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October Session
It is expected the Assembly will meet one to two times in October and the Senate will meet once. Both houses are expected to be in session on Tuesday, October 14th.
Speaker's Task Force Chairs Discuss Goals
The Wheeler Report met with three of the four chairs of the four Speakerâs Task Forces to discuss the committees as they begin.
Speaker's Task Force on Elder Services - Chair, Rep. Pat Snyder
Rep. Snyder (R-Weston) said the committee will depend a lot on who volunteers to be on the committee, and what ideas they will bring to the committee. Snyder said that when he talks to constituents, especially visiting elderly when knocking on doors, he hears that elderly people have finally paid off their homes, and want to stay in their homes, but âitâs the property taxes that kill them every year, and then the water bills have gone up, and theyâre afraid theyâre not going to be able to afford to stay in their home.â Snyder said he would like to find ways to help these seniors âthat worked their whole life, paid off their home, paid all their taxes, paid in for the schools, and suddenly, now is there something we can do to help them be able to live in their homes.â
Snyder said another issue facing elderly is isolation. He was clear the government canât mandate things that prevent isolation, but said heâd like to hear ideas that can help with the social isolation issues. Snyder discussed the YMCA in Wausau and a program called âThe Landingâ, a gathering space for people that are 55 and older to come and participate in activities like pickleball, jogging, playing cards, or just socializing with others. While Snyder is a proponent of preventing social isolation for seniors, he acknowledged that transportation can be an issue for some, especially in rural areas of Wisconsin.
Snyder shared that more than half of those 60 and over are either in debt or donât have any savings or assets at all. He is open to hearing ideas about helping them with workforce issues or what it may take to help them move towards financial independence rather than living in poverty. Snyder also highlighted a recent presentation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice on scams impacting seniors. He said according to recent data, prior to covid, one in ten seniors were scammed and now itâs one in five.
When asked, Snyder said more families need to become comfortable having discussions with family members about aging in place and helping older family members to be comfortable with asking for help or accepting help. There was a discussion about eliminating the âstigmaâ of talking about aging issues with family. He said seniors donât want their independence taken away from them, but family members also need to be prepared to have open and honest discussions about what is best. Snyder briefly discussed an educational plan to help families know that itâs never too early to start talking with parents about getting older.
Snyder highlighted his Palliative Care Council bill which he said was âstalledâ in the Senate.
Snyder concluded the interview by saying a lot of the issues facing seniors can be challenging, but that education will be a key. Educating the seniors, educating their families, and educating the public.
Speakerâs Task Force on Protecting Children - Chair, Rep. Lindee Brill
ï»żRep. Brillâs (R-Sheboygan Falls) committee will focus on addressing youth mental health crises and the negative impacts of social media. Brill said the committee aims to explore how technology affects children in various aspects of life, including home life, development, and exposure to dangers such as pornography, bullying, and grooming. The committee plans to meet with experts in these areas to identify where Wisconsin is falling short in protecting children and what legislative actions can be taken to address these issues.
Brill said, âWe know that a majority of children now have phones in their hands, so we know that's really been the avenue to where they're getting information. So, our hope is that we're going to be meeting with quite a few people, and talking about, where is Wisconsin falling short and protecting children, and what can we do as a legislative body to address that, obviously keeping it within our parameters of legislation right? We don't want to be doing things that are outside of our power, but just really making the public aware. But then, what can we do to help come alongside parents and schools? I've already talked to one or a group of superintendents in my district and said, you know, you guys are with children a lot more during the day than I am. What are you seeing that we can be doing from a state perspective, from a law perspective, to help support you in creating a mentally healthy future generation.â
Brill also touched on the limitations the committee might face, such as balancing small government principles with the need to protect children and not infringing on parental rights. The committee plans to conduct a state tour to gather information and draft legislation by January. They will invite experts from various fields, including technology companies and child protection organizations, to speak and provide insights. The biggest challenge identified is addressing the strong pull of technology on children and the cultural resistance to limiting their access to it. When asked, Brill said she would welcome the potential for the committee's work to lead to further Legislative Council Study Committee and education on the impact of technology on children and families.
Speakerâs Task Force on Rulemaking - Chair, Rep. Brent Jacobson
Rep. Jacobsonâs (R-Mosinee) committee will focus on Wisconsinâs rulemaking process and is in response to the recent Supreme Court decision Evers v. Marklein II. Jacobson highlighted the task forceâs three main objectives:
1. To identify agencies with extensive rulemaking authority that they have acquired over time by statute and have exercised independently.
2. To explore ways for the legislature to reassert oversight over these agencies and their rulemaking authority in a bipartisan manner, ensuring compliance with constitutional requirements.
3. To consider the possibility of a constitutional amendment to restore some of the powers that were lost due to a specific court decision.
Jacobson emphasized the importance of bipartisan interest in this effort, as he said it would benefit both parties regardless of who controls the executive branch. He said the task force plans to gather information and draft legislation before the spring adjournment, with a focus on a few key agencies that have significant rulemaking authority. Jacobson said, âI've asked them to get a number of memos from Legislative Reference Bureau identifying those agencies with broad rulemaking authority and what kind of rulemaking authority they have.â He said he plans on holding public hearings, including being held outside of Madison, to gather input from various stakeholders. Jacobson also touched on the challenges faced by the task force, such as the short deadline for completing their work and the need for agency participation in the hearings.
When asked about the impact to local governments and the public, Jacobson said, âIn a post Marklein II world, their [local government/officials] ability to stop or get ahead of state unfunded mandates is going to be undermined, and their ability to get assistance through their elected officials is going to be undetermined. DNR is a fantastic example. I felt when I was mayor, towards the end of my tenure, that DNR was doing nothing but continuing to move the goalpost on us with PFAS monitoring. I take PFAS seriously, but I mean, it seemed like something different every time, and you can just see that happening in any other number of agencies. So, I think local governments should understand that, at least in my opinion, in a post Marklein world, there's less certainty in what's coming your way from state government.â
Jacobson also commented on how these changes can impact the public at large saying, âYou know your representatives. They are accountable to you, that is at risk of being lost. Our agencies are valuable. There's no doubt our agencies are the experts in a lot of their fields, they do some good work, and we need them. But by the same token, the legislature is the one that's accountable to the voters and the will of people and needs to be involved in the process.â
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