Assembly Floor Session: February 22, 2024 (PFAS, EV Infrastructure, Health Policy)

Date Mon, Feb. 26, 2024 - 9:00am By Hamilton

The Wisconsin Assembly met February 22, 2024. See the floor calendar here. This floor session carried over to the following day due to the number of bills on the calendar. Also this month, both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature met February 13 and 20 (Senate, Assembly) and the Assembly also met on February 15.

The Assembly passed 89 bills addressing a wide variety of subjects including several aspects of health policy. Notably, the Assembly concurred in two bills (Senate Bills 791 and 792) to encourage the development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Wisconsin. The Assembly added an amendment to SB 791 to prohibit local governments from requiring private developers to install an EV charging station as a condition of granting a building permit, conditional use permit, or other local approval. The Senate will need to agree to that amendment before SB 791 can be presented to Gov. Evers (D) for his signature. The governor is expected to sign both bills into law.

Also, the Assembly concurred in SB 312, legislation to implement $125 million in PFAS remediation funding set aside in the 2023-25 state budget. Gov. Evers has stated that he will veto the bill over concerns from environmental groups that the bill lacks “accountability” measures for polluters and limits certain powers of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), even after the Senate voted to remove a provision limiting DNR’s ability to require a property owner to test for PFAS. Gov. Evers has also asked the Joint Committee on Finance to release the PFAS remediation funding directly to DNR without policy language to implement or restrict the use of the funding. See this article for more details on the issue.

Following is a full list of the bills that the Assembly approved, which were passed by unanimous roll call or voice vote unless otherwise noted:

AB 19 Spinal Injury Grants Spinal cord injury research grants and symposia and making an appropriation. Passed, 93-3.
AB 102 Property Tax Credit Reducing the eligibility threshold to claim the veterans and surviving spouses property tax credit.
AB 155 Soda Water Equipment The sale or rental of soda water beverage equipment and coin-operated vending machines.
AB 181 Earned release Earned release for inmates upon the completion of an employment readiness training program and granting rule-making authority.
AB 182 Rental Readiness A certification of rental readiness, funding to cover damages caused by certificate of rental readiness holders, and granting rule-making authority.
AB 210 Wearing Tribal Regalia Pupils wearing traditional tribal regalia at a graduation ceremony or school-sponsored event.
AB 214 Teaching License A lifetime license that authorizes an individual to teach an American Indian language in an American Indian language program and modifying rules promulgated by the Department of Public Instruction.
AB 395 Vehicle Sharing Requirements for and insurance related to peer-to-peer motor vehicle sharing programs. Passed, 63-35.
AB 419 Carbon Calculator Creating an online, interactive carbon calculator for farmers.
AB 542 Firearm Detection Software Grants to schools to acquire proactive firearm detection software and making an appropriation.
AB 558 Mount Horeb Veterans Memorial Identification of the Mount Horeb Veterans Memorial on state highway maps.
AB 610 Immunization Waivers Waivers from immunization requirements at institutions of higher education.
AB 615 Task Force Creating a task force on missing and murdered African American women and girls.
AB 621 Temporary Easements Temporary limited easements for construction crane booms that pass over adjacent real property.
AB 779 Apprenticeship Awards Apprenticeship and youth apprenticeship completion awards, career and technical education incentive grants and completion awards, technical preparation programs in school districts and technical colleges, creating an individual income tax credit for completing an apprenticeship program, rejection criteria for part-time open enrollment applications, extending the time limit for emergency rule procedures, and providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures.Passed, 62-35.
AB 798 Petroleum Products Petroleum products, storage of dangerous substances, and granting rule-making authority.
AB 918 Real Estate Various changes regarding the laws governing real estate practice, disclosures regarding real property wholesalers, and providing a penalty.
AB 932 New Business Venture Modifying the certification criteria to be a qualified new business venture.
AB 940 Victim Services Funding Funding for victim services and domestic abuse services, training for grant recipients, grants to child advocacy centers, and making an appropriation.
AB 953 Direct Primary Care Agreements for direct primary care.
AB 957 Animal Ordinances Preemption of certain local animal ordinances.
AB 959 Occupational Therapy Board Occupational Therapy Examining Board.
AB 960 Device Location Emergency communications device location information.
AB 964 Business Regulation Local regulation of certain businesses operated by minors.
AB 968 Threat Detection Grants Appropriating money for grants to schools to acquire proactive threat detection equipment and software and making an appropriation. Passed, 90-7.
AB 969 Tax-Deeded Lands The county sale of tax-deeded lands.
AB 1030 Deer Hunting The regulation of deer hunting in the northern forest zone.
AB 1036 Hunting Fees Changes to certain nonresident hunting, trapping, and fishing approval fees.
AB 1050 Office of School Safety Position authorizations in the Office of School Safety and making an appropriation. Passed, 95-2.
AB 1065 UW Prohibitions Prohibiting University of Wisconsin System institutions and technical colleges from using loyalty pledges and requiring them to make certain information publicly available.
AB 1073 Workers Comp Changes Various changes to the worker’s compensation law.
AB 1075 Loan Allocation Regional allocation of residential housing infrastructure revolving loan.
AB 1079 Veterans Employment of direct-care employees by veterans homes, eligibility for burial in veterans cemeteries, and elements of sexual assault under the Wisconsin Code of Military Justice.
AB 1086 Hospital Payments Funding for supplemental payments to hospitals with avoidable patient days under the Medical Assistance program, for enhanced nursing home reimbursement rates under the Medical Assistance program for residents with bariatric and extensive wound care needs, and for the complex patient pilot program.
AB 1087 Hospital Payments Supplemental payments to hospitals with avoidable patient days and an enhanced rate to nursing homes for bariatric and extensive wound care under the Medical Assistance program.
AB 1088 Admissions Consent Consent to admissions to certain health care facilities by patient representatives, allocation of nursing beds for patients with certain complex needs, and a complex patient pilot program.
AB 1089 Interest Rates Interest rates on late, nondelinquent taxes and on overpayments. Passed, 62-35.
AB 1096 DATCP Remedial Legislation Agricultural producer security council membership (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection).
AB 1097 Renaming Lincoln Correctional Renaming Lincoln County Correctional Institution Lincoln Correctional Institution.
AB 1098 ETF Remedial Legislation Contributions by protective occupation participants and separation from service for retirement benefits under the Wisconsin Retirement System (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Employee Trust Funds).
AB 1099 DFI Remedial Legislation Updating an obsolete reference to the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.; eliminating an obsolete provision in the Wisconsin Consumer Act; updating a cross-reference to a federal law definition of high-cost mortgage; information included on a notary public’s stamp and clarifying terminology and removing statutory duplication relating to notaries public (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Financial Institutions).
AB 1100 DHS Remedial Legislation Degree requirements for certain local health officers; admissions authorized by counties to mental health institutes; and eliminating references to defunct regional long-term care advisory committees (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Health Services).
AB 1101 DOJ Remedial Legislation The Wisconsin State Crime Laboratories division administrator (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Justice).
AB 1102 DNR Remedial Legislation Administration of well drilling, heat exchange drilling, and pump installing examinations (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Natural Resources).
AB 1103 DPI Remedial Legislation Requirements for school breakfast reimbursement and repealing a teaching license requirement (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Public Instruction).
AB 1105 OST Remedial Legislation Eliminating an obsolete provision relating to the state treasurer (suggested as remedial legislation by the Office of the State Treasurer).
SB 52 Deicer Certification Program Creating a deicer applicators certification program and making an appropriation.
SB 67 Utility Aid Payments Changing the phase-out of utility aid payments for decommissioned power plants.
SB 161 Tuition Reciprocity The Minnesota-Wisconsin tuition reciprocity agreement and making an appropriation.
SB 172 Community Reentry Centers Establishing and operating community reentry centers and making an appropriation.
SB 310 DOT Records Access Access to Department of Transportation records to establish residency for approvals issued by the Department of Natural Resources.
SB 312 PFAS Programs and requirements to address perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Passed, 62-35.
SB 313 Fail to Stop for Bus Increased penalties for failing to stop for a school bus.
SB 323 Telco Property Tax Exempting personal property from the tax imposed on telephone companies. Passed, 90-7.
SB 373 Hearing Aids Selling and fitting over-the-counter hearing aids.
SB 374 Tax Reciprocity Wisconsin and Minnesota income tax reciprocity. Passed, 89-8.
SB 413 Highway Setbacks Highway setback areas and the Department of Transportation’s authority to approve subdivision plats.
SB 525 Tinted Windows Tinting windows on government-owned vehicles.
SB 546 Veterans Homes Admission of spouses at veterans homes.
SB 591 Driver Education Driver education instruction related to work zone safety.
SB 592 MA Reimbursement Reimbursement under the Medical Assistance program for complex rehabilitation technology wheelchair repairs and accessories.
SB 616 DOR Law Changes A sales tax exemption for road-building equipment; increasing the income tax withholding threshold for nonresidents; modifying the certification requirement for a qualified opportunity fund; prohibiting certain lottery games; and extending the capital gains exclusion to family members who inherit certain farms organized as a partnership or limited liability company.
SB 617 Electric Vehicles Indicia of registration for electric vehicles.
SB 643 Medical Training Grants Expanding graduate medical training grants and making an appropriation.
SB 654 DOT Rules Modifying administrative rules of the Department of Transportation relating to applications for vehicle titles by nonresident insurance carriers.
SB 667 Trusts Domestic asset protection trusts.
SB 687 Crossroads College Specifying Crossroads College as the entity in which the Church of Christ’s property vests if the Church of Christ becomes defunct or is dissolved.
SB 722 Mental Health Active psychosis and mental health treatment for prisoners.
SB 742 Teacher Certification An alternative teacher certification program for an initial license to teach.
SB 788 Chiropractors Delegation of adjunctive services by chiropractors.
SB 791 EV Charging Exemptions from public utility regulation regarding electric vehicle charging stations, installation and operation of electric vehicle charging stations by state agencies or local governmental units, and imposing an excise tax on electric vehicle charging. Passed, 94-2.
SB 792 EV Infrastructure An electric vehicle infrastructure program and making an appropriation. Passed, 95-1.
SB 810 WEDC Grants Grants awarded by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation for the purpose of attracting opportunities and events to Wisconsin.
SB 822 Campaign Finance Reports Local candidates filing campaign finance reports and making an appropriation.
SB 826 Zoning Town withdrawals from county zoning and the effect of a jurisdiction change on zoning provisions.
SB 836 Juvenile Court Imposing conditions on a juvenile between a plea hearing and a fact-finding hearing or disposition hearing.
SB 866 Electronic Recycling Changes to the electronic waste recycling program and granting rule-making authority.
SB 868 Anatomical Donor Electing to be a donor of an anatomical gift when filing income tax returns.
SB 895 Capital Budget Amendments Amendments to the 2023-25 capital budget for University of Wisconsin System projects, granting bonding authority, and making an appropriation. Passed, 95-2.
SB 896 Reciprocity Funding Funding related to a Minnesota-Wisconsin student reciprocity agreement and making an appropriation.
SB 916 Refugee Resettlement Requiring local governments to designate an individual for consultation required under a federal program regarding refugee resettlement and assistance. Passed, 62-35.
SB 932 Building Program Modifications to building program project budgets, selection of project architects and engineers, single prime contracting, agency cooperation with energy conservation contractors, timeline for claims before the Claims Board, and making a transfer to the state building trust fund.
SB 933 Organ Transplants Prohibiting discrimination in organ transplantation and donation on the basis of an individual’s vaccination status.
SB 964 Physical Therapists Authorizing physical therapists to make certifications for acquiring disabled parking plates and cards.
SB 981 Missing Child Alerts Expanding alerts for missing adults to include certain missing children.
SB 990 Literacy Training Mandatory early literacy professional development.
SB 1014 Hospital Services Funding Funding for hospital emergency department services.Passed, 63-34.
SB 1015 Grant Funding Transfer from the state building trust fund to the general fund, funding for grants to support hospital emergency department services, and making an appropriation.

The Senate Bills (SB) listed above previously passed the Senate and can be presented to the governor for his signature or veto, except for SBs 374, 616, 667, 791, and 822, which were amended by the Assembly.

The Assembly did not act on four bills on the calendar:

AB 1095 Correction Bill Revising various provisions of the statutes for the purpose of making corrections and reconciling conflicts (Correction Bill).
AB 1104 DVA Remedial Legislation The Council on Veterans Programs; county veterans service offices; repealing expired programs within the Department of Veterans Affairs; mental health services for post-traumatic stress disorder; and celebration of Memorial Day (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Veterans Affairs).
SB 539 NonProfit Assistance County assistance to certain nonprofit organizations.
SB 989 School Choice Programs Combining the choice programs and granting rule-making authority.

The Assembly adopted two resolutions consisting of proposed constitutional amendments:

AJR 6 Appropriation Authority The appropriation authority of the legislature and the allocation of moneys Wisconsin receives from the federal government (second consideration). 1 to Senate Am. 1 adopted (voice vote). Senate Am. 1 concurred in, 61-35.
SJR 54 Freedom to Gather The freedom to gather in places of worship during a state of emergency (first consideration). Adopted, 63-33.

Finally, the Assembly adopted six other resolutions, all by voice vote:

AJR 126 Taiwan Commitment
AJR 127 Multiple Sclerosis Awareness
AJR 129 Ireland US Relations
AJR 130 Syttende Mai
AR 26 Career and Tech Ed Month
SJR 119 Kohl

For more information about the 2023-24 legislative session in Wisconsin, see the following articles:

Categories Environment / Health & Human Resources / Transportation / Utilities & Energy / Wisconsin Legislature