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Please see http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov for the production version.
Under current law, the Department of Transportation may award grants to
public and private organizations for the development and implementation of
demand management, ride-sharing, and job access and employment transportation
assistance programs. This bill increases the amount of state monies appropriated for
the development and implementation of job access and employment transportation
assistance programs by $249,450 in each year of the 2019-21 fiscal biennium.
Under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA),
federal funds are allocated to the state and, in turn, to local workforce development
areas designated by the governor to provide employment and training activities for
job seekers and workers. The WIOA repealed a prior law known as the federal
Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), which contained a number of similar
provisions. To receive funding under the WIOA, the governor must establish a state
workforce development board. This bill requires the board to identify certain

populations for services under their WIOA strategic plans. The populations to be
included are: 1) homeless individuals from ages 18 to 24; 2) certain children placed
in out-of-home care; and 3) homeless adults.
This bill repeals a provision concerning review and approval of certain matters
regarding assistance to dislocated workers that was administered as part of the WIA,
but that no longer exists. In addition, the bill updates references to the United States
Code sections regarding WIOA.
Community action agencies
This bill provides a 25 percent match from state funding to the federal
community services block grant, which funds the work of community action agencies.
A community action agency is an entity that provides services such as employment
or housing assistance, financial planning, or educational services to individuals
whose income is at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty line and that works
to combat poverty in the community that it serves.
This bill also requires the Department of Health Services to establish a grant
program to provide grants to community action agencies to enable them to respond
to the needs of communities and low-income families and individuals in crisis
resulting from opioid addiction-related issues. Through the program, DHS is
required to endeavor to expand and support effective community efforts to identify
and respond to causes and consequences of opioid misuse and addiction experienced
by low-income individuals, families, and communities. Under the bill, DHS shall
award grants of at least $25,000 and up to $250,000 per year. The bill sets out criteria
DHS must use in awarding grants, as well as characteristics of applications to which
DHS must give preference. Grants under the bill may not be more than three years
in duration unless approved by the DHS secretary.
Public assistance advisory committee
This bill requires DHS, in consultation with DCF and DOA, to create an
advisory committee to review proposed legislation and proposed requests for
approval from the federal government of changes to public assistance programs and
to review performance data outcomes and costs of changes to public assistance
programs after federal approval of changes to those programs. The bill specifies
participants DHS must appoint to the advisory committee. The bill also requires a
state agency that administers a public assistance program to hold a public comment
period before developing language for a proposal to waive federal law and to conduct
no fewer than three public hearings on the proposed waiver before submitting to the
federal government. The agency may not submit the request on the proposed waiver
without prior approval of the proposed waiver request by the Joint Committee on
Finance.
Sober living and mental health
This bill requires DHS to encourage the development, expansion, and quality
control of networks of sober living residences and to allocate moneys to create a
revolving loan fund for establishing sober living residences or a network of sober
living residences or to award grants for purposes specified in the bill.

This bill requires DHS to award grants to entities or groups that meet its
qualifications to perform research projects on mental health issues and access to
mental health services in rural areas of the state.
Nonemergency medical transportation services
This bill requires DHS to determine and implement a reimbursement rate for
nonemergency medical transportation services for Medical Assistance recipients
who are nursing home residents that is the same as the prevalent brokerage
reimbursement rate applied to other nonemergency medical transportation services
for Medical Assistance recipients.
Household and dependent care services expenses tax credit
This bill creates a nonrefundable individual income tax credit for certain
expenses for household and dependent care services, based on a similar federal
credit.
Under current federal law, there exists a tax credit for expenses for household
and dependent care services necessary for gainful employment. Generally, the
federal credit is a nonrefundable individual income tax credit that may be claimed
by an individual for employment-related expenses for household services and
dependent care services for a qualifying individual. Because the credit is
nonrefundable, it may be claimed only up to the amount of a taxpayer's tax liability.
Generally, under federal law, a qualifying individual is someone who has the
same principal place of abode as the claimant for more than one-half of the year, is
the claimant's dependent, and is 1) a child age 12 or under; 2) a child age 13 or older
who is incapable of self-care; or 3) the claimant's spouse who is incapable of self-care.
The credit may be claimed for expenses to enable the claimant to be gainfully
employed or actively search for gainful employment. Generally, allowable expenses
for a qualifying individual under federal law include costs for in-home care or
daycare, nursery school or preschool programs, and before-school and after-school
care for school-age children. Depending on the claimant's adjusted gross income, the
credit may be worth between 20 percent and 35 percent of the claimant's allowable
expenses, up to a maximum annual amount of $3,000 if there is one qualifying
individual and up to $6,000 if there are two or more qualifying individuals.
This bill creates a nonrefundable individual income tax credit based on the
federal tax credit for expenses for household and dependent care services. Under the
bill, an individual who is eligible for and claims the federal tax credit for expenses
for household and dependent care services may claim the same amount as a
nonrefundable credit on his or her Wisconsin income tax return. Under the bill, the
Wisconsin credit may not be claimed by a part-year resident or nonresident of this
state.
Transportation
Under current law, DOT provides state aid payments to local public bodies in
urban areas served by mass transit systems to assist the local public bodies with the
expenses of operating those systems. This bill increases the total amount of state aid
payments for mass transit systems serving urban areas having a population of less
than 50,000 to $5,707,800 in calendar year 2020 and thereafter.

Children
This bill requires DCF to prepare and transmit to the governor and the
legislature an annual report on the number of children in out-of-home care in the
previous year who have experienced adverse childhood experiences. Under current
law, a child may be placed in out-of-home care, such as in a foster home, the home
of a guardian or relative other than a parent, or a group home, if a court assigned to
exercise jurisdiction under the Children's Code finds the child to be in need of
protection or services.
Higher education
This bill requires the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
to allocate $50,000 each fiscal year for the Institute for Research on Poverty at the
UW-Madison to study and provide an annual report to the public on poverty in this
state.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
AB508,1 1Section 1 . 16.03 (2) (d) of the statutes is created to read:
AB508,6,32 16.03 (2) (d) No later than January 1 of each odd-numbered year, do all of the
3following:
AB508,6,44 1. Review all of the state's housing and homelessness-related programs.
AB508,6,105 2. Identify ways in which the departments of administration, children and
6families, health services, public instruction, workforce development, and veterans
7affairs and the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority can
8increase access to services for homeless individuals and families, including
9individuals who are included in the category of homeless children and youths, as
10defined in 42 USC 11434a (2).
AB508,7,211 3. Advise each of the departments specified in subd. 2. and the Wisconsin
12Housing and Economic Development Authority to revise any policy or practice of the

1department or authority that the council determines impedes homeless individuals
2and families from obtaining services.
AB508,2 3Section 2. 16.306 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB508,7,124 16.306 (2) (a) From the appropriation appropriations under s. 20.505 (7) (fk)
5and
(fm), the department may award a grant to an eligible applicant for the purpose
6of providing housing and associated supportive services to homeless individuals and
7families to facilitate their movement to independent living if the conditions under
8par. (b) are satisfied. The department shall ensure that the funds for the grants are
9reasonably balanced among geographic areas of the state that correspond to the
10geographic areas served by each continuum of care organization designated by the
11federal department of housing and urban development, consistent with the quality
12of applications submitted
award grants under this paragraph on a competitive basis.
AB508,3 13Section 3 . 16.3085 (2) (b) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:
AB508,7,1814 16.3085 (2) (b) 2. Employment-related services, including connecting parents
15who are job training graduates or who have a recent work history with their local
16workforce development board established under 29 USC 2832 3122 and assisting
17them with using the job center website maintained by the department of workforce
18development.
AB508,4 19Section 4. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert
20the following amounts for the purposes indicated: - See PDF for table PDF
AB508,5 1Section 5. 20.435 (5) (cg) of the statutes is created to read:
AB508,8,42 20.435 (5) (cg) Rural mental health research grants. The amounts in the
3schedule for grants for research on mental health issues in rural areas under s.
446.538.
AB508,6 5Section 6. 20.435 (5) (em) of the statutes is created to read:
AB508,8,86 20.435 (5) (em) Sober living residences. Biennially, the amounts in the
7schedule to support sober living residences or sober living residence networks under
8s. 46.483.
AB508,7 9Section 7. 20.437 (2) (cs) of the statutes is created to read:
AB508,8,1310 20.437 (2) (cs) Community services block grant; state match. A sum sufficient
11to match 25 percent of the amounts received under 42 USC 9903 for the federal
12community services block grant for the purposes for which the the federal community
13services block grant funds are received.
AB508,8
1Section 8. 20.445 (1) (fc) of the statutes is created to read:
AB508,9,42 20.445 (1) (fc) Job and employment services; pilot program. The amounts in the
3schedule for the pilot program established under 2019 Wisconsin Act .... (this act),
4section 53 (1).
AB508,9 5Section 9 . 20.445 (1) (fc) of the statutes, as created by 2019 Wisconsin Act ....
6(this act), is repealed.
AB508,10 7Section 10. 20.505 (7) (fk) of the statutes is created to read:
AB508,9,98 20.505 (7) (fk) Housing grants. As a continuing appropriation, the amounts in
9the schedule for housing grants under s. 16.306.
AB508,11 10Section 11. 36.25 (56) of the statutes is created to read:
AB508,9,1511 36.25 (56) Annual poverty study. Of the moneys appropriated to the Board
12of Regents under s. 20.285 (1) (a), the board shall, beginning in fiscal year 2019-20,
13allocate $50,000 in each fiscal year for the Institute for Research on Poverty at the
14University of Wisconsin-Madison to study and provide an annual report to the public
15on poverty in this state.
AB508,12 16Section 12 . 38.40 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB508,9,2017 38.40 (2) Interagency assistance. The council on workforce investment
18established under 29 USC 2821 3111 and the department of public instruction shall
19assist the board in providing the technical preparation, school-to-work, and
20work-based learning programs under sub. (1m).
AB508,13 21Section 13. 46.483 of the statutes is created to read:
AB508,9,24 2246.483 Sober living residences. (1) Definition. In this section, “sober living
23residence" means a residential dwelling unit or other form of group housing that is
24offered or advertised by a person as a residence that provides a peer-supported,

1alcohol-free, and drug-free living environment where no treatment services are
2provided on-site and that would qualify for a loan under 42 USC 300x-25.
AB508,10,6 3(2) Requirement; funding support. The department shall encourage the
4development, expansion, and quality control of networks of sober living residences.
5From the appropriation under s. 20.435 (5) (em), the department shall allocate
6moneys for any of the following purposes:
AB508,10,87 (a) Creating a revolving loan fund for establishing a sober living residence or
8a network of sober living residences.
AB508,10,109 (b) Awarding grants to train and supervise field workers to provide technical
10assistance to sober living residences.
AB508,10,1311 (c) Awarding grants to entities that establish sober living residences or to sober
12living residences to support the development, expansion, and quality operation of
13sober living residences.
AB508,14 14Section 14. 46.538 of the statutes is created to read:
AB508,10,20 1546.538 Rural mental health research grants. From the appropriation
16under s. 20.435 (5) (cg), the department shall award $50,000 cumulatively in grants
17to entities or groups to perform research projects on mental health issues and access
18to mental health services in rural areas of the state. The department shall establish
19qualifications for entities and groups to be eligible to receive a grant under this
20section.
AB508,15 21Section 15 . 46.56 (14) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB508,11,1522 46.56 (14) (a) In order to support the development of a comprehensive service
23system of coordinated care for children who are involved in 2 or more systems of care
24and their families, the department shall establish a state advisory committee with
25representatives of county departments and tribal governing bodies, the department

1of public instruction, educational agencies, the department of children and families,
2the department of corrections, the juvenile correctional system, professionals
3experienced in the provision of services to children who are involved in 2 or more
4systems of care and their families, advocates for such families and their children, the
5subunit of the department of workforce development that administers vocational
6rehabilitation, a representative of the local workforce development board
7established under 29 USC 2832 3122, a representative of the philanthropy
8community, the technical college system, health care providers, courts assigned to
9exercise jurisdiction under chs. 48 and 938, child welfare officials, and other
10appropriate persons as selected by the department. The department may use an
11existing committee for this purpose if it has representatives from the listed groups
12and is willing to perform the required functions. This committee shall establish
13principles and core values for administering initiatives, monitor the development of
14initiatives throughout the state, and support communication and mutual assistance
15among operating initiatives as well as those that are being developed.
AB508,16 16Section 16. 48.47 (8) (d) of the statutes is created to read:
AB508,11,1817 48.47 (8) (d) The number of children in out-of-home care in the previous year
18who have experienced adverse childhood experiences.
AB508,17 19Section 17 . 49.143 (2) (a) 4m. e. of the statutes is amended to read:
AB508,11,2220 49.143 (2) (a) 4m. e. Coordinate with local workforce development boards
21established under 29 USC 2832 3122 to ensure compatibility of purpose and no
22duplication of effort.
AB508,18 23Section 18 . 49.163 (4) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB508,12,424 49.163 (4) Contract for administration. (intro.) The department may
25contract with any person to administer the program under this section, including a

1Wisconsin Works agency; county department under s. 46.215, 46.22, or 46.23; local
2workforce development board established under 29 USC 2832 3122; or community
3action agency under s. 49.265. The department, or the agency or agencies with which
4the department contracts under this subsection, shall do all of the following:
AB508,19 5Section 19. 49.265 (3) (b) 11. of the statutes is amended to read:
AB508,12,106 49.265 (3) (b) 11. Provide, to individuals who work at least 20 hours per week
7and whose earned income is at or below 150 200 percent of the poverty line, a program
8of skills enhancement that shall include access to transportation, child care, career
9counseling, job placement assistance, and financial support for education and
10training.
AB508,20 11Section 20. 49.265 (4) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB508,12,1612 49.265 (4) (a) The department shall distribute the federal community services
13block grant funds received under 42 USC 9903 and credited to the appropriation
14account under s. 20.437 (2) (mg). From the appropriation account under s. 20.437
15(2) (cs), the department shall distribute funds in an amount equal to 25 percent of
16the amounts received under 42 USC 9903.
AB508,21 17Section 21 . 49.265 (4) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB508,12,2018 49.265 (4) (b) The department shall allocate at least 90 percent of the funds
19received under 42 USC 9903 and the state matching funds under par. (a) to
20community action agencies and organizations.
AB508,22 21Section 22 . 49.265 (4) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB508,12,2422 49.265 (4) (c) The department may not allocate more than 5 percent of the funds
23received under 42 USC 9903 and the state matching funds under par. (a) for state
24administrative expenses.
AB508,23 25Section 23 . 49.45 (31m) of the statutes is created to read:
AB508,13,6
149.45 (31m) Nonemergency medical transportation services for nursing
2home residents.
The department shall determine and apply a reimbursement rate
3for nonemergency medical transportation services under s. 49.46 (2) (b) 3. for
4Medical Assistance recipients who are nursing home residents that is the same as
5the prevalent brokerage reimbursement rate applied to other nonemergency medical
6transportation services for Medical Assistance recipients under this subchapter.
AB508,24 7Section 24 . 49.675 of the statutes is created to read:
AB508,13,10 849.675 Community action opioid response grant program. (1) In this
9section, “community action agency” means an eligible entity as defined under 42
10USC 9902
(1) (A).
AB508,13,17 11(2) The department shall establish a grant program to enable community
12action agencies to respond to the needs of communities and low-income families and
13individuals in crisis resulting from the opioid addiction epidemic. Through the
14program under this section, the department shall endeavor to expand and support
15effective community efforts to identify and respond to causes and consequences of
16opioid misuse and addiction experienced by low-income individuals, families, and
17communities.
AB508,13,20 18(3) Any community action agency is eligible to apply for a grant under this
19section by submitting an application in the form and manner specified by the
20department.
AB508,13,23 21(4) A recipient of a grant under this section may use the moneys to support one
22or more of the following activities, which may be conducted in coordination or
23partnership with other community organizations:
AB508,14,3
1(a) Enhanced public education to improve individual and community
2awareness, with respect to the opioid misuse or addiction, including for children and
3youth.
AB508,14,64 (b) Outreach and identification of individuals at risk of or experiencing opioid
5misuse or addiction, and referral of such individuals to appropriate treatment,
6recovery, or other resources in the community.
AB508,14,77 (c) Direct services to prevent, treat, or recover from opioid addiction.
AB508,14,98 (d) Services to stabilize the education, employment, housing, transportation,
9or other needs of addicted or at-risk individuals and their family members.
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