Assembly supports measures combating homelessness.
Legislation a step toward addressing neglected problem, lawmakers say
MADISON - Lawmakers in the Wisconsin Assembly by a wide margin backed legislation Tuesday to combat homelessness, saying they were making an initial effort to address a long-neglected problem.
“Today we will take one more step, one more step, to eliminating homelessness in our communities,” said Rep. Jessie Rodriguez (R-Oak Creek). The Assembly sent to the Senate four bills:
Assembly Bill 234, approved 98-0, would bring together eight agencies to target homelessness through a coordinating council to be chaired by Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.
Assembly Bill 235, approved unanimously, would provide more flexibility in how state grants could be used to provide housing for those in need. It would also loosen rules on how much money is spent in each region of the state, which some advocates say would make it easier to track the flow of transient people.
Assembly Bill 236 would allow the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority to provide case management to the chronically homeless. That measure passed 73-25, with some Democrats bailing on it because they believed it could cause more evictions.
Assembly Bill 237 would award one community a $75,000 grant to secure jobs for the homeless. It passed 88-10, with some Democrats opposed because they believed it would lead to a program that would offer homeless people jobs with insufficient wages. In other business: Opiates. Those who overdose on drugs would receive protections from prosecution when authorities help them under Special Session Assembly Bill 3, provided they seek drug treatment. The bill, which passed on a voice vote, is aimed at ensuring people call for help.
Special Session Assembly Bill 5, which passed 97-0, would extend the state’s voluntary and involuntary commitment programs for alcoholics to those who habitually use drugs. Both bills now go to the Senate. Child labor. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds would no longer need to get work permits — or the permission of their parents — to get a job under Assembly Bill 25. It passed 64-34 on party lines and now goes to the Senate. Republicans said the measure would make it easier to secure jobs for children who have parents who are incarcerated or otherwise absent. Democrats argued it would make it harder for parents to know what their children are doing.
Currently, the work permits are required for children under 18, and they can only be issued with the permission of parents or guardians. The bill would change the law to require work permits only for those under age 16.
Fish farms. The Assembly sent to the Senate on a partyline, 64-35 vote a bill aimed at easing regulations of operators of fish farms.
Assembly Bill 160 would allow fish farm operators to dig, dredge and conduct repair work with less regulatory oversight. The bill treats activities of aquaculture operations near wetlands and waterways more like farms, which have more leeway than other businesses.
High-capacity wells. On a 62-35 vote, the Assembly sent Gov. Scott Walker a bill that would allow farms and businesses to keep their existing large-scale wells without added oversight from Wisconsin regulators.
Backers say Senate Bill 76 is needed to maintain and expand irrigation for agriculture, especially in central Wisconsin, where lakes and streams have lost substantial volumes over the last decade.
The bill would bar the state Department of Natural Resources from reviewing the impact of wells drawing more than 100,000 gallons daily.
The proposal is opposed by environmentalists and waterfront property owners, who say the bill is the latest example of weakening oversight of public waters and of large wells. Supporters say the measure enforces an important property right for farmers and others who depend heavily on water to grow crops and feed and clean cattle.
The bill would also require the DNR to conduct a hydrological study in sandy central Wisconsin to determine whether large wells are causing harm there.