CONTACT:

Rep. Amy Loudenbeck

Rep.Loudenbeck@legis.wi.gov
(608) 266-9967

Madison – Today, six bills championed by Rep. Amy Loudenbeck (R-Clinton) passed the State Senate. Five of the bills, Assembly Bills 659 (AB 659), 735 (AB 735), 809 (AB 809) 848 (AB 848) and 872 (AB 872) were authored by Rep. Loudenbeck, while the sixth bill, Assembly Bill 118 (AB 118) is the product of a Legislative Council Study Committee chaired by Rep. Loudenbeck.

“I’m very proud of the bills I’ve worked on and been able to pass this session. These six bills join three additional bills I authored that were signed into law earlier this session. (2017 Wisconsin Acts 11, 12, and 66) These nine bills have touched on many important issues for my constituents and people across Wisconsin,” said Loudenbeck.

AB 659: removes the disincentive for municipalities to use a subtraction amendment to remove territory from a TID prior to termination by allowing the same levy limit adjustment to be made for TID territory subtractions as allowed under current law for TID terminations. With the passage of this bill, it is expected that TID subtractions would be used more frequently, resulting in property taxpayer relief and additional revenue for local units of government in all of the underlying taxing jurisdictions. This is a truly win-win outcome.

AB 735: was introduced at the request of the Department of Revenue and makes several minor policy changes and corrections to tax law to protect taxpayers and make tax administration more efficient. Changes included in the bill will allow employers to truncate Social Security Numbers on W-2s and 1099s as a safeguard against identity theft starting in 2019, and allowing for optional electronic notifications giving taxpayers the choice to receive electronic notifications via the department’s My Tax Account portal.

AB 809: was introduced at the request of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) to make limited changes while providing necessary flexibilities for WHEDA to continue to work closely with lenders, developers, local units of government, nonprofits, community groups, and others to meet an increasing need for affordable housing financing options. AB 809 also creates flexibility by expanding the use of the Housing Rehabilitation Loan Fund reserves to include the Down Payment Assistance (DPA) Program and makes changes to the Transform Milwaukee Initiative Pilot by authorizing WHEDA to refinance an existing mortgage under a very specific and limited set of circumstances.

AB 848: waives the requirement for informed consent for outpatient mental health treatment of minors in emergency situations or where time and distance requirements preclude obtaining written consent before beginning treatment and a determination is made that potential harm may come to the patient or others before written consent is obtained. AB 848 requires that before this waiver could be used, the provider must have made an effort to obtain written consent from a parent or guardian of a minor patient. Additionally, under the provisions of AB 848 the waiver is limited to a period of 30 days, during which time informed consent shall be obtained in writing or the Mental Health Review Officer (MHRO) process shall be initiated. AB 848 specifically prohibits the health care provider from admitting a minor to an inpatient facility and prohibits the health care provider from prescribing medications to a minor seeking treatment for a mental health condition without the consent or a parent or guardian.

AB 872: was introduced at the request of Governor Scott Walker and will expand the existing Career and Technical Education (CTE) Incentive Grant to include a specialized Public Safety Certification Incentive Grant program for high school students. The bill creates a new Public Safety Certification Incentive Grant Completion Award which provides a $500 student award payment upon successful completion of Firefighter I, Firefighter II or EMT Basic. In addition, school districts would receive up to $1,000 when these students graduate, consistent with the existing Career and Technical Education Incentive Grant program.

AB 118: is a product of the Legislative Study Committee on the Preservation of Burial Sites that Rep. Loudenbeck chaired during the summer of 2016. The Study Committee was tasked with reviewing Wisconsin’s current burial sites preservation law to determine whether it adequately balances the interests of scientists, landowners, developers, and others with an interest in a burial site, including those with a kinship interest and those with a general cultural, tribal, or religious affiliation. The committee recommended an omnibus bill which was introduced as AB 118 and contained all proposals for which the study committee reached clear majority consensus.

Each of the six bills passed the Assembly and Senate with bipartisan support and will be presented to Governor Walker for his signature.

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