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LRB-1132/1
ALL:all
2021 - 2022 LEGISLATURE
January 4, 2021 - Introduced by Representatives Vos, Summerfield, James,
Tusler, Cabral-Guevara, Born, Steineke, Wichgers, Magnafici, Dallman,
Katsma, Callahan, Kuglitsch, J. Rodriguez, Vorpagel, Snyder, Duchow,
Schraa, Petersen, Thiesfeldt, Swearingen, Zimmerman, Edming, Wittke
and Moses. Referred to Committee on Health.
AB1,2,2 1An Act to repeal 153.23 (1); to renumber and amend 153.23 (2) and 450.11
2(5) (br) 3.; to amend 13.101 (4d), 40.26 (5m), 40.26 (6) (intro.), 70.511 (2) (a),
374.35 (5) (c), 74.37 (4) (b), 108.04 (3) (b), 108.062 (20) (intro.), 108.07 (5) (bm) 1.,
4108.07 (5) (bm) 2. a., 118.133 (1) (a), 118.133 (1) (b), 118.133 (2), 252.02 (3),
5323.19 (3), 440.15, 450.01 (11m), 450.01 (21s), 450.02 (1), 450.035 (2g), 450.035
6(2i) (a), 450.035 (2i) (b), 450.035 (3), 450.035 (4), 450.11 (5) (br) 2. d., 609.205 (2)
7(intro.) and (a), 609.205 (3) (intro.), 632.895 (14g) (b) and 632.895 (16v) (a)
8(intro.); and to create 49.45 (3) (e) 9m., 49.45 (4r), 49.45 (39n), 50.083, 50.33
9(2d), 50.36 (5m), 50.49 (6m) (d), 101.643, 103.375, 108.07 (5) (bm) 1m., 252.02
10(5m), 252.03 (2g), 252.03 (2m), 440.08 (2) (a) 69g., 440.094, 447.01 (1e), 447.01
11(8) (az), 447.01 (11), 447.059, 450.01 (13w), 450.01 (23) (p), 450.03 (1) (fm),
12450.075, 450.11 (5) (br) 3. b., 609.205 (3m), 655.0025 and 895.476 of the
13statutes; relating to: state government actions to address the COVID-19
14pandemic, extending the time limit for emergency rule procedures, providing

1an exemption from emergency rule procedures, and granting rule-making
2authority.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Correctional system
Death of an inmate
Under current law, if an individual dies while he or she is in the legal custody
of the Department of Corrections and confined to a correctional facility located in this
state, an autopsy on the deceased individual must be performed. Under this bill,
until the conclusion of a national emergency declared by the U.S. president in
response to the 2019 novel coronavirus, if an individual who has been diagnosed with
COVID-19 dies, the coroner or medical examiner may perform a limited
examination of the deceased individual instead of a full autopsy, which may include
an external examination of the body of the deceased individual, a review of the
deceased individual's medical records, or a review of the deceased individual's
radiographs. These changes were enacted in 2019 Wisconsin Act 185, but applied
only during the state of emergency related to public health declared on March 12,
2020.
Courts
Civil liability exemption for certain entities relating to COVID-19 claims
The bill establishes a civil liability exemption for entities for any act or failure
to act resulting in or relating to a person's exposure to the novel coronavirus
identified as SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 in the course of or through the performance
or provision of the entity's functions or services. Under the bill, entities are defined
to include any legal entity, including businesses, associations, governmental
entities, schools, institutions of higher education, or nonprofit organizations, as well
as employers or business owners, employees, agents, or independent contractors of
the entity, regardless of whether they are paid or volunteers. Under the bill,
immunity does not apply if the act or omission involves reckless or wanton conduct
or intentional misconduct. The bill provides that an entity's noncompliance with any
national, state, or local order requiring entities to close or limit capacity does not
constitute reckless or wanton conduct or intentional misconduct for purposes of
immunity under the bill. The immunity granted in the bill applies retroactively to
claims accruing on or after March 1, 2020, except that it does not apply to actions filed
before the bill goes into effect.
Education
Full-time open enrollment; applications for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school
years
Under current law, a pupil may attend a public school, including a virtual
charter school, in a school district other than the pupil's resident school district
(nonresident school district) under the full-time open enrollment program (OEP).

For purposes of the OEP, a virtual charter school is located in the school district that
authorized the virtual charter school.
The standard OEP application procedure requires a pupil's parent to apply to
a nonresident school district during the spring semester immediately preceding the
school year in which the pupil wishes to attend the nonresident school district.
However, current law provides an alternative application procedure that allows a
pupil's parent to apply to a nonresident school district at any time during the school
year if certain circumstances apply. One of the circumstances under which a pupil
may apply using the alternative application procedure is if the parent of the pupil
and the nonresident school board agree that attending school in the nonresident
school district is in the best interests of the pupil. Current law allows a resident
school board to deny a pupil's application if the resident school board determines the
circumstance relied upon by the pupil to use the alternative application procedure
does not apply to the pupil. Current law also provides an appeal process in the event
the resident school board denies a pupil's application.
Under the bill, during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years, if a pupil submits
an OEP application using the alternative application procedure on the basis of the
pupil's parent and nonresident school board agreeing that attending school in the
nonresident school district is in the best interests of the pupil, the pupil's resident
school board may not deny the application for any reason.
Current law also limits the number of nonresident school boards to which a
pupil may apply to attend a public school under the OEP to no more than three
nonresident school boards in any school year. Under the bill, this limitation does not
apply to 1) applications for the 2020-21 school year that are submitted under the
alternative application procedure; or 2) applications for the 2021-22 school year that
are submitted under the standard or alternative application procedure.
School board reports on virtual instruction provided during the 2020-21 and
2021-22 school years
Under the bill, by 30 days after the end of each semester in the 2020-21 and
2021-22 school years, each school board must submit a report to the Department of
Public Instruction that contains various information related to virtual instruction
provided during the semester, including the amount of certain expenditure
reductions or increases related to providing virtual instruction. Under the bill, DPI
must compile and report to the legislature the information it receives from school
boards for the first semester by the following April 1 and for the second semester by
the following September 1. For the 2021-22 school year, a school board does not have
to submit a report for a semester during which the school board does not provide
virtual instruction in lieu of in-person instruction.
School boards were required to report similar information to DPI related to
virtual instruction and school board operations while schools were closed by the
Department of Health Services in the 2019-20 school year.
School board requirements for virtual instruction
Beginning on January 11, 2021, and ending on the last day of the 2021-22
school year, a school board may not provide virtual instruction to pupils instead of
in-person instruction unless approved by a two-thirds vote of the school board

members. Each school board approval of virtual instruction is valid for 14 days. A
school board may reauthorize the virtual instruction only by subsequent two-thirds
votes of the school board members.
Interscholastic athletic association; transfer rules in the 2020-21 and
2021-22 school years
This bill prohibits a school district from being a member of an interscholastic
athletic association in the 2021-22 school year unless, during the 2020-21 and
2021-22 school years, the association allows an exception to the association's
transfer rules based on the manner in which educational programming was
delivered during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years. Specifically, under the bill,
for purposes of eligibility in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years, the
interscholastic athletic association must consider the method by which educational
programming was delivered during the 2020-21 or 2021-22 school year to be an
extenuating circumstance that justifies transferring schools. Under the bill, the
“method of delivering educational programming” includes virtual instruction,
in-person instruction, and a combination of both virtual and in-person instruction.
Additionally, if a waiver is granted based on the method of delivering educational
programming in the 2020-21 or 2021-22 school year, the association must allow the
pupil to play any level of athletics, including varsity athletics.
Interscholastic athletics and extracurricular activities; virtual charter
school pupils
The bill allows a pupil who attends a virtual charter school to participate in
interscholastic athletics and extracurricular activities in the pupil's resident school
district.
Under current law, a school board must allow a homeschooled pupil who resides
in the school district to participate in interscholastic athletics and extracurricular
activities. Current law further provides that a school board may charge a
homeschooled pupil a participation fee on the same basis that the school board
charges participation fees to pupils enrolled in the school district. The bill extends
these provisions to pupils who attend a virtual charter school. Under the bill, a
school board may charge a virtual charter school pupil a participation fee on the same
basis it charges participation fees to pupils enrolled in the school district.
employment
Unemployment insurance; plan to address claims backlog
The bill requires the Department of Workforce Development to, within 30 days
of the effective date of the bill, publish a plan to address the backlog of unemployment
insurance claims, and also requires DWD to extend the hours of the unemployment
insurance call center to 12 hours per day, seven days per week, until the backlog has
been addressed. Under the bill, the backlog is considered to be addressed when the
number of weekly claims in process are at levels comparable to those in January and
February 2020.
Unemployment insurance; work-share programs
Current law allows an employer to create a work-share program within a work
unit of the employer. Under a work-share program, the working hours of all of the

full-time employees in the program are reduced in an equitable manner in lieu of a
layoff of some of the employees and a continuation of full-time employment by the
other employees. A claimant for UI benefits who is included in a work-share
program may receive UI benefits during his or her continued employment with the
work-share employer in an amount equal to the claimant's benefit for total
unemployment multiplied by the same percentage reduction in normal working
hours that the claimant incurs under the program. Current law also provides for the
temporary modification of certain requirements that apply to work-share plans with
respect to work-share plans submitted on or after April 17, 2020, and before
December 31, 2020. The bill provides that these modifications also apply while a
national emergency declared by the U.S. president in response to the 2019 novel
coronavirus remains in effect, but not later than July 3, 2021.
Unemployment insurance; waiting period
Currently, a claimant must generally wait one week after becoming eligible to
receive UI benefits before the claimant may receive benefits for a week of
unemployment, but the application of the one-week waiting period is temporarily
suspended for benefit years that began after March 12, 2020, and before February
7, 2021. This bill extends the end date for suspending the one-week waiting period
to March 14, 2021.
Unemployment insurance; benefit charging
Current law, as enacted in 2019 Wisconsin Act 185, requires DWD, when
processing claims for UI benefits and evaluating work-share plans, to determine
whether a claim or plan is related to the public health emergency declared by the
governor under Executive Order 72. If a claim is so related, current law provides that
the regular benefits for that claim for weeks occurring after March 12, 2020, and
before December 31, 2020, not be charged to the employers' accounts in the
unemployment trust fund or to the employers directly, as is normally provided.
Instead, the benefits for those weeks are, subject to numerous exceptions, to be
charged to other accounts. This bill provides for this noncharging of benefits to
continue through March 13, 2021, and requires DWD to presume that an initial
claim for benefit years beginning on or after March 15, 2020, through March 13,
2021, relates to the public health emergency declared on March 12, 2020, by
Executive Order 72 unless one of certain exceptions applies. The bill provides that
an employer is not required to submit a request for charging relief for initial claims
filed through March 13, 2021.
Prohibiting vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 as condition of employment
This bill prohibits an employer from requiring an individual to receive a vaccine
against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus or show evidence of having received such a
vaccine.
health and human services
Medical Assistance payment for hospitals for nursing facility care
The bill requires DHS to provide reimbursement or a supplemental payment
to hospitals under the Medical Assistance program for providing
nursing-facility-level custodial care. To receive reimbursement or supplemental

payment, the hospital must notify DHS that it is participating as a swing bed
hospital under the Medical Assistance program and providing custodial care for
which federal financial participation is approved to an individual who is eligible for
discharge after receiving inpatient care in the hospital, who needs
nursing-facility-level care, and for whom the hospital is unable to locate a nursing
facility that accepts the individual for admission. If providing reimbursement
instead of supplemental payment, DHS must pay the hospital the statewide average
per-diem rate paid to nursing facilities. DHS must use the same standards and
eligibility criteria as the federal Medicare program uses to determine
reimbursement for swing beds or, for hospitals that are not critical access hospitals,
the terms of a federal waiver issued during the federally declared national
emergency related to the 2019 novel coronavirus. This requirement to reimburse
hospitals for providing nursing facility care applies until June 30, 2021, or until the
termination of any public health emergency declared by the secretary of the federal
Department of Health and Human Services related to the 2019 novel coronavirus,
whichever is earlier.
Reimbursement for outpatient services provided by hospitals
The bill requires DHS to provide reimbursement through the Medical
Assistance program to a hospital for services provided on an outpatient basis that are
usually reimbursed when provided at the hospital's inpatient facility but are
provided at the hospital's outpatient facility due to the 2019 novel coronavirus
pandemic. To receive reimbursement under the bill, the outpatient services must be
approved for federal financial participation and must be provided in a facility that
is operated by the hospital and is certified for outpatient services under the federal
Medicare program, including under the terms of a federal waiver issued during the
federally declared national emergency related to the 2019 novel coronavirus. DHS
must seek any federal approval necessary to provide the reimbursement. The
reimbursement requirement applies until the conclusion of a public health
emergency declared by the secretary of the federal Department of Health and
Human Services in response to the 2019 novel coronavirus or until June 30, 2021,
whichever is earlier.
Coverage of vaccinations under SeniorCare
DHS administers the SeniorCare program, which provides assistance to
individuals who are elderly in the purchase of prescription drugs. 2019 Wisconsin
Act 185
requires DHS to include under the SeniorCare program coverage of
vaccinations that are recommended for administration to adults by the federal
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices and approved by DHS. DHS must also provide payments to health care
providers that administer the vaccinations and submit claims for payment in the
manner required. SeniorCare is operated under a waiver of federal Medicaid laws,
but DHS is required to operate the program regardless of whether a waiver is
received from the federal government. The bill clarifies that DHS must cover and
reimburse vaccinations under SeniorCare as required under 2019 Wisconsin Act 185
by January 15, 2021, regardless of whether a federal waiver is received.

Medical Assistance reimbursement for COVID-19 vaccines and tests
administered by pharmacists
The bill requires DHS to ensure that vaccines against SARS-CoV-2
coronavirus and tests for COVID-19 that are otherwise covered and reimbursed
under the Medical Assistance program are covered and reimbursed when
administered by a pharmacist acting under the scope of practice, which currently
includes the administration of vaccines by pharmacists that meet certain criteria.
DHS must certify pharmacists as Medical Assistance providers as necessary to cover
and reimburse pharmacists for administering COVID-19 vaccines and tests as the
bill requires. Current law requires DHS to reimburse pharmacists for administering
vaccines to children if the federal Department of Health and Human Services has
approved the request by DHS to amend the state's Medical Assistance plan to allow
such reimbursement and if the pharmacist enrolls in the federal Vaccines for
Children Program.
Utilization data in the Medical Assistance program
This bill requires DHS to provide, semiannually, to any health care data
aggregator all fee-for-service and managed care encounter claims data and data
specifications for the Medical Assistance program. A health care data aggregator is
a data organization or entity that collects, analyzes, and disseminates health care
information under current law and requests that DHS provide the data to it. Current
law provides that a data organization contracts with the state to analyze and report
health care claims information collected from insurers and administrators and
provides that an entity is under contract to collect, analyze, and disseminate claims
and other health information from hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. Either
the data organization, the entity, or both could be a health care data aggregator
under the bill.
Under the bill, after DHS provides a health care data aggregator with the
Medical Assistance data, the health care data aggregator, within five days or a longer
period specified by DHS, must create a data set with information that has eliminated
the ability to trace the information back to a specific patient and then destroy the
original data. Once the patient information cannot be traced back to a specific
patient the information is known as de-identified health information. The health
care data aggregator must make the de-identified data set available to the public
and may disseminate custom data sets and reports containing de-identified health
information. This de-identified health information must meet the requirements in
the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, for
ensuring that patient information is not individually identifiable. HIPAA generally
requires that health information that identifies a specific individual be kept
confidential except for treatment, billing, and other limited purposes but allows the
use of health information if it cannot identify the individual. The health care data
aggregator, in its treatment of the Medical Assistance data received under the bill,
must comply with the same patient confidentiality requirements as apply to its
collection of data under current law.

Local health officer orders in response to communicable disease outbreak
Currently, local health officers have the statutory authority to do what is
reasonable and necessary for the prevention and suppression of disease and forbid
public gatherings when necessary to control outbreaks or epidemics among other
public health powers. In addition, local health officers must take all measures
necessary to prevent, suppress, and control communicable diseases and report those
measures to the appropriate governing body along with the progress of the
communicable disease. Under this bill, a local health officer may enforce an order
to close or restrict capacity of businesses to control outbreaks and epidemics of the
2019 novel coronavirus for a maximum of 14 days unless the governing body of the
local governmental unit in which the order is intended to apply approves an
extension of the order. Each extension may not exceed 14 days.
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