Senate sends to Evers bill barring use of public funds for health care for those illegally in the U.S. 

The Senate today signed off on legislation that would bar the use of public funds to cover the health care costs of those in the country illegally, a move some Dems denounced as immoral and cruel.

The Senate approved the bill 21-12 with three Dems — Sarah Keyeski, of Lodi; Brad Pfaff, of Onalaska; and Jamie Wall, of Green Bay — joining all Republicans in the chamber in backing it. The bill, which passed the Assembly in September, now goes to Gov. Tony Evers.

GOP Sen. Van Wanggaard, a co-author of AB 308, said the legislation is meant to prevent Wisconsin from going down the path of other states like Illinois and Minnesota that have allowed those in the country illegally to receive treatment through public programs. He also rejected the suggestion from some Dem colleagues that the bill targets Hispanics.

“Last time I looked, we have illegal aliens from all over the world crossing our border,” said Wanggaard, R-Racine.

AB 308 bans any state or local funds, as well as any federal money passing through the state treasury, from being used to cover health care expenses for someone not lawfully in the U.S. It wouldn’t apply to any application that would result in the loss of federal funds. 

Wanggaard said it would still allow emergency rooms to treat those who come in, regardless of immigration status, and wouldn’t deny care to those in the state’s prisons.

The Department of Corrections has raised concerns refusing to treat inmates based on immigration status would constitute cruel and unusual punishments under the Eighth Amendment.

Sen. Jeff Smith, D-Brunswick, accused his GOP colleagues of pushing the bill just to gin up votes from those they think they need to turn out at the polls to win elections.

“What is the message here?” Smith asked. “Someone explain to me what the message is here if it’s not a heartless attack on human beings for political points?”

It was one of several Assembly bills the Senate signed off on, clearing the way for them to head to Evers’ desk.

They include:

*AB 165, which would bar local governments from using public money for guaranteed income programs. The ban wouldn’t apply to programs in which an individual is required to perform work or attend training.

The Assembly passed it in April 53-42, and the Assembly concurred 18-15 along party lines.

*AB 211, which would expand an exemption for tobacco bars from the state’s indoor smoking ban.

The ban already exempts tobacco bars — those that generate at least 15% of their revenue from cigars and pipe tobacco — that were in existence when it took effect June 3, 2009. AB 211 would expand the exemption to tobacco bars that came into existence after that date, so long as only the smoking of cigars and pipes is allowed inside and that it is not a retail food establishment.

The bill cleared the Assembly 57-37 in September with some Dem support, and the Senate signed off 18-15 along party lines. 

*AB 450, which would delay until April 1, 2026, the implementation of new commercial building codes. Republicans had previously held up their implementation through the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules, which refused to allow the package proposed by the Department of Safety and Professional Services to proceed. Once the state Supreme Court nixed the committee’s ability to indefinitely suspend proposed rules, DSPS moved to implement the package, which the building industry fears would increase costs.

The new codes took effect Sept. 1, but DSPS gave builders a grace period until Oct. 1 before beginning to enforce the upgraded standards. It then announced the hard deadline for submitting building plans that meet the standards had been pushed back to Nov. 1.

It cleared the Assembly via voice vote, and the Senate approved it 20-12 with Dems Pfaff and Kristin Dassler-Alfheim, of Appleton, joining Republicans in support.