Wisconsin Legislature: 2023-08-04 Assembly Journal

The following bills, originating in the Assembly, have been vetoed in their entirety, and were returned to their house of origin, together with the objections in writing:

Bill Number Date of Veto

Assembly Bill 141 August 4, 2023

hist171154Assembly Bill 142 August 4, 2023

Assembly Bill 147 August 4, 2023

Assembly Bill 149 August 4, 2023

Assembly Bill 150 August 4, 2023

Assembly Bill 151 August 4, 2023

Assembly Bill 152 August 4, 2023

Assembly Bill 200 August 4, 2023

Assembly Bill 201 August 4, 2023

hist171134I am vetoing Assembly Bill 141 in its entirety.

This bill would prohibit state agencies and local units of government from restricting the use or sale of a device based on the energy source that is used to power the device or that is consumed by the device.

I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to the Legislature permanently preventing state agencies and local units of government from taking certain steps to limit certain types of devices based on energy source.

As innovative clean energy technologies and industries continue to improve, evolve, and become more competitive, cost efficient, and accessible, we should be working to make it easier, not harder, for our state to meet the needs of a 21st-century infrastructure, workforce, and economy. This bill ignores that basic reality. Signing this bill would not only jeopardize our state's and our communities' ability to meet current and future consumer needs and demands but would also diminish our collective ability to help combat climate change by moving toward new, innovative industries and technology.

Further, I also object to the Legislature's continued efforts to preempt local control and undermine trust in local governments across our state. The state should be a partner in – not an obstacle to – addressing the unique challenges facing our local communities.

I am vetoing Assembly Bill 142 in its entirety.

This bill would prohibit state agencies and local units of government from restricting the use or sale of motor vehicles based on the energy source used to power the motor vehicle, including use for propulsion or use for powering other functions of the motor vehicle.

I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to the Legislature permanently preventing state agencies and local units of government from taking certain steps to limit certain types of devices based on energy source.

As innovative clean energy technologies and industries continue to improve, evolve, and become more competitive, cost efficient, and accessible, we should be working to make it easier, not harder, for our state to meet the needs of a 21st-century infrastructure, workforce, and economy. This bill ignores that basic reality. Signing this bill would not only jeopardize our state's and our communities' ability to meet current and future consumer needs and demands but would also diminish our collective ability to help combat climate change by moving toward new, innovative industries and technology.

Further, I also object to the Legislature's continued efforts to preempt local control and undermine trust in local governments across our state. The state should be a partner in – not an obstacle to – addressing the unique challenges facing our local communities.

hist171135I am vetoing Assembly Bill 147 in its entirety.

This bill would make several modifications to the unemployment insurance laws and to worker's compensation relating to temporary disability. The bill would also provide that whenever unemployment benefits are augmented by congressional action or by executive action of the President of the United States, such augmentations must be approved by the Joint Committee on Finance.

'Reforms' to change or restrict economic assistance programs that are definitionally designed to support individuals and families experiencing economic hardship are not a silver-bullet solution to our state's workforce challenges. Indeed, if they were, then presumably the broad, sweeping changes passed by Republicans in this Legislature – many of whom are still serving – and enacted under my predecessor years ago now would have yielded substantial or material workforce benefits. And yet, our state's workforce challenges persist.

I continue to be perplexed by the Legislature's misplaced emphasis on changing and restricting economic assistance programs while offering no other comprehensive solutions or plans to meaningfully address our state's workforce challenges. Especially concerning is that, rather than supporting and passing the solutions and plans I have offered to comprehensively address our state's workforce challenges even in the absence of any plans of their own, the Legislature's apparent focus remains re-passing bills I have previously vetoed.

The people of Wisconsin expect their legislators to prioritize pressing issues facing our state and to work together to find real, impactful solutions to address those issues. The workforce challenges that have long plagued our state – challenges I believe will be imminently exacerbated by the looming fiscal cliff facing our state's child care industry – deserve the Legislature's immediate attention and urgent effort. The continued failure to address these challenges head-on will be catastrophic for our state's workforce, our communities, and our economy.

My commitment to the people of Wisconsin remains – I will always try to do the right thing, and I am committed to working with any legislator on either side of the aisle who shares my concerns and is ready to work together on substantive legislation to comprehensively address our state's workforce challenges.

Therefore, I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to creating additional barriers for individuals applying for and receiving benefits from a program that is designed to support people and families experiencing economic hardship. I also object to the Legislature's unnecessary interference in future unemployment benefit augmentations. As I noted to the Legislature when vetoing this bill previously, the people of Wisconsin have regularly experienced the consequences of the Legislature's – and, more specifically, the Joint Finance Committee's – refusal and failure to act expeditiously despite urgent and significant need. As just one example, the Legislature's needless delays in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic caused the state to lose out on approximately $25 million in federal funding to support additional economic assistance for Wisconsinites. By way of further example, if this bill had previously been enacted during the coronavirus as the state was implementing the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program, the two-week period necessary to accommodate the Joint Finance Committee's passive review period alone would have resulted in an estimated more than $360 million in lost funds. The people of Wisconsin simply cannot afford the Legislature's unnecessary, costly, and detrimental delays when they are facing economic uncertainty and our state is in the midst of an economic crisis.

Further, I object to this bill because the department already has substantial eligibility requirements and fraud prevention mechanisms in place to protect the unemployment system from potentially fraudulent activity. Since this bill would drastically alter the definition of misconduct in the statutes, there is risk that future unemployment insurance federal administration funds would be endangered, creating significant harm to the unemployment insurance system.

Finally, as I have indicated to this Legislature on previous occasions, modifications proposed to the state's unemployment insurance law should be considered as part of the long-established process of review and recommendation by the Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council, or in consultation with the council and the department. The process is intended to ensure that proposed modifications reflect the expertise and agreement of employers, workers and the department.

hist171136I am vetoing Assembly Bill 149 in its entirety.

This bill would make various changes under unemployment insurance law related to an individual’s availability for work and work search requirements.

'Reforms' to change or restrict economic assistance programs that are definitionally designed to support individuals and families experiencing economic hardship are not a silver-bullet solution to our state's workforce challenges. Indeed, if they were, then presumably the broad, sweeping changes passed by Republicans in this Legislature – many of whom are still serving – and enacted under my predecessor years ago now would have yielded substantial or material workforce benefits. And yet, our state's workforce challenges persist.

I continue to be perplexed by the Legislature's misplaced emphasis on changing and restricting economic assistance programs while offering no other comprehensive solutions or plans to meaningfully address our state's workforce challenges. Especially concerning is that, rather than supporting and passing the solutions and plans I have offered to comprehensively address our state's workforce challenges even in the absence of any plans of their own, the Legislature's apparent focus remains re-passing bills I have previously vetoed.

The people of Wisconsin expect their legislators to prioritize pressing issues facing our state and to work together to find real, impactful solutions to address those issues. The workforce challenges that have long plagued our state – challenges I believe will be imminently exacerbated by the looming fiscal cliff facing our state's child care industry – deserve the Legislature's immediate attention and urgent effort. The continued failure to address these challenges head-on will be catastrophic for our state's workforce, our communities, and our economy.

My commitment to the people of Wisconsin remains – I will always try to do the right thing, and I am committed to working with any legislator on either side of the aisle who shares my concerns and is ready to work together on substantive legislation to comprehensively address our state's workforce challenges.

Therefore, I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to creating additional barriers for individuals applying for and receiving unemployment insurance benefits, which is designed to provide critical support during economic hardships. State law already has several protections in place to prevent the fraudulent activity this bill purports to address, which makes this bill unnecessary and duplicative. Current law states that claimants must be able and available for work, actively look for work, and provide documentation for completing work search actions on a weekly basis. Claimants also must report weekly whether they have refused job offers or job referrals. Failure to meet or comply with these existing requirements may result in an individual losing benefits, rectifying overpayments, or being assessed penalties. Further, the required investigation and enforcement of the new provisions under the bill would create additional workload for the department, and the legislation does not provide any additional resources associated with these additional responsibilities.

Finally, as I have indicated to this Legislature on previous occasions, modifications proposed to the state’s unemployment insurance law should be considered as part of the long-established process of review and recommendation by the Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council, or in consultation with the council and the department. The process is intended to ensure that proposed modifications reflect the expertise and agreement of employers, workers and the department.

hist171137I am vetoing Assembly Bill 150 in its entirety.

This bill would make several changes to the unemployment insurance program, including: (a) changing the name of the program to "reemployment assistance," (b) creating additional work searches requirements for claimants after three weeks of benefit eligibility, (c) requiring the Department of Workforce Development to provide a list of at least four potential work opportunities each week for every claimant, (d) requiring a claimant to participate in employment workshops or training programs if the claimant is at risk of fully exhausting all unemployment benefits, (e) requiring the department to immediately promulgate administrative rules for drug testing claimants in certain occupations, and (f) requiring the department to continue participating in the federal Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment program.

'Reforms' to change or restrict economic assistance programs that are definitionally designed to support individuals and families experiencing economic hardship are not a silver-bullet solution to our state's workforce challenges. Indeed, if they were, then presumably the broad, sweeping changes passed by Republicans in this Legislature – many of whom are still serving – and enacted under my predecessor years ago now would have yielded substantial or material workforce benefits. And yet, our state's workforce challenges persist.

I continue to be perplexed by the Legislature's misplaced emphasis on changing and restricting economic assistance programs while offering no other comprehensive solutions or plans to meaningfully address our state's workforce challenges. Especially concerning is that, rather than supporting and passing the solutions and plans I have offered to comprehensively address our state's workforce challenges even in the absence of any plans of their own, the Legislature's apparent focus remains re-passing bills I have previously vetoed.

The people of Wisconsin expect their legislators to prioritize pressing issues facing our state and to work together to find real, impactful solutions to address those issues. The workforce challenges that have long plagued our state – challenges I believe will be imminently exacerbated by the looming fiscal cliff facing our state's child care industry – deserve the Legislature's immediate attention and urgent effort. The continued failure to address these challenges head-on will be catastrophic for our state's workforce, our communities, and our economy.

My commitment to the people of Wisconsin remains – I will always try to do the right thing, and I am committed to working with any legislator on either side of the aisle who shares my concerns and is ready to work together on substantive legislation to comprehensively address our state's workforce challenges.

Therefore, I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because the department already performs many of the same functions this bill requires, such as assisting employers in finding available workers, or providing claimants with job services, training and employment assistance. In addition, the department already participates in and administers the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment program, assisting claimants with conducting work searches, employment counseling and career exploration, and referrals to job training programs. Further, I object to creating additional barriers for individuals and families applying to receive economic assistance when they are facing significant economic hardship.