Gov. Evers Signs Eleven More Bills

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today signed eleven more bills into law, in addition to Senate Bill 380, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 56, announced earlier today. The governor acted on the following bills:

Senate Bill 155, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 57:

• Ensures nonprofit agencies, and their volunteer healthcare providers, that provide services to individuals on Medicaid have liability insurance through the state by allowing them to participate in the Volunteer Health Care Provider Program, if the individuals served are primarily individuals experiencing homelessness.

Senate Bill 166, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 58:

• Expands eligibility for educational loan assistance programs administered by the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents for physicians, dentists, physician assistants, nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, and dental hygienists who provide care in free or charitable clinics; 
• Defines "free and charitable clinic"
• Expands the eligible practice areas for physician assistants, nurse-midwives, and nurse practitioners to include mental health shortage areas; and
• Excludes physician and dentists who agree to practice in a free or charitable clinic from the current loan assistance program requirement that a they agree to care for patients who are insured or for whom health benefits are payable under Medicaid, Medicare, or other governmental programs. 

Senate Bill 169, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 59:

• Makes several changes to the requirements for wetland mitigation banks, including changes to locational criteria, the schedule for releasing credits, mitigation bank documents and rule-making authority regarding financial assistance requirements for mitigation banks, all of which are currently under administrative rule.

Senate Bill 170, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 60:

• Allows minors to operate temporary stands, such as a lemonade stand, without licensure from the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection
• Defines a "stand operated by a minor" as a stand that operates on private property on a temporary, occasional basis, is operated solely by a person or persons under the age of 18, and does not sell potentially hazardous food
• Prohibits municipalitiesfrom enacting ordinances or adopting resolutions that prohibit stands operated by a minor, or requiring a license, permit, or fee for any stand operated by a minor.

Senate Bill 208, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 61:

• Allows out-of-state insurance companies to be eligible for the Qualified New Business Venture program, which provides early stage seed investment tax credits.

Senate Bill 219, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 62:

• Makes several changes to the agricultural development loan guarantee program administered by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) by prohibiting the term of a loan guarantee from exceeding ten years for land and buildings, 5 years for inventory, equipment and machinery, and 2 years for permanent working capital and marketing expenses, and prohibiting the closing fee for a loan guarantee from exceeding 1.5 percent; and
• Requires WHEDA to allocate $3 million to establish a pilot loan guarantee program within the agricultural development loan guarantee program with a sunset date of July 1, 2024. 

Senate Bill 319, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 63:

• Allows for the number of jobs retained to be used in determining the total award of a grant through the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's transportation facilities economic assistance and development program, in addition to either determinations of 50 percent of the total project cost or $5,000 per job created.

Senate Bill 349, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 64:

• Permits gas pumps to dispense, through the same fueling nozzle and hose, gasoline-ethanol fuel blends containing no more than 10 or 15 percent ethanol and gasoline containing no ethanol.

Senate Bill 457, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 65:

• Requires, in the case of a lost, stolen, or destroyed cashier's check, teller's check, or a certified check, that the issuing bank must pay the claimant the amount of the check at the time that the claim is asserted or 30 days after the issuance of the check, if all other requirements are satisfied, whichever is later;
• Establishes temporary authority for an individual who is employed by a licensed mortgage banker or broker, who was a registered mortgage loan originator or licensed as a mortgage loan originator in another state, was not previously denied a license, and has not bee convicted of a disqualifying crime to act as a mortgage loan originator while they wait for their license from the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions;
• Creates a grace period for the purposes of garnishments of up to two business days for a financial institution holding a debtor's assets and specifies, for the purposes of levies imposed by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, that a financial institution is only liable for the levy after given reasonable time to comply with the Department's request for the property;
• Protects data that financial institutions share with independent data processing servicers with new and provisions and requirements;
• Eliminates certain restrictions on loans that Wisconsin state banks can take from the Federal Home Loan Bank; and 
• Consolidates the Banking Review Board and the Savings Institutions Review Board into a new Banking Institutions Review Board, and establishes the functions and membership of the board. 

Senate Bill 482, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 66:

• Makes a variety of technical changes to the administration of insurance, including, among other things, strengthening consumer protections for policyholders of fraternal insurers, implementing changes to the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund, amending the corporate governance annual disclosure filing requirement date, and establishing a deadline of March 31 for service contract providers to submit financial statements of the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI).

Senate Bill 304, now 2019 Wisconsin Act 67:

• Specifies that any adverse action against a dealership by a manufacturer, importer, or distributor of motor vehicles is considered a violation and may result in revocation of licensure by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation; and
• Defines "adverse action" as withholding, reducing, or delaying an incentive or other payment, transferring or shifting costs, limiting allocations of vehicles or parts, failing to act in good faith, increasing a price charged for services or goods, assessing a penalty, fee, or surcharge, failing to make timely payment of compensation, establishing or applying a discriminatory standard, or conducting or threatening to conduct a nonroutine or non random audit.