2019-02-19 Senate Journal

STATE OF WISCONSIN

Senate Journal

One-Hundred and Fourth Regular Session

TUESDAY, February 19, 2019

The Chief Clerk made the following entries under the above date.

_____________

Petitions and Communications

hist97792 Pursuant to Senate Rule 17 (5), Senator Larson added as a coauthor of Senate Bill 30.

_____________

State of Wisconsin

Office of the Governor

EXECUTIVE ORDER #11

Relating to the Creation of the Governor’s Task Force on Caregiving

WHEREAS, caregivers and the direct care workforce provide critical services that promote the wellbeing and enhance the quality of life for thousands of Wisconsinites;

WHEREAS, the direct care workforce is facing a shortage that negatively impacts the ability for Wisconsin families to obtain the care they need;

WHEREAS, a significant number of caregiving positions go unfilled each year, leaving individuals in need of care with less access to care;

WHEREAS, people across Wisconsin are providing care to their friends and family members;

WHEREAS, Wisconsin’s caregivers should be recognized and celebrated for the services they provide to some of Wisconsin’s most vulnerable populations;

WHEREAS, it is increasingly difficult for providers to staff and maintain a consistent team of caregivers, placing stress on residential care and nursing home facilities;

WHEREAS, all Wisconsinites who depend on caregivers should have access to affordable, quality care that allows them to live with dignity and respect; and

WHEREAS, the state of Wisconsin can and must do more to support all types of caregivers and the families and individuals they serve;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, TONY EVERS, Governor of the State of Wisconsin, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the Laws of the State, hereby order the following:

1

1.

Establish the Governor’s task Force on Caregiving under Section 14.019 of the Wisconsin Statutes. The task force shall be staffed by the Department of Health Services with technical assistance provided by the Department of Workforce Development as needed. The Governor shall appoint an individual to chair the Task Force and additional task force members as follows:

a

a.

Members of the Legislature, representing each caucus;

b

b.

At least one individual who receives caregiving services;

c

c.

At least one individual who provides caregiving services;

d

d.

At least one individual representing a provider who employs direct care workers;

e

e.

At least one individual from an organization providing respite services; and

f

f.

Such other individuals as the Governor shall appoint.

2

2.

The Task Force shall be charged with the following:

a

a.

Analyzing strategies to attract and retain a strong direct care workforce;

b

b.

Supporting families providing care for their loved ones through respite services and other supports;

c

c.

Assessing compensation and fringe benefits for caregivers including ways to make healthcare affordable for the caregiving workforce through employer-sponsored plans, Medicaid buy-in plans, or other health insurance coverage options;

d

d.

Establishing one or more registries of home care providers and developing a plan to provide referral or matching services for individuals in need of home care;

e

e.

Developing a plan to implement recruitment and retention programs to expand the pool of providers; and

f

f.

Exploring and developing solutions, in collaboration with relevant departments and agencies, to support and strengthen the direct care workforce, increase access, and improve the quality of caregiving in Wisconsin.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin to be affixed. Done at the Capitol in the City of Madison this eighteenth day of February, in the year two thousand nineteen.

TONY EVERS

Governor

By the Governor:

  DOUGLAS LA FOLLETTE

  Secretary of State

_____________

State of Wisconsin

Wisconsin Ethics Commission

February 19, 2019

The Honorable, the Senate:

Pursuant to Wis. Stats. §13.685 (7), we are providing the enclosed information. Please visit the Wisconsin Ethics Commission’s Eye on Lobbying website, https://lobbying.wi.gov, for more detailed information about lobbyists, lobbying principals (organizations), and state agency liaisons.

Blair, Katherine   Marathon Petroleum Corporation and Subsidiaries

Blumenfeld, Michael   Wisconsin Child Support Enforcement Association

Boyer, Amy   JUUL Labs, Inc.

Cardona, Mary   Wisconsin Community Media (formerly WI Assn of Public, Ed. and Govt Access Channels, Inc.)

Childress, Jason   Shatterproof

Coenen, Scott   Wisconsin Conservative Energy Forum

Ferreira, Laken   Axon Enterprise, Inc.

Holschbach, Todd   The Nature Conservancy

Kussow, Michelle   Wisconsin Conservative Energy Forum

Lamb, Jordan   Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation

Leibham, Joe   Shatterproof

Madorsky, Alexander   The Nature Conservancy