Wisconsin honey producers will get new protections under a bill being signed into law today by Governor Doyle. The new law requires the state Ag Department to establish “honey standards,” and prohibits products from being labeled as Wisconsin honey if they fail to comply. State Representative Phil Garthwaite (D-Dickeyville) is the author of the measure.

Rep. Garthwaite (:13)

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The Assembly passed the bill in January and the Senate concurred on a voice vote. The honey industry has been working on a national level to implement standards.

Contributed by John Colbert-WIBA

Wisconsin ambulance drivers are raising concerns about a proposal to require additional training.

Legislation from state Representative Kim Hixson (D-Whitewater) would require ambulance drivers to become certified by completing a safety course. He says those behind the wheel of a large vehicle at high rates of speed need to have a high level of training.

However, Mindy Allen with the Wisconsin EMS Association says drivers already undergo a great deal of training which does cover safety. She worries the mandate would put an extra burden on a job that’s largely filled by volunteers.

Allen says additional training could be included in existing courses, which EMTs are required to take every two years for re-certification.

Wisconsin has had 60 accidents involving an ambulance in the last five years. Two of those crashes resulted in fatalities.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (:56)

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With HIV rates on the rise in Milwaukee, there’s a proposal to mandate testing as state inmates are released from prison. Doctor Patricia McManus with the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin noted that African Americans account for more than fifty percent of the state’s adult prison population, and that inmates in general, and black man in particular, usually don’t talk about sexual contacts they may have while in prison. “They won’t tell what their activities are,” McManus said. “There are people who do not see themselves as a homosexual or as gay, and some are not, they engage in it for a number of reasons.” 

Dr. Patricia McManus (5:30 MP3)  AUDIO: Dr. Patricia McManus (5:30 MP3)

McManus said the mandatory testing proposed by Milwaukee Democrat, state Representative Barbara Toles, would help to control the rate of HIV infections in the black community. The bill (AB 750) would also require that inmates on extended supervision be tested six to seven months after their release. But William Groshans with the Department of Corrections questioned the cost effectiveness of such testing. “In 2007, DOC and the Department of Health Services conducted an analysis to determine how many additional cases of HIV would be identified with mandatory testing before release,” said Groshans. The results showed that only five to ten additional positive HIV tests would result. Groshans said DOC already offers inmates HIV testing twice a year, and that the agency estimates the cost of testing the 8900 inmates released each year would be more than $1.5 million.

William Groshans (5:15 MP3)  AUDIO: William Groshans (5:15 MP3)

The push for legislation that would allow for the creation of Regional Transit Authorities across the state is bringing out a variety of opinions at the Capitol.

A legislative committee on Thursday heard several hours of testimony on four bills dealing with forming RTAs. One creates a statewide process, while others deal with southeastern Wisconsin, the Fox Valley, and La Crosse.

State Representative Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) says there’s a critical need for RTAs to help integrate transportation networks. However, state Representative Al Ott (R-Forest Junction) questioned whether four separate proposals is the best way to accomplish that goal. Ott says it makes more sense to combine the issue into one piece of legislation.

Still, Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna was among several to testify that legislation targeting specific areas would help to deal with the complex issues facing each region.

Regional Transit Authorities are seen as necessary by several groups for the expansion of transportation systems to help attract businesses and jobs. Supporters of RTA legislation say a consensus is needed before the legislative session ends in a few weeks, or the state risks losing out on federal funding for public transportation.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (:53)

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Legislation to create a statewide standard on where sex offenders can be placed was the subject of a Capitol hearing Thursday. The bill’s cosponsor, Merill Republican Representative Don Friske, said placing released sex offenders in communities is a hot button issue. “Each of us know, as representatives, there is nothing that fills a school auditorium quicker than trying to reintegrate a sex offender into your community,” Friske told the Assembly Committee on Corrections and the Courts. “As distastefully as I find that, and as troubling as a I find that, we’ll take ours, we don’t want yours.”

There are now more than one hundred such ordinances around the state, up from just 26 two years ago, and Friske said that trend could put communities which don’t enact such restrictions at a disadvantage. “Eventually you’re going to get to a point where your are isolating those communities and moving those sex offenders that require placement by Department of Corrections into areas that the offender’s not familiar with, but more importantly where the community’s not familiar with them.”

The bill (AB 759) prohibits local municipalities from creating ordinances to restrict placement of sex offenders by the Department of Corrections. One such ordinance is in Sheboygan, where Jim Gischia is Common Council president. “There’s been an awakening in our community, and our community now understands that previous policies or current policies have turned Sheboygan into an oasis for hundreds of sex offenders,” Gischia told the committee. Alderman Steve Olson of Franklin, the first city to pass such an ordinance, said his Milwaukee suburb was victimized by its larger neighbor and enacted the ordinance to protect itself. 

But should the state Department of Corrections be able to place released sex offenders in the communities where they offended, even if those communities object? State Representative Mark Gundrum isn’t so sure. “I’ve seen the Department of Corrections place a twice convicted child molester right next door to a home with seven young children,” said the New Berlin Republican. “I know that there are placement decisions that aren’t always perfect . . . we strive to do the best that we can,” said Melissa Roberts with the Department of Corrections, testifying in favor of the bill. “We feel that this (bill) will foster the communication on the local level, between our agents who are there in the community . . . and law enforcement.”

Bob Hague (1:10 MP3) AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (1:10 MP3)

Proposed legislation at the state Capitol that would allow the governor to challenge deployment orders for the Wisconsin National Guard is drawing some concerns from lawmakers.

The bill from state Representative Spencer Black (D-Madison) would give the Governor the power to contest orders to deploy Guard troops overseas, if he believes the conflict isn’t authorized by Congress. The Governor could take a challenge to the federal court and ask for a deployment to be stopped.

During a Capitol hearing for the bill Tuesday, state Representative Marlin Schneider (D-Wisconsin Rapids) questioned why governors should be given oversight on a process that’s already closely examined on the federal level. Schneider says the bill would basically allow the Governor to question the actions of the federal government.

Representative Jerry Petrowski (R-Marathon) also worries that a federal court could delay a mobilization based on a challenge, resulting in deployed troops being denied back-up. He says it could put those on the battlefield at risk.

Representative Dan Meyer (R-Eagle River) also questioned the motivations behind the bill, asking if the proposal is just intended to address opposition to unpopular wars. Tuesday’s hearing drew testimony from several war opponents.

The bill is being considered by the Assembly Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (:59)

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With many rural districts facing growing budget problems, some are starting to look at consolidation as a way to provide more financial stability.  However, state Representative Fred Clark (D-Baraboo) says it can be a complex and stressful process for many districts. He says consolidation can be difficult for communities afraid of losing their identity, and proposals often lead to referendums on the issue.

Clark says current state law can lead to lengthy delays if a public referendum is required, since it can only be held during the November general election. He says districts then have to delay making important decisions while they wait to see if a consolidation plan will move ahead.

Clark is sponsoring legislation that would give school districts more flexibility in when those votes can take place by allowing them to be held in April or September instead. If it’s approved, a consolidation would take effect the following July.

The legislation is before the Assembly Education Committee.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:00)

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A bill moving through the legislature could decide whether a Wisconsin company stays in Wisconsin. Currently, health care billing companies are regulated by the Division of Banking in the Department of Financial Institutions. This bill creates an exemption for Dominion Medical Management, although during recent debate on the legislation, state Senator Jon Erpenbach (D-Waunakee) argued Dominion is a collection agency. “Make no mistake about it, that’s what they do,” Erpenbach said. “They go after debt in the health care arena.”

But Bob Kebbekus, President of the Milwaukee area company, said that’s NOT what Dominion does – which is to provide billing services for doctor’s offices. “A collection agency is completely different that what a billing company does,” said Kebbekus. “We cannot file suit, we cannot submit to a credit bureau. We cannot do any of that as an extension of a physician’s office.”

The bill creates an exception from the definition of “collection agency” for health care billing companies like Dominion. Kebbekus said he was surprised that eight Senators voted against the bill. “Maybe it wouldn’t happen, but there is some fear that sometimes these billing agencies or collection agencies start harassing or being very aggressive in trying to get their bills paid,” said state Senator Judy Robson (D-Beloit). “I get a little bit concerned when we have deregulated an area that may in fact be protecting consumers.”

Kebbekus said what his company does for doctors doesn’t make it a collection agency, although it meets the definition laid out by DFI. “Just because we took the checks, and the checks are made out in the physician’s name, and we deposit them into the physician’s account . . .that in and of itself makes us a collector under the definition.” Kebbekus said he hopes to keep Dominion and its fifty jobs in Wisconsin, and to expand employment here, but that decision may depend on the fate of the legislation. The bill (SB 286) is currently available for consideration by the Assembly.

Bob Hague reports (1:10 MP3) AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (1:10 MP3)

Sen. Mark Miller, Rep. Spencer Black

State lawmakers have a new plan to protect Wisconsin’s water. The bill builds on a 2003 law, but state Representative Spencer Black said the Groundwater Protection Bill creates a new mechanism to protect areas impacted by excessive water withdrawals – for example, when farms or businesses apply to the state to drill a new well.

“It will allow concerned citizens to make a case that the well would have a significant adverse environmental impact on water resources,” Black said during a press conference held next to a spring in the UW Arboretum in Madison.

State Senator Mark Miller said the bill puts in place a water budget in affected areas, and a planning process to assure that water consumption equals water supply. “If there’s not a way to assure that new applications are balanced against the available supply, then that farmer or business person may find their supply in jeopardy.”

The bill creates groundwater management areas and groundwater attention areas, and calls for the counties to create groundwater management councils and develop plans for protecting their water resources. Black said he’s optimistic that they bill can be passed in this session of the legislature.

AUDIO: Miller, Black Q&A (9 min MP3)

It Looks as if Wisconsin kids will still be allowed to hoist a beer down at the local, as long as they’re with mom and dad. State Senator Judy Robson is author of legislation to prohibit kids under age eighteen from drinking in taverns with their parents, something that’s allowed under current law, if the individual tavern allows. “I was optimistic, it had bipartisan support getting out of committee,” said Robson. “We only have a few days left, and I know that the leader does not like the bill.”

The leader is Robson’s fellow Democrat, Majority Leader Russ Decker who, Robson said, will not allow a floor vote on the bill (SB 30). “The Tavern League does not object, they supported it, and it does make sense, because we know that 11, 12, 13 year olds can go into a tavern and drink with their parents. Robson said the brains of young teens aren’t developed to handle alcohol, and that Wisconsin has “a culture of drinking that we should be ashamed of.” Decker did not respond to a request for comment.