Month: March 2011

Secretary of State Doug La Follette said Saturday that the budget-repair bill has not taken effect because it has not been published by his office. He added the law cannot take effect until he directs publication in the official state newspaper, the Wisconsin State Journal. Normally, a bill takes effect the day after publication. And Saturday, DOA Secretary Mike Huebsch said in a written statement: "Upon the advice of my legal counsel, the Department of Administration will begin the process of implementing (the law) as we are required to do the day after a bill is lawfully published. We are mindful that this Act is continuing to be litigated and we will continue to be responsive to the courts as the law begins to be applied." (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 3/28)

The primary goal of the 1-year-old health care law - a goal that has gotten scant mention by supporters and opponents alike - is to offer a financial safety net to tens of millions of Americans by providing or subsidizing their health insurance coverage. The lack of attention given to the provision that will eventually expand coverage to millions of additional people stems partly from its not kicking in until 2014, nearly three years from now. (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 3/28)

Gov. Scott Walker's call for expanded nursing programming and a new nursing building at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is good news for a local nursing school. Bellin College needs qualified instructors in a variety of nursing programs, and they could come from a larger Madison program, one school official said. (GREEN BAY PRESS GAZETTE, 3/28)

The new state budget-repair law, which removed most of the collective bargaining ability of public workers, contains two provisions that weaken one of the country's most politically active unions: the Service Employees International Union. The provisions affect about half of the 15,000 people in SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin. They include 1,900 nurses and other workers at UW Hospital and Clinics, which does not directly receive state funds, and about 5,500 independent home care workers who had a pending contract with the state. The union also represents about 1,100 nurses and others who work for the state in mental health hospitals, corrections and other areas. (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 3/25)

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and former Mayor Paul Soglin are clashing on issues of public safety and health. (WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL, 3/25)

Several central Wisconsin family planning clinics that offer reproductive health services would be at risk of closing if state funding is cut as proposed in Gov. Scott Walker's budget. Lon Newman, executive director of Family Planning Health Services, which operates eight clinics throughout the region, said some of FPHS's rural clinics lose money annually, and the loss of grant support would make it difficult to sustain those facilities longterm. (WISCONSIN RAPIDS TRIBUNE, 3/25)