November 1, 2021 | Number 44
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Assembly Gives Green Light to Housing Legislation
In the Assembly floor session last week, legislators passed several housing initiatives over to the Senate. There are four bills the League opposes in the package listed below. Note that AB 608 and AB 610, the bills we are most concerned about, passed by voice vote. The fate of the housing package in the Senate is uncertain and the Governor has not indicated his position on any of the bills. The League is working to keep the bills negatively impacting cities and villages, such as AB 608 and AB 610, from advancing out of the Senate.
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AB-603, Housing Development Sites. Creating a shovel-ready workforce housing development site program. Passed Assembly on Voice Vote. The League is neutral on this bill.
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AB-604, Housing Grants. Creating pay for performance grant requirements, housing navigator grants, and regulating use of public lands to provide temporary residence for the homeless. Passed Assembly 55 to 39. The League opposes this bill.
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AB-605, Requiring municipalities to use portion of ARPA moneys toward workforce housing projects. Passed Assembly 59 to 35. The League opposes this bill.
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AB-607, Housing Rehab Loans. Creating a workforce housing rehabilitation loan program under WHEDA. Passed Assembly on Voice Vote. The League supports this bill.
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AB-608, Mandating local approvals of certain workforce housing projects. Passed Assembly on Voice Vote. The League opposes this bill.
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AB-609, Allowing municipalities to create and fund a local housing investment program. Passed Assembly on Voice Vote. The League worked with the author, Rep. Armstrong (R-rice Lake), to help draft this bill.
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AB-610, Prohibiting certain well established property tax assessment practices. Passed Assembly on a Voice Vote. The League opposes this bill.
Municipal Bills Heading to the Governor's Desk
Last week, the Assembly met on Tuesday and concurred in SB-434, Municipal Raze Orders. This bill, introduced by Sen. Stafsholt (R-New Richmond) at the request of the insurance industry, modifies the process municipalities must follow to issue raze orders for certain insured dwellings. The League initially opposed the bill but worked with Sen Stafsholt and Rep. Steffen (R-Howard) on an amendment addressing our concerns. After the amendment was introduced we changed our position to neutral. The Legislative Council has written a memo explaining the bill and the changes made by the amendment to the bill. Read the memo here.
The Senate and Assembly passed SB 434 by voice vote. The bill will now be forwarded to the Governor for his action.
The Assembly also concurred in SB 303 (the companion bill to AB 287 the league reported on last week) regarding Local reporting requirements related to general transportation aids. This bill reduces and caps the penalty imposed on villages and towns that miss the deadline for submitting reports relating to general transportation aids. The League supports this bill. SB 303 now heads to the Governor's desk for his action.
Assembly Passes League's Tax Refund Bill
Last week, the Assembly passed by voice vote AB 399, a bill the League worked with Rep. Brooks (R-Saukville) and Sen. Petrowski (R-Marathon) to introduce. The bill makes the following two changes to the interest municipalities must pay on property tax refunds: (1) Reduces the amount of interest municipalities must pay to a taxpayer who successfully files a claim to recover an unlawful property tax; and (2) Allows a municipality, after it has paid interest on a property tax refund, to collect from the other taxation districts (e.g., county and school district) their proportionate share of the interest paid. The League has asked the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Revenue to hold a public hearing on the Senate companion to AB 399 soon, so the Senate can concur in the Assembly's passage of AB 399. The Senate companion bill is SB 396.
Federal Legislation
On October 28, the new framework for the Build Back Better Act (BBBA) was released. After several months of negotiations, the revised framework includes nearly $2 trillion in funding for programs and priorities that would have a great impact in cities and villages across the country. The framework prioritizes several key areas, including workforce development, housing affordability, and recognizes childcare as a critical component to family employment.
With $40 billion historic investment directed towards higher education and workforce development programs, the framework increases the Department of Labor’s annual spending on workforce development by 50% for the next five years while also investing in the critical training needed to meet local labor market demands by supporting community college programs, sector-based training, and registered apprenticeships. This investment will allow local workers to invest in the skills needed to access the jobs that will support local economic growth.
Funding for affordable housing is among the targeted investments identified in the framework for strengthening the middle class and fostering greater economic mobility into the middle class. The $150 billion for housing stability in the bill is forecast to bring about the construction, rehabilitation, and restoration of more than 1 million affordable homes, which will boost the supply of affordable housing units nationwide, including in rural communities, and reduce price pressures for renters and homeowners.
The framework also contains other key provisions that will have an impact on communities rebounding from the pandemic, including:
- $400 billion in investments in child care and early childhood including Universal Preschool for all 3-and 4-year-olds and expanded access to high-quality child care.
- $150 billion to support care for those caring for older Americans or people living with disabilities in their homes.
- Extension of the American Rescue Plan Act’s Child Tax Credit and expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit.
- Expanded free school meals program as well as increased support for summer meals.
Stay tuned for action on the federal level in future bulletins.
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RECENTLY INTRODUCED LEGISLATION
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AB 668, Law Enforcement Officer Suicide Prevention. This bill provides a $250,000 annual grant to the Center for Suicide Awareness to provide training to law enforcement officers based on a newly established curriculum detailing causes, behaviors, warning signs, risk factors associated with law enforcement officer suicide. By Representative Cabral-Guevara (R-Appleton) and Senator Jacque (R-DePere). The League supports this bill.
AB 683, Worker's Compensation for Emergency Medical Service Providers. This bill makes changes to the conditions of liability for worker's compensation benefits for emergency medical responders and emergency medical services practitioners who are paid emergency medical responders or paid emergency medical services practitioners and who are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The League is concerned about financial impacts to cities and villages. By Representative Horlacher (R-Mukwonago) and Senator Jacque (R-DePere). The League is analyzing this bill.
Assembly Joint Resolution 91, Police and Fire Fund. Under current law, a communications provider is required to collect from each subscriber of a communications service a monthly fee of 75 cents on each communications service connection with an assigned telephone number. The communications provider must identify the fee as a “charge for funding countywide 911 systems plus police and fire protection fee”. Under current law, most of the revenue from the police and fire protection fund is used to make county and municipal aid payments. This proposed constitutional amendment, proposed to the 2021 legislature on first consideration, requires that revenues from a police and fire protection fee be deposited into a police and fire fund and used only for county and municipal police and fire protection services, including county and municipal emergency response systems. A proposed constitutional amendment requires adoption by two successive legislatures, and ratification by the people, before it can become effective. By Representative Sortwell (R-Two Rivers) and Senator Roth (R-Appleton). The League supports this initiative.
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PUBLIC HEARINGS THIS WEEK
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IN THE NEWS
(Paywalls may apply)
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'It's beyond a rainy day': Report outlines staffing crisis facing ambulance services Read the article.
Walmart sues Burlington in effort to lower its property tax bill using 'dark store' loophole Read the article.
Despite objections from conservatives, clerks in Trump country embraced ballot drop boxes, too Read the article.
Ransomware, phishing and cyberattacks are increasingly hitting Wisconsin school districts, most recently in Janesville Read the article.
Appleton-Grand Chute boundary agreement allows town islands and irregular borders Read the article.
Driverless vehicle experiment underway in 'Smart City' of Racine Read the article.
36 Acres of Lake Superior Shoreline To Open to Public After Decades-Long Cleanup Read the article.
INTERVIEW: Manitowoc’s mayor elected head of League of Wisconsin Municipalities Read the article.
In September, Wisconsinites who were not yet fully vaccinated died at a rate 18 times higher than fully vaccinated Wisconsinites Read the article.
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2nd Tuesday of every month.
November 9 and December 14, 2021, 12:00-1:00 via Zoom
Special LWMMI University Training (for LWMMI Insureds)
Training for Municipal Administrator’s who want to roll out LWMMI University, online training platform, to their employees.
Tuesday, November 2 at 2:00 pm CT - Webinar
Anyone who will be assigning employees training should attend to get an overview of the platform, preview the course catalog and receive basic administrator training. Can’t make it on November 2? Register anyway and you’ll receive a recording after the event.
LWMMI University is an online training platform that offers over 3,000 courses and videos on demand, allowing staff to train anytime, anywhere. With LWMMI University, you can assign training, and track and report progress for staff and create customized organization-specific courses. Some of the LWMMI University course topics include - Risk Management - Information Technology - EEOC Compliance – Safety - Health and Wellness
Small Community Forums
Presented by local partners and the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, Arts Wisconsin, USDA Rural Development Wisconsin, UW-Madison/Extension, Wisconsin Downtown Action Council, Wisconsin Main Street, and Wisconsin Rural Partners.
Tuesday, November 2, 8:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. – Spring Green
Arthur’s Supper Club, E4885 Hwy 14
Hosted by Spring Green Chamber of Commerce and Arthur’s Supper Club
Thursday, November 4, 8:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. – Weyauwega
Weyauwega City Hall, 109 E. Main Street
Hosted by City of Weyauwega
Police & Fire Commission Workshop
Wednesday, November 3, 2021, Wisconsin Dells
Wilderness Resort, Glacier Canyon Conference Center
Human Resources for Small Communities
Three one-hour long webinars
November 9-11, 2021
10AM each day
Municipal Water Issues Web Series
December 7, 8, & 9, 2021
12PM each day via Zoom
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Email questions or comments to:
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