Press Release: Gov. Evers Takes Action on 18 Bills

Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 4, 2022
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov 
 
Gov. Evers Takes Action on 18 Bills
 

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today took action on 18 bills. The bills include: 

Senate Bill 158, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 119: 

  • Requires the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) to study two means of providing Wisconsin-based Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts, including examining the relative benefits of either implementing and administering these accounts directly or jointly with other states; and 
  • Requires DFI to report its findings to the Legislature no later than the first day of the seventh month beginning after the bill's enactment. 

Senate Bill 242, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 120: 

  • Makes intentional destruction of a vaccine or drug which includes the intentional destruction, handling, storage or treatment of a vaccine or drug to render it unsafe, spoiled, or ineffective a Class I felony, punishable by fine or imprisonment not to exceed $10,000, 3.5 years, or both. 

Senate Bill 309, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 121: 

  • Defines free and charitable clinics as healthcare organizations that use a volunteer and staff model to provide health services to uninsured, underinsured, underserved, economically and socially disadvantaged, and vulnerable populations that meet criteria specified in the bill; 
  • Creates a statutory reference for funds granted to free and charitable clinics in under Act 58; and 
  • Defines telehealth and other related terms from the Medical Assistance program statutes for the purposes of occupational licensing.

Senate Bill 395, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 122: 

  • Establishes response and investigation requirements for reports of abuse, financial exploitation, neglect, or self-neglect of adults at risk and elder adults at risk. 

Senate Bill 412, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 123: 

  • Ratifies and enters Wisconsin into the Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact, which allows an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant licensed in one member state to obtain a "compact privilege" to practice in another member state, either in-person or via telehealth, without obtaining a license in that state. 

Senate Bill 425, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 124: 

  • Allows a metropolitan sewerage commission for a sewerage district that includes a first-class city to finance and construct a dredged material management facility. 

Senate Bill 453, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 125: 

  • Modifies administrative code to remove prior authorization requirements for enteral nutrition products administered through a tube under the Medicaid program. 

Senate Bill 488, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 126: 

  • Makes a series of changes to requirements for water supply service area plans for public water supply systems. 

Senate Bill 571, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 127: 

  • Repeals obsolete statutory provisions related to six income tax credits that taxpayers may no longer claim, including the farmland tax relief credit, provisions related to the earned income tax credit for tax years before Jan. 1, 2011, the community development finance authority individual income tax credit, the airport development zones credit, the relocated business credit, and the personal exemption credit for natural persons. 

Senate Bill 607, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 128: 

  • Increases the threshold amount of timber sold from state, county, or community forests for which certain notice requirements apply from an estimated value of $3,000 to either an estimated value of $10,000 or an estimated volume of 500 cord equivalents. 

Senate Bill 655, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 129: 

  • Adds two contract or agreement types to the list of service contracts subject to limited regulation by the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and clarifies what information warrantors must provide to the commissioner's office regarding vehicle protection product warranties. 

Assembly Bill 529, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 130: 

  • Creates a new licensed occupation for naturopathic medicine, including two categories of licensed naturopathic practice which are a licensed naturopathic doctor (ND) and a licensed limited-scope ND, to be administered by a Naturopathic Medicine Examining Board. 

Assembly Bill 537, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 131: 

  • Enters Wisconsin into the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact; and
  • Creates processes to allow a psychologist and patient who are located in different compact states to participate in telehealth services, to allow a psychologist to provide face-to-face psychological services in a compact state for up to 30 days, and to allow information sharing and enforcement actions between compact states. 

Senate Bill 491, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 132:

  • Requires the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) to reimburse the counties for subsidized guardianship payments, effective Jan 1. 2022. 

The governor's veto messages are available below: 

Veto message for Senate Bill 332

Veto message for Assembly Bill 86

Veto message for Assembly Bill 411

Veto message for Assembly Bill 440

 
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