2023-2024 Legislative Session | |
February 5, 2024| Number 14 | |
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DOT Local Bridge and Culvert Program
⭐Correction on Friday's Webinars Below
The recently enacted state budget appropriated funds to the Department of Transportation (WisDOT) to administer a program for counties to conduct a comprehensive inventory and assessment of all local bridges and culverts in the state between 6 and 20 feet in length.
The League has participated with the Counties Association, Towns Association and WisDOT to develop a two-step process to carry out a comprehensive inventory (step 1) and assessment (step 2) conducted by local units of government and the private sector.
Information on this NEW program can be found here.
For more information a webinar explaining the program and process was hosted by WisDOT, the Wisconsin Counties Association, the League of Wisconsin Municipalities and the Wisconsin Towns Association on January 17, 2024.
PHASE 1: Inventory - Each local structure from 6-20 feet inventoried will be reimbursed at $100.
Municipalities will have to identify how they would like to collect the inventory information on 6 foot to 20 foot bridges and culverts by April 15, 2024 and submit selection to the county. Communities have three options:
- Collect the data using your own staff
- Contract with your county Highway Commissioner and use county staff or
- Contract with a private sector agency
Use this form to submit the information to your County Highway Commissioner by April 15th.
⭐Correction - WisDOT has TWO Webinars this Friday, February 9th one on Inventory from 9:00-10:30 which will discuss phase one which requires a local government decision and the form submittal above. This is the webinar cities and villages will want to attend. Link to join this webinar
The second webinar is on phase two assessment or the inspections following the inventory. This step is completed by certified bridge inspectors within the county or private consultants contracted by the county. This webinar is from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm. Link to join the webinar.
For more Information see WisDOT's Webpage.
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This Week in the Capitol
Legislative Public Hearings
The Assembly Transportation Committee will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, February 6th at 10:31 am in the North Hearing Room, State Capitol on Assembly Bill 629 related to driver education instruction related to work zone safety.
The Senate Transportation and Local Government Committee will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, February 6th at 1:00 pm in room 300 Southeast, State Capitol on Senate Bill 916 regarding notification for refugee resettlement (see more detail below).
The Assembly State Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, February 7th at 11:31 am in room 225 Northwest on Assembly Bill 671 related to rehired protective annuitants in the Wisconsin Retirement System and Assembly Bill 1004 regarding notification for refugee resettlement.
⭐If you are interested in a public hearing, but cannot attend in person, you can watch on Wisconsin Eye.
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Worker's Compensation Program Changes
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Wisconsin Worker’s Compensation Advisory Council (WCAC) submitted two proposals to the State Legislature for introduction. The draft bills, LRB 23-5292/1 and LRB 23-5293/1, modify the state’s Worker’s Compensation program.
The Assembly Committee on Labor and Integrated Employment and the Senate Committee on Labor, Regulatory Reform, Veterans and Military Affairs will hold a joint public hearing on the bill drafts this Thursday, February 8th at 11:00 am in Room 417 North at the State Capitol.
Proposed Changes in LRB 23-5292
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Health Service Fee Schedule. Require DWD, by 07-01-2025, to establish a schedule of the maximum fees that a health care provider may charge an employer. It should be noted that past attempts to establish a fee schedule have failed to pass the State Legislature due to opposition by healthcare providers (hospitals, physicians, physical therapists, etc.)
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Indexing of Permanent Total Disability Benefits. Provides for indexing of the weekly benefit for permanent total disability resulting from an injury on or after 01–01-2024.
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Expansion of PTSD Coverage for First Responders (EMS Practitioners & Fire Fighters). An injured emergency medical responder, emergency medical services practitioner, or volunteer or part-time fire fighter must demonstrate a diagnosis based on the same standard as law enforcement officers and full-time fire fighters. Also under the bill, an emergency medical responder, emergency medical services practitioner, or volunteer or part-time fire fighter is restricted to compensation for a mental injury that is not accompanied by a physical injury and that results in a diagnosis of PTSD three times in his or her lifetime irrespective of a change of employer or employment in the same manner as law enforcement officers and full-time fire fighters.
Proposed Changes in LRB 23-5293
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Maximum weekly compensation for permanent partial disability from $430 to $438 for injuries occurring before January 1, 2025, and to $446 for injuries occurring on or after that date.
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Uninsured Employers Fund. Under the bill the amount of a claim is increased from $1 million to $2 million or more.
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Advance Payment for Permanent Partial Disability Changes. Under the bill, an employer or an employer's insurer may make advance payment of unaccrued compensation for permanent partial disability in undisputed cases in the same manner, but without the interest credit to the employer or insurer.
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RECENTLY INTRODUCED LEGISLATION
of Municipal Importance
The following bills have recently been added to the list of those being monitored by the League.
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Senate Bill 867: Operation of vertiports. (Senator Tomczyk, Rep. Gustafson) Under the bill, counties, cities, villages, and towns must use zoning and land use authority to promote reasonable access to advanced air mobility operators at public vertiports and may not grant or permit an exclusive right of operation to one or more vertiport owners or operators.
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Senate Bill 906: Education about rechargeable batteries and providing grants for collecting and recycling rechargeable batteries. (Senator Tomczyk, Rep. Kitchens) The bill requires DNR to provide grants to responsible units, municipalities, businesses, tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations for the purpose of expanding rechargeable battery collection and recycling operations, creating new sites for the collection or recycling of rechargeable batteries, purchasing rechargeable battery collection and shipping kits and equipment for handling damaged or defective rechargeable batteries.
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Senate Bill 916: Requiring local governments to designate an individual for consultation required under a federal program regarding refugee resettlement and assistance. (Senator Tomczyk, Rep. Hurd) Under the bill, if an employee or officer of a local governmental unit contacts or is contacted by the federal government or a private nonprofit voluntary agency regarding placements of refugees in the local governmental unit, the employee or officer must report the contact to the chief elected official. The chief elected official must then notify each local governmental unit located entirely or partially within a 100-mile radius, as refugees are allowed to settle anywhere in a 100 mile radius of the refugee resettlement center. The governing body of each local governmental unit receiving one of these notifications must meet and allow for public comment and designate a representative for the local governmental unit for purposes of consultation with the federal government or a private nonprofit voluntary agency.
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Senate Bill 986: A levy limit exception for certain shared emergency services expenditures. (Senator Larson, Rep. Andraca) The bill creates an additional exception to local levy limits. Under the bill, fee increases apportioned to each city, village, or town operating a joint emergency dispatch center do not apply to the levy limits, but only if the fees would cause the city, village, or town to exceed the levy limits, and only if the total charges imposed by the center for the current year, compared to the previous year, are less than or equal to the rate of inflation plus 2 percent.
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Assembly Bill 925: Grant Assistance. (Rep. Kurtz, Senator Felzkowski) With the influx of federal funding, this bill requires the Department of Revenue, in each year from 2024 through 2027, to provide grants of up to $5,000 to political subdivisions with populations of less than 10,000 to be used to obtain grant writing and compliance assistance services. These grants may be used to obtain services for grants related to public works, transportation infrastructure, or public safety.
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Assembly Bill 1040: Medical cannabis. (Rep. Snyder) The bill prohibits political subdivisions from 1) regulating a medical cannabis grower, processor, testing laboratory, or dispensary; 2) regulating the lawful recommendation or delivery of medical cannabis products; 3) regulating the lawful use or possession of medical cannabis products; and 4) restricting in a zoning ordinance the location or operation of medical cannabis growing, processing, testing, or dispensing.
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Assembly Bill 1060: Assistance to replace customer-side water service lines containing lead. (Rep. Sortwell) Under the bill, a utility may, without PSC approval, administer a municipal program to assist water customers in complying with a city, village, or town ordinance requiring the replacement of customer-side water service lines containing lead and to provide municipal grants or loans to water customers for that purpose, provided the utility does not give financial assistance to water customers under the program.
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Assembly Bill 1067: The filing of nomination papers by certain candidates for local elective office. (Rep. Gundrum) Under current law, a town or village may provide that candidates for a town or village elective office may be nominated at a caucus, rather than by filing nomination papers. This bill eliminates that caucus option and requires the filing of nomination papers for all town and village elective offices.
⭐If you would like to contact your legislators on any bills mentioned in the bulletin you can find contact information for all legislators here. To find out which legislators represent your community, use the "Find Your Legislator" function on the right side of the site.
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