(Favorable on
Passage) This bill would provide a long overdue increase in the state
minimum wage. SB 33 would have increased the minimum wage from the
current $5.15 per hour to $6.80 per hour using a formula based on the
federal poverty level for a family of three.
The bill also provided for automatic annual increases so that
wages for the most vulnerable workers would not fall so drastically
below a livable wage. The
recorded vote of 17 to 15 was on passage and a vote in favor was a “right”
vote. The bill passed
the Senate but died in the Assembly.
(Favorable
on Passage) This legislation would make certain that employers and
insurers do not continue to discriminate against women in prescription
drug coverage. SB 128
provides gender equity in coverage by requiring state health plans and
insurers to cover contraceptives if they currently cover preventive
health care. It is a matter
of fairness for women—and cost. For
a very long time, women have been absorbing higher out-of-pocket
expenses for prescription drugs than men because of the inequity in drug
coverage. The
recorded vote of 18 to 15 was on passage and a vote in favor was a “right”
vote. The bill passed
the Senate but died in the Assembly.
(Favorable on
Passage) 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that has been so dominant in American medicine is outdated and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 in the medical profession.
It is necessary for insurers to recognize it as well and not
discriminate in coverage for mental health.
SB 157 would require that insurers provide parity in coverage for
both mental and physical illness. The recorded vote of 22 to 11 was on passage and a vote in favor was a
“right” vote. The
bill passed the Senate but died in the Assembly.
(Favorable on
Passage) 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. The
abuse of forced overtime by health care employers is causing nurses to
quit working in hospitals and nursing homes, which is helping to create
a shortage of vital health care workers.
SB 211 would ban mandatory overtime for nursing staff, unless
there is an unforeseen emergency. The
recorded vote of 19 to 14 is on passage and a vote in favor of passage
was a “right” vote. SB
211 passed the Senate but died in the Assembly.
(Favorable on
Passage) 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 business interests and goals. Senate
Bill 235 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.
The recorded vote of 21 to
12 is on passage and a vote in favor is a “right” vote.
The bill passed the Senate but died in the Assembly.
(Favorable on
Passage) This bill required every business that receives taxpayer
assistance of $25,000 or more in grants, loans or industrial revenue
bonds to comply with certain rules of conduct, such as paying workers
$8.20 per hour or more, providing health insurance, and maintaining the
current level of jobs in the state.
Failure to comply would require repayment of taxpayer funds with
penalties, and ineligibility for further assistance for ten years.
The recorded vote of 18 to
15 was on passage and a vote in favor was a “right” vote.
SB 460 passed the Senate but died in the Assembly.
(Favorable on
Passage) In order to make the property tax in
Wisconsin
more equitable for
working families, the uniformity clause of the State Constitution must
be amended to allow the state to target property tax relief to
homeowners. Currently,
because of the uniformity clause, any state funds for property tax
relief must go to business as well which makes any such relief much more
costly and unlikely. SJR 59
was a constitutional amendment that would modify the uniformity clause
to allow the Legislature to target relief to homeowners.
The recorded vote of 18 to
15 was on passage and a vote in favor was a “right” vote.
SJR 59 passed the Senate but died in the Assembly.
(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 31 to
2 was on passage and a vote for passage was a “right” vote.
AB 206 passed both houses of the Legislature and was signed
by the Governor.
(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 33 to
0 is on passage and a vote in favor is 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 funds for a federal extension, but
the state UI law will still benefit some workers not covered by the
federal extension. The
recorded vote of 32 to 0 was on passage and a vote for passage was a “right”
vote. AB 742 passed both
houses of the Legislature and was signed by the Governor.
Note:
Senate
Bill 251 (Worker’s Compensation)
was not included in the Senate Roll Call because it
was a voice vote.
