The bill requires most persons who hold themselves out or act as a construction
contractor to be registered by DSPS. DSPS may directly assess a forfeiture by
issuing an order against any person who fails to register as required under the bill.
The registration requirement does not apply to a person who engages in construction
on his or her own property, to a state agency or local governmental unit, or to a person
who engages in construction in the course of his or her employment by a state agency
or local governmental unit.
Private on-site wastewater treatment system grants
The bill extends the grant program aiding certain persons and businesses
served by failing private on-site wastewater treatment systems (POWTS), which are
commonly known as septic tanks. Under current law, the program is repealed
effective June 30, 2021. In addition, under the bill, a failing POWTS installed at least
33 years ago is eligible to receive a grant. Current law authorizes grants only for
failing POWTS that were installed before July 1, 1978.
Professional licensure
Licensure of dental therapists
Under current law, dentists and dental hygienists are licensed by the Dentistry
Examining Board to practice dentistry and dental hygiene, respectively. The bill
provides for the licensure of a third type of dental practitioner: dental therapists.
Under the bill, the examining board must grant a dental therapist license to an
individual who satisfies certain criteria, including completion of a dental therapy
program and passage of required examinations. The bill specifies the settings in
which a dental therapist may practice dental therapy.
Dental therapists may provide dental therapy services only under the general
supervision of a dentist with whom the dental therapist has a collaborative
management agreement that addresses various aspects of the dental therapist's
practice. The supervising dentist must give consent to supervise the dental therapist
and must have prior knowledge of dental therapy services performed and
examinations conducted. However, the supervising dentist is not required to be
present at the time a task is performed or an examination is conducted. Dental
therapists are, subject to the terms of a collaborative management agreement,
limited to providing services, treatments, and procedures that are specified in the
bill, as well as additional services, treatments, or procedures specified by the
examining board by rule. The bill enumerates settings in which a dental therapist
may practice dental therapy, requires the examining board to establish by rule the
additional settings in which a dental therapist may provide dental therapy services,
and specifies that those additional settings may be only settings in which
low-income, uninsured, and underserved populations are served. Dental therapists
must complete 12 hours of continuing education each biennium.
The bill subjects dental therapists to, or covers dental therapists under, various
other laws, including the health care records law, the volunteer health care provider
program, the health care worker protection law, and the emergency volunteer health
care practitioner law. The bill also provides for loan forgiveness for dental therapists
under the health care provider loan assistance program.
Finally, the bill requires, effective when the first individual becomes licensed
as a dental therapist in this state, that two dental therapists be added to the
examining board.
Dispensing of naloxone by pharmacists; training
The bill requires the Pharmacy Examining Board to promulgate rules
requiring all pharmacists to receive training on delivering or dispensing an opioid
antagonist. Opioid antagonists are prescription drugs, such as the drug naloxone,
some of which can, when administered to a person undergoing an overdose on drugs
such as heroin or prescription narcotics, have the effect of countering the effects of
the overdose.
Pharmacist continuing education credits for volunteering at free and
charitable clinics
The bill allows pharmacists to satisfy up to 10 hours of their biennial continuing
education requirements by volunteering at a free and charitable clinic. Current law
requires pharmacists to complete 30 hours of continuing education every two years
as a condition of renewing their licenses.
Maintaining current e-mail addresses for credential applicants and
recipients
The bill requires that applicants for and recipients of a professional credential
provide DSPS with a current e-mail address. Current law requires those applicants
and recipients to inform DSPS of their current name and address and of any changes
to that information within 30 days of such change. This new requirement does not
apply if the applicant or recipient does not have reasonable access to the Internet,
in which case the applicant or recipient may maintain paper communication with
DSPS. The bill specifies that electronic communications from DSPS may not be
substituted for the service of any process, notice, or demand.
Moneys from other agencies
The bill creates an appropriation for DSPS to receive and use moneys received
from other agencies, such as federal moneys.
state government
Legislature
Congressional and legislative redistricting
Under the U.S. and Wisconsin Constitutions, the Wisconsin Legislature
undertakes congressional and state assembly and senate redistricting after each
federal decennial census. The most recent federal census was conducted beginning
on April 1, 2020. The bill imposes all of the following requirements on the 2021-23
legislature concerning congressional and legislative redistricting:
1. The Legislative Reference Bureau must prepare bills that give effect to the
congressional and legislative redistricting plans proposed by the People's Maps
Commission, which Governor Evers created on January 27, 2020, under Executive
Order 66. Executive Order 66 requires the commission to hold public hearings
throughout the state and develop redistricting maps for consideration by the
legislature. Once LRB has prepared the bills, LRB is required to deliver the bills to
the governor for approval.
2. The governor then provides the bills to the Joint Committee on Legislative
Organization (JCLO), which is required to introduce the bills without change in each
house of the legislature. The legislature must take final action on the bills no later
than the 60th day after the bills are introduced. Additionally, the bill prohibits the
legislature from taking action on any other redistricting legislation until after each
house of the legislature votes on final passage of the commission's maps.
3. All records created or maintained by each house, committee, and member of
the legislature that relate to congressional or legislative redistricting may not be
destroyed until after December 31, 2030. Under current law, legislators' records
need not be retained for a specified period of time.
4. All records created or maintained by each house, committee, and member of
the legislature that relate to congressional or legislative redistricting are subject to
public access under Wisconsin's open records law and may not be withheld from
public access on the basis of any claim of confidentiality or privilege, except for
records containing confidential attorney-client communications concerning a
previously drafted congressional or legislative redistricting plan. Under current law,
such records, depending on the circumstances, may be subject to statutory or
common law confidentiality requirements or privileges, including the
attorney-client privilege.
5. Each meeting related to congressional or legislative redistricting that
includes at least two members of the legislature, members of the partisan staff of at
least two legislative offices, a member of the legislature and nonpartisan legislative
staff, or a member of the legislature and a person retained by the legislature to assist
with congressional or legislative redistricting, must be preceded by public notice in
the manner provided under Wisconsin's open meetings law and must be held in a
place reasonably accessible to members of the public and open to all citizens at all
times. Under current law, the open meetings law applies to meetings of government
bodies. It does not apply to meetings between legislators and staff.
Legislative intervention in certain court proceedings
Current law as established in
2017 Wisconsin Act 369 provides that the
legislature may intervene as a matter of right in an action in state or federal court
when a party to the action does any of the following:
1. Challenges the constitutionality of a statute.