Gov. Evers Acts On More Than 60 Bills

Press Release

MADISON -- Gov. Tony Evers today acted on several pieces of legislation at the Wisconsin State Capitol.

Assembly Bill 30, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 123:

Establishes the Council on Offender Employment, comprised of the Attorney General, State Public Defender, and Parole Commission Chair;
Creates a qualification certificate that offenders could receive from the Council on Offender Employment that would provide relief from penalties, ineligibility, disability or disadvantage related to employment or occupational licensing, or certification that is a result of the offender’s criminal record;
Establishes eligibility requirements to apply for a certificate and the procedure for the Council to award certificates; and
Requires the Department of Corrections to submit an annual report to the Legislature regarding the number of applicants, certificates issued, and the number of certificates revoked and the reasons.

Assembly Bill 75, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 124:

Ensures that county and municipal ordinances, regulations, or rules do not interfere with honorary firearm discharges using only blanks during ceremonies such as a funeral, event honoring a current or former member of the military, law enforcement, or fire fighter, or military honors provided at a ceremony on Memorial Day, Veterans Day, or at a veterans memorial site.

Assembly Bill 293, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 125:

Adopts the 2018 Uniform Law Commission’s Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, allowing documents to be notarized remotely online.

Assembly Bill 310, 2019 Wisconsin Act 126:

Modifies the procedures for a local government to utilize the referendum exception to county and municipal levy limits by allowing local governments to use their best estimate of net new construction in the referendum question.

Assembly Bill 327, 2019 Wisconsin Act 127:

Removes the requirement that a death certificate be filed with the register of deeds to terminate or confirm property interests of a deceased individual, instead utilizing the Wisconsin Statewide Vital Records Information System.

Assembly Bill 344, 2019 Wisconsin Act 128:

Exempts property from the state’s telephone company tax, if it is used to provide broadband service to rural or underserved areas of the state.

Assembly Bill 357, 2019 Wisconsin Act 129:

Requires public adjusters to register with the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance; and
Establishes requirements for registration and conduct for public adjusters.

Assembly Bill 435, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 130:

Requires the Department of Safety and Professional Services to revise the commercial building code to establish different standards for recreational and educational camps.

Assembly Bill 437, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 131:

Allows records of medication or treatment administered at a recreational camp to be maintained electronically.

Assembly Bill 454, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 132:

Makes it a crime to falsely report an emergency, specifically reporting an emergency that is likely to result in law enforcement responding with a SWAT team.

Assembly Bill 472, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 133:

Allows municipalities to increase their levy limits to pay for charges assessed on member municipalities when they are sharing joint emergency medical services.

Assembly Bill 502, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 134:

Removes the requirement that the county board may transfer the authority to represent the public interest in proceedings under the Children’s Code only in odd-numbered years and that they change be effective on Sept. 1.

Assembly Bill 522, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 135:

Exempts contracts for the supply of industrial, medical, or other gases from the requirement that a disclosure is provided to the customer at the time of the contract and a reminder near the end of the contract prior to automatic renewal.

Assembly Bill 532, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 136:

Provides an additional permanent capital gains exclusion for investments in Wisconsin opportunity zone funds equal to 10 percent of the reinvested deferred gains, if the investment is held for at least five years and equal to 15 percent, if the investment is held for at least seven years.

Assembly Bill 576, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 137:

Changes the education requirements to become a licensed funeral director in Wisconsin.

Assembly Bill 581, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 138:

Modifies the practice permissions for physical therapy and physical therapy assistant students; and
Allows the Physical Therapy Examining Board to promulgate rules that are specific to the requirements for physical therapy and physical therapist assistant students.

Assembly Bill 607, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 139:

Increases the amount of total funding for the length-of-service award grant, administered by the Department of Administration, for volunteer firefighters, first responders, and volunteer emergency medical technicians from $2.5 million in a fiscal year to $2.8 million in fiscal year 2019-20 and $2.9 million in fiscal year 2020-21 and each subsequent year; and
Allows the Department of Administration to pay vendors for the $45,700 shortfall that occurred in fiscal year 2018-19.

Assembly Bill 661, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 140:

Makes numerous technical changes to the ways in which town governments can handle business functions to create parity with other government units with provisions that would apply broadly to other governmental bodies.

Assembly Bill 692, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 141:

Increases funding for the county snowmobile trail and area aids appropriation by $3 million in fiscal years 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Assembly Bill 699, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 142:

Allows individuals who are 12 or 13 years old to provide caddy services without being and employee of a golf course; and
Eliminates the requirement that these caddies use caddy carts.

Assembly Bill 731, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 143:

Expands the circumstances that military spouses may obtain professional credentials based on reciprocity.

Assembly Bill 734, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 144:

Creates a crime of mail theft, including stealing unattended packages.

Assembly Bill 736, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 145:

Clarifies several county and town zoning provisions including provisions related to county shoreland zoning, town shoreland zoning, and partial county zoning.

Assembly Bill 818, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 146:

Authorizes the Department of Transportation to issue permits for the overweight transport of residual material to and from municipal sewage treatment facilities.

Senate Bill 205, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 147:

Provides flexibility to veterans in determining whether they would like their credits transferred from military transcripts to the University of Wisconsin System or technical colleges.

Senate Bill 514, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 148:

Allows physician assistants, registered nurses, and nurse anesthetists performing official duties of the armed services or federal health services to practice during their medical training rotation in Wisconsin without being licensed by the state.

Senate Bill 537, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 149:

Provides a grant for tuition and fees, similar to the Wisconsin GI Bill, for veterans attending private nonprofit institutions.

Senate Bill 489, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 150:

Clarifies the reimbursement of certain patient-incurred expenses in cancer trials will not be considered undue inducement to participate in the trial.

Senate Bill 91, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 151:

Creates a clearinghouse for the trading of water pollution credits, and requires the clearinghouse meet specified requirements.

Senate Bill 684, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 152:

Allows an individual who is licensed by an agricultural agency of another state to take weights and samples of milk in bulk tanks or measure milk in tanks to determine weight.

Senate Bill 685, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 153:

Prohibits the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection from limiting the duration of an affidavit from a milk producer can be used to substantiate a claim that a product is free of synthetic bovine growth hormone.

Senate Bill 217, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 154:

Requires the Department of Health Services to develop and implement a diabetes care and prevention plan; and
Requires the Department to submit reports to the Legislature on a biennial basis.

Senate Bill 289, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 155:

Reduces the notice requirements for insurers for changes in policy terms or premium changes from 60 days to 45 days for personal lines property and casualty policies.

Senate Bill 500, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 156:

Makes various changes to the requirements to obtain temporary certificates to practice respiratory care including eliminating the temporary Respiratory Care Practitioner certificate requirements, updating the respiratory care practitioner examination to specify the current test used to become a respiratory care practitioner, and requiring respiratory care practitioner educational programs to be accredited by either the Joint Review Committee on Education in Respiratory Care or the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care.

Senate Bill 252, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 157:

Appropriates $150,000 to the Department of Natural Resources for the purpose of enabling Ashland County to test natural flood risk reduction practices in the county.

Senate Bill 298, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 158:

Requires the Department of Natural Resources to create a Lyme disease awareness campaign.

Senate Bill 369, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 159:

Makes various changes to emergency management laws, including requiring that the adjutant general provide training on how to apply for federal emergency management assistance using the federal System for Award Management web site, issue payments to local units of government through a federal emergency assistance process within 30 days, and allow for electronic correspondence and payment.

Senate Bill 383, now Wisconsin Act 160:

Allows a reduced fee to be applied for a first-time annual fishing license for individuals who are 16 or 17 years old and 65 or older.

Senate Bill 368, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 161:

Creates a state crime for money laundering and establishes penalties for the crime depending on the total amount of proceeds involved.

Senate Bill 139, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 162:

Creates a crime of bestiality and establishes the penalty as a Class H felony for a first offense or a Class F felony for a second or subsequent offense or if the act results in bodily harm or death of an animal; and
Requires that anyone convicted of the crime register as a sex offender, not own or reside with an animal or engage in any occupation with animals for up to 15 years, submit to a psychological assessment, participate in counseling at the individual’s expense, and pay restitution for any pecuniary loss suffered.

Senate Bill 523, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 163:

Expands the exception from the commercial driver license requirement for farmers, their families members, and employees for the transport of agricultural products, farm machinery, or farm supplies.

Senate Bill 108, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 164:

Removes most of the current timelines for filling vacant elective offices in cities and villages, other than Milwaukee, by allowing seats to be filled by appointment for the rest of the unexpired term or until a special election is held, or may remain vacant until an election is held.

Senate Bill 162, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 165:

Waives the title transfer fee for a vehicle title, if the title is being transferred from a decedent to a surviving spouse or domestic partner.

Senate Bill 203, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 166:

Allows a municipality’s governing body to authorize a designated municipal official to issue alcohol beverage operator’s licenses.

Senate Bill 387, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 167:

Modifies the agricultural portion of the manufacturing and agriculture tax credit to include crop insurance proceeds as part of the calculation for the credit.

Senate Bill 512, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 168:

Creates a pre-filing notice requirement applicable to a dispute between a condominium association and a unit owner.

Senate Bill 700, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 169:

Requires the Department of Natural Resources to create a method for producing an annual schedule of fees for certified and registered environmental testing laboratories.

Senate Bill 595, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 170:

Authorizes grants to three targeted urban school districts and three targeted rural school districts for an online early learning pilot program provided by a nonstock, nonprofit organization selected through a competitive request-for-proposals process;
Requires the program offered by the service provider must meet various requirements, including providing online, at-home instruction in math, reading, and science that meets national early learning standards; and
Establishes reporting requirements for the provider to be compiled by the Department of Public Instruction and sent to the Joint Committee on Finance and the appropriate standing committees of the Legislature by Oct. 15, 2023.

Senate Bill 72, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 171:

Requires certain occupational areas to be included in the youth apprenticeship program.

Senate Bill 696, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 172:

Makes a technical correction in statutes to rename the “Olympic Ice Training Center” as the “National Ice Training Center” relating to a property tax exemption for the property owned by this nonprofit corporation.

Senate Bill 768, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 173:

Exempts autocycles from emission inspections and requires the issuance of replacement registration plates to autocycles that were previously registered as motorcycles, therefore addressing technical corrections needed to meet the intent of 2019 Wisconsin Act 50.

Senate Bill 669, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 174:

Changes the designated applicable planting and harvesting period to remove constraints on the transportation of agricultural commodities.

Senate Bill 637, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 175:

Allows for the reconstruction of or improvements to nonconforming buildings in a floodplain, if certain conditions apply.

Senate Bill 437, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 176:

Allows the Freedom Area School District to utilize the low revenue ceiling adjustment to increase its total revenue limit in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years.

Senate Bill 485, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 177:

Expands eligibility for lake management and river protection management grants to a floating treatment wetland in a lake or river.

Senate Bill 737, now Wisconsin Act 178:

Creating a voluntary individual animal identification program and granting rule-making authority, as recommended by the Dairy Task Force 2.0.

Senate Bill 268, now Wisconsin Act 179:

Expands the maximum lifespan of Tax Incremental District Number Two in Kronenwetter from 20 years to 25 years and the maximum period for expenditures to be incurred from 15 years to 20 years.

Senate Bill 117, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 180:

Adopting revisions to the state's uniform athlete agents act and providing a penalty.

Senate Bill 351, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 181:

Provides a sales tax exemption for construction materials being temporarily stored in-state before being transported out-of-state for use in a construction project for a nonprofit organization, public school district, or business district with tax incentives.

Senate Bill 422, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 182:

Allows the certification of an election to be issued immediately upon completion of the canvass, if there is no candidate who is eligible to petition for a recount.

Senate Bill 583, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 183, signed with a partial veto:

Makes numerous changes to regulations regarding all-terrain vehicles and utility terrain vehicles, all-terrain vehicle projects;
Modifies the ATV recreation aids appropriations to provide that nonprofit organizations may receive funding for the development of safety information signs, the production of trail maps and digital information applications, and the acquisition and maintenance of communications equipment; and
Increases the funding available for ATV and UTV trail maintenance reimbursement.

In addition to signing these bills, Gov. Evers vetoed Senate Bill 43 and Senate Bill 292. Veto messages are available below.