WISCONSIN
STATE AFL-CIO
SUMMARY OF BILLS IN THE 2001-2002 VOTING RECORD
STATE ASSEMBLY
(Unfavorable
on Amendment) This bill proposed various changes in reporting requirements
under the campaign finance law. Assembly
Amendment 5 was offered during debate on the bill.
The language of this amendment would have changed state law in
such a way as to make union political action committees (PACs) illegal
and silence the voice of workers in the political process, which is the
intent. The recorded vote of 50 to 43 was on a motion to adopt Amendment 5 and a
vote for adoption was a “wrong” vote.
The amendment was adopted but the bill was not passed by the
Assembly and it died at the end of the session.
(Favorable on
Motion) The state can file a wage claim lien on an employer’s
assets to collect wages and benefits owed to workers when a business
closes or goes bankrupt.
Wisconsin
workers had lien
priority over all other creditors until banking lobbyists slipped an
amendment into a budget bill during the 1997-98 Legislative Session that
put banks first. Republicans controlled both houses at that time; the
change was passed and signed by then Governor Thompson.
AB 34 would restore the priority to wage claim liens and put
workers first before banks to collect on the assets of employers.
The Assembly Republican leadership refused to take action on the
bill. Democrats offered a
motion to withdraw AB 34 from committee so that it could be voted on by
the Assembly. The
recorded vote of 43 to 56 was on the motion to withdraw the bill from
committee and a vote in favor was a “right” vote.
The motion failed and the bill died at the end of the
session.
(Favorable on
Passage) This bill required clinical social workers to be licensed by
the state. Clinical social
workers are a major provider of psychotherapy services, especially for
low-income individuals and in rural areas where mental health services
are more limited.
Wisconsin
was one of the few
states that did not license clinical social workers and this allowed
insurance carriers to deny coverage for their services.
The recorded vote of 85 to
12 was on passage and a vote for passage was a “right” vote.
AB 206 passed both houses and was signed into law by the
Governor.
(Favorable
on Motion) The history of workers and the unions they created to bring
some democratic rights to the workplace is largely ignored in school
history texts. Also ignored
is labor’s contribution to the economic development of our state and
nation. Instead, the history
books reflect the views and goals of business interests. Assembly
Bill 131 would have required instruction in public schools on the
history of organized labor in
America
and the collective
bargaining process so students will have some historical balance.
Assembly Republican leadership held this bill in committee, not taking
action. Democrats offered a
motion to withdraw the bill from committee so that it could be voted on
by the Assembly. The
recorded vote of 43 to 56 was on the motion to withdraw the bill and a
vote in favor was a “right” vote.
The motion failed and the bill died at the end of the
session.
(Favorable
on Reconsideration of Passage)
Our society should make it
as easy as possible for people to exercise their right to vote as
citizens. Instead, some
Republican legislators proposed a bill that would create an intentional
barrier to voter participation, particularly by the poor and elderly who
do not necessarily have a driver’s license with photo ID. AB 259 would
have required a photo ID card in order to cast a vote.
The result would be to give greater voice in elections to the
affluent, and place an additional obstacle in the path of many other
voters, which is the intent. The
recorded vote of 42 to 57 was to reconsider passage of AB 259 and a vote
in favor of reconsideration was a “right” vote.
The vote to
reconsider failed but the bill died in the Senate.
(Unfavorable on
Passage) Corporations already pay almost nothing to support public
programs, services and infrastructure in
Wisconsin
.
It is projected that in the fiscal year that ended
June 30, 2002
, the corporate income
tax will bring in only 4.6 percent of general revenue for the state,
which is the lowest percentage ever.
Most of the revenue comes from individuals and working families
through income, sales and excise taxes.
AB 380 would have given corporations still another massive tax
break. Currently, the
corporate income tax is based on three factors:
sales, payroll and property.
This bill would have based the tax only on sales and was
estimated to cost the state approximately $80 million annually in lost
revenue. The
recorded vote of 70 to 26 was on passage and a vote in favor was a
“wrong” vote. The
bill passed but died in the Senate.
(Favorable on
Passage) This is the agreed-upon bill negotiated by labor and
management representatives on the Unemployment Insurance Advisory
Council. The maximum weekly
benefit was increased to $324 as of January 2002, and will be increased
to $329 in 2003. The Social
Security offset will be reduced to 25 percent in 2002 and eliminated
thereafter. UI benefits will
be paid to workers who are available for at least 32 hours of work per
week. The time period for
filing an initial UI claim is extended seven days beyond the end of the
week that a worker expects to receive the benefits.
The recorded vote of 93 to
3 was on passage and a vote in favor was a “right” vote.
AB 553 passed both houses of the Legislature and was signed by
the Governor.
(Favorable on
Passage) Due to the recession, the labor and management
representatives on the Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council
negotiated an additional eight weeks of Unemployment Insurance for
workers who had exhausted their 26-week allotment and first filed for UI
on
March 11, 2001
, or after.
Wisconsin
was the first state to
respond to the recession by passing the extension of benefits in AB 742.
Congress subsequently approved an extension and funds, but the
state UI law will still benefit some workers not covered by the federal
extension. The
recorded vote of 99 to 0 was on passage and a vote in favor was a
“right” vote. AB 742
passed both houses of the Legislature and was signed into law by the
Governor.
(Favorable on
Motion)
Hospitals and nursing homes routinely require nursing staff to
work overtime in order to avoid hiring additional staff.
This practice is unfair to nurses who are exhausted from
overwork, and it is dangerous for patients because errors in judgment by
nursing staff can be life-threatening.
SB 211 would ban mandatory overtime for nursing staff, unless
there is an unforeseen emergency. The
bill passed the Senate but Assembly Republican leadership would not
schedule it for a vote, so Democrats offered a motion to withdraw SB 211
from the Senate message for a vote by the Assembly.
The recorded vote of 43 to
55 was on the motion to withdraw the bill and a vote in favor was a
“right” vote. The
motion was defeated and the bill died at the end of the session.
(Favorable on
Motion) The artificial distinction between physical and mental health
that has been so dominant in American medicine is outdated and
inaccurate. The whole person – mind and body – is an integrated
system, and that view is widely accepted by the medical profession.
It is necessary for insurers to recognize it as well and no
longer reduce coverage for mental health care. SB
157 would require that insurers provide parity in coverage for both
mental and physical illness. SB
157 passed the Senate but the Assembly Republican leadership did not
schedule this bill for a vote, so Democrats offered a motion to withdraw
SB 157 from committee for a vote by the Assembly.
The recorded vote of 41 to 57 was on the motion to withdraw the bill and
a vote in favor was a “right” vote.
The motion was defeated and the bill died at the end of the
session.
(Favorable on
Passage) This is the agreed-upon bill negotiated by labor and
management representatives on the Worker’s Compensation Advisory
Council. The maximum
Permanent Partial Disability rate was increased to $212 in 2002; $222 in
2003; $232 in 2004 and $242 in 2005.
The maximum rate for Temporary Total Disability, Death and
Permanent Total Disability will be set by the current formula based on
the state’s average weekly earnings, plus a 10 percent increase.
The 12-year statute of limitations for certain injuries will be
eliminated. The
recorded vote of 97 to 0 was on passage and a vote in favor was a
“right” vote. SB 251
passed the Legislature and was signed into law by the Governor.
(Favorable on
Amendment) This amendment would have improved the enforcement of
Wisconsin
’s prevailing wage
laws and compliance by contractors in the construction industry. Our
prevailing wage laws require contractors engaged in public works
projects to pay their workers wages that are at least comparable to
those of construction workers performing similar private sector work in
the same county. This budget
bill amendment provided that the payroll records of contractors and
subcontractors that work on public projects are subject to the state’s
open records law, which allows public inspection.
The recorded vote of 56 to
43 was to table the amendment (AA 12 to AA1 to ASA 1 to SB 55) and a
vote in favor of tabling was a “wrong” vote.
The amendment was tabled.
(Favorable on
Amendment) This
amendment would prohibit nursing homes from using the public funds that
they receive in order to fight union organizing efforts.
The Attorney General could take legal action for repayment of the
funds, plus impose additional financial penalties.
Most of the income that nursing homes receive comes from Medicaid
and Medicare. The
recorded vote of 57 to 42 was to table the amendment (AA 20 to ASA 1 to
SB 55) and a vote in favor of tabling was a “wrong” vote.
The amendment was tabled.
