to move forward.

He added that vaccine manufacturers would need to send the doses directly to UW system officials.

A Jan. 3 White House Coronavirus Task Force report obtained by ABC News recommends Wisconsin vaccinate as many residents as soon as possible.

“Do not delay the rapid immunization of those over 65 and vulnerable to severe disease; recommend creation of high throughput vaccination sites with use of EMT personnel to monitor for potential anaphylaxis and fully utilize nursing students. No vaccines should be in freezers but should instead be put in arms now; active and aggressive immunization in the face of this surge would save lives,” the report said.

Officials with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) said Monday they aim to start issuing a new $300 unemployment insurance supplement to recipients “within the next few weeks.”

DWD spokesperson Grace Kim said in an email Monday evening that agency officials have several meetings scheduled this week with the U.S. Department of Labor to gather additional information about what is required to implement the latest version of the program, known as Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC).

DWD officials hope to begin testing the program this week, Kim said, and begin sending out the supplements within the next few weeks. But Kim cautioned that timeline is subject to change based on new guidance the department could receive from federal officials, and if any technical issues come up when the department is testing the program.

FPUC was one of three unemployment programs created by Congress in March as part of the first coronavirus aid bill. Initially, it added an extra $600 to weekly benefits for most people on unemployment. That version of the program ended July 25 in Wisconsin.

In October, DWD began paying out a $300 weekly unemployment supplement created by the Trump administration. That program, known as Lost Wages Assistance, lasted six weeks before ending in Wisconsin in early September.

Republican state lawmakers have unveiled a new bill responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin, a proposal they intend to fast-track to Gov. Tony Evers’ desk, according to the leader of the state Assembly.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said the new proposal was drafted in consultation with the GOP-controlled state Senate. It is scheduled for a public hearing and vote by the Assembly health committee Tuesday.

The new GOP-backed proposal, which mirrors some elements of an Assembly plan released in early December, would give businesses, schools and governmental entities legal immunity if someone contracts COVID-19 on their premises, even if the entity isn’t following local, state or federal requirements to curb the spread of the virus.

The bill would also:

• Bar schools from providing virtual instruction, unless its school board votes to approve virtual instruction by a two-thirds vote of its members. Each approval would last only 14 days.
• Require the state unemployment insurance call center to expand its hours until a backlog of unemployment claims is at pre-pandemic levels.
• Extend the suspension of a one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits until March 14.
• Prohibit the state Department of Health Services, local health officials, and employers from requiring people to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
• Limit local health officers’ ability to restrict capacity of businesses during the pandemic to 14-day periods, unless the local government approves an extension of such an order. Each extension could only last 14 days.
• Bar the state Department of Health Services and local health officers from closing or forbidding gatherings in places of worship.
• Allow a nursing home or assisted living facility resident to designate an essential visitor to visit and provide support for the resident.
• Require health insurers to cover testing for COVID-19 without imposing any copayment or coinsurance.
• Give the state budget committee more power over how federal COVID-19 relief funds are spent.
• Require the governor to submit a plan to reopen the state Capitol Building to the public.

On Monday afternoon, the governor’s spokesperson, Britt Cudaback, criticized Republicans for not working with Evers on a bipartisan bill.

“It’s disappointing that instead of passing the COVID compromise the governor and Republican leaders worked on together, Republicans now plan to move ahead with their own legislation,” Cudaback said. “Wisconsinites deserve legislators who will put politics aside and work together to do what’s best for the people of our state.”