January 25, 2008
Volume #30, Issue #2
HEARING ON JOHN DOE LEGISLATION
NEXT WEEK -
Assembly Bill 695, legislation that would
prohibit
inmates from filing frivolous lawsuits against persons working in
secure institutions, is scheduled
to receive a
public hearing on January 31. The hearing of the Assembly Judiciary
and Ethics Committee
will begin at
10:00 a.m. in Room 225 Northwest of the State Capitol. AFSCME
encourages members to
attend and testify
about the damaging effects these lawsuits have had on their
fellow AFSCME members.
BILLS ALLOWING MILWAUKEE COUNTY TO
REFINANCE PENSIONS MOVE FORWARD
- Assembly
Bill 666 and Senate
Bill 366 were both passed out of committees Wednesday on strong
bipartisan votes.
The companion bills would allow Milwaukee County to issue
bonds to refinance the
outstanding pension
obligation facing the county. Both bills are now available
for action by the full Senate
and Assembly, and
would provide a valuable tool that could possibly save the
county up to $90 million
over 30 years if adopted.
CONTRACTING OUT BILL PASSES
COMMITTEE -
A bill that would allow municipalities to
contract
with
private parties to enforce state required weights and measures provisions
passed out of the
Assembly Urban
and Local Affairs Committee on Wednesday. The 5 to 4 party line
vote, with Republican
members in favor
and Democrats opposed, means the bill is ready for action by
the full Assembly.
Currently, municipalities that
do not have municipal departments of weights and
measures may only
contract with the Department of
Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection,
meaning the enforcement
will be done with state employees.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS- AFSCME LOBBY
DAY IS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5 -
Lobby Day is a
great
opportunity to talk to your state-elected officials about public services
and the contributions that
public
workers make every day to provide the essential services that are the
backbone of this state.
Whether you
work in a school system, county courthouse, the University of
Wisconsin, a highway
department, a nursing
home or hospital, you have a story to tell that lawmakers
need to hear. Protect your
job. Come to Lobby Day.
LEGISLATIVE WEBSITES. . .For those "online", here are some good info spots:
Wisconsin State Legislature: www.legis.state.wi.us/
"Who Are My Legislators": www.legis.state.wi.us./waml/State of Wisconsin: www.wisconsin.gov/state/home
Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau: www.legis.state.wi.us/lrb/
Wisconsin Legislative Council: www.legis.state.wi.us/lc/
Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau: www.legis.state.wi.us/lfb/
Wisconsin Ethics Board: http://ethics.state.wi.us