Archive | Legislative Updates

Legislature Passes State Budget

This week, the Wisconsin Legislature passed a state budget for the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium, which began on July 1. The Assembly approved the budget bill (Assembly Bill 68) on June 29, with the Senate concurring in the bill the following day. The two-year budget proposal, assembled by the Republican-led Joint Finance Committee (JFC), would spend […]

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Gov. Evers Signs PBM and COVID-19 Bills

On Friday, March 26, Governor Tony Evers announced that he had signed 14 bills into law, including several key healthcare-related bills. One of these bills was Senate Bill 3, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 9. The law authorizes the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) to license and regulate pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The Assembly […]

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PA Modernization Bill Signed Into Law

On Friday, March 26, Governor Tony Evers signed into law 2021 Wisconsin Act 23, a bipartisan piece of legislation to update how Wisconsin regulates physician assistants (PAs). The bill (Assembly Bill 125) passed the Assembly on March 16 and the Senate on March 23, both on voice votes. Most of the provisions will take effect […]

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Legislature Advances COVID-19 Policies

On Tuesday, March 23, the Legislature advanced a series of bills related to COVID-19, including many policies that were originally part of Assembly Bill 1 (AB 1). In February, Gov. Evers vetoed AB 1, an omnibus COVID-19 response package, after he and the Legislature failed to reach a compromise. We covered the story of AB […]

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Governor Evers Signs Two Laws on Vaccine Administration

Governor Tony Evers recently signed into law two bills intended to improve vaccine distribution in Wisconsin. The governor signed Assembly Bill 4 into law as 2021 Act 3 on February 19. The bill allows pharmacy technicians, who provide services under the direction of pharmacists, to administer vaccines under the supervision and with proper training. The […]

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Governor Evers Signs Bill Including COVID Liability Protections, UI Reforms

On Thursday, February 25, Governor Tony Evers signed 2021 Act 4, legislation including both COVID liability protections and reforms to the state’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) system. The bill cleared the Legislature with widespread support, passing the Senate by 27-3 on February 18 and the Assembly by 89-0 on February 23. Senate President Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield), […]

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