Madison: Peter Kallio, who has served as Chair of the Wisconsin Board of Nursing and as a member of the Controlled Substance Board resigned from both boards to protest Governor Evers’ veto of Senate Bill 394 (SB 394). This bill aimed to alleviate caregiver shortages and increase access to quality care by empowering Advance Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) to utilize the full extent of their skillset.
In his resignation letter, Mr. Kallio expressed disappointment with the Governor and his veto.
“Removing the unnecessary practice barriers from Advanced Practice Nurses would only increase access to quality care for our rural areas. With no changes, this issue will get exponentially worse with time…” wrote Mr. Kallio. “…this veto appeared politically motivated to appease a small group…who want to dictate nursing practice…”
Senator Patrick Testin (Stevens Point), the author of SB 394, was also disappointed in the veto.
“This bill gave advanced practice nurses the ability to do the work that they are trained to do, and it passed with bi-partisan support,” noted Testin. “Instead of empowering them to better serve their patients, Wisconsin’s Governor continues to hold these nurses back.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Wisconsin’s Board of Nursing had removed many unnecessary barriers to advanced practice nursing practice by emergency rule. This allowed more people to access high-quality care – care that may not be as easily accessible moving forward.
