Who Voted for Kids Last Session in Wisconsin ?
Who Voted for Kids?
WCCF took positions on many bills introduced in the state legislature last session. Of those, only a fraction were passed
by votes in both houses and signed into law. These charts provide information on how every member of the Wisconsin
Legislature voted on each of the bills affecting kids and families that actually made it all the way through the legislative
process. As another election season approaches, it’s important to know how lawmakers voted on this type of legislation.
As child advocates, we base our positions on sound research and measurable facts about what works best toward
achieving the best possible outcomes for our state’s kids. We believe legislators should base their votes on those same
criteria.
Remember, there were many other proposals that WCCF took positions on; these are just the ones that actually passed
and are now state law. You can find a list of bills we took positions on that did not become law on our website. Our website
also contains a variety of resources to help you hold elected officials and those running for office accountable during
election campaign season for the positions they take on children’s issues.
How State Assembly Members Voted on Child and Family Issues
Green represents votes consistent with WCCF position. Red represents votes NOT consistent with WCCF position.
WCCF took positions on many bills introduced in the state legislature last session. Of those, only a fraction were passed
by votes in both houses and signed into law. These charts provide information on how every member of the Wisconsin
Legislature voted on each of the bills affecting kids and families that actually made it all the way through the legislative
process. As another election season approaches, it’s important to know how lawmakers voted on this type of legislation.
As child advocates, we base our positions on sound research and measurable facts about what works best toward
achieving the best possible outcomes for our state’s kids. We believe legislators should base their votes on those same
criteria.
Remember, there were many other proposals that WCCF took positions on; these are just the ones that actually passed
and are now state law. You can find a list of bills we took positions on that did not become law on our website. Our website
also contains a variety of resources to help you hold elected officials and those running for office accountable during
election campaign season for the positions they take on children’s issues.
How State Assembly Members Voted on Child and Family Issues
Green represents votes consistent with WCCF position. Red represents votes NOT consistent with WCCF position.
How State Senate Members Voted on Child and Family Issues
Green represents votes consistent with WCCF position. Red represents votes NOT consistent with WCCF position.
Green represents votes consistent with WCCF position. Red represents votes NOT consistent with WCCF position.
Below are descriptions of the bills referenced in the tables showing how Wisconsin legislators voted on key bills
affecting children and families.
Act 10 Budget Repair Bill and 2 Year Budget Bill – WCCF opposed both of these bills because of a variety of cuts and
changes including: the cuts to the Earned Income Tax Credit and Homestead Tax Credit; cuts to Medicaid and allowing
major policy changes to be made without going through the Administrative rules process or holding public hearings;
authorizes the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to reduce eligibility for the subsidy program (WI Shares),
increase co-pays, begin waiting lists and decrease reimbursement rates. Those changes could supersede state statutes,
without rulemaking or any legislative oversight; largest cut ever to K-12 education; deep cuts to the University System and
Technical College System and more tuition increases; repeals the current provision allowing undocumented students to
pay in-state tuition rates, providing they have lived in Wisconsin for three years before graduating from high school and
promise to file for permanent residency as soon as possible; cuts for local mass transit; and cuts to public health
programs and youth aids that will lead to more costs in the future.
SB 380 Remove the Cap on Family Care – WCCF supported legislation that removed the cap on Family Care and similar
programs that provide community-based long-term care. The Joint Finance Committee must review and approve
expansion of Family Care into the 15 counties that don’t already have it. A change that we didn’t support allows the
committee to block expansion by refusing to schedule a vote.
AB 7 Voter ID – WCCF opposed legislation that Wisconsin citizens are required to provide a photo ID to vote at the polls.
This legislation creates one more barrier for our most vulnerable citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote. Due
to court injunctions, a photo ID is not currently required to vote. However, appeals have been filed, and the situation could
change before the election.
SB 147 Extended Unemployment Insurance Benefits – WCCF supported legislation that adopted a new temporary
mechanism for determining when jobless workers in Wisconsin are eligible for a period of federal-funded extended
unemployment benefits. WI can temporarily look back three years, rather than two, in comparing the current
unemployment rates to the corresponding period in preceding years to determine whether Wisconsin meets the criteria for
an extended benefits period.
SB 93 Conceal Carry of Weapons – WCCF opposed legislation that allows citizens to conceal and carry weapons and
firearms.
SB 237 Repeal of the Healthy Youth Act – WCCF opposed legislation that repeals the Healthy Youth Act. School Districts
can now choose to teach abstinence only sex education, eliminating education on contraception.
SB 426 Tougher Penalties for Violations of Public Assistance Programs – WCCF opposed legislation that will punish
families for intentional program violations by making it easier to disqualify people from receiving future W-2 benefits or
emergency assistance and creating a graduated scale of penalties for program violations. There were a number of
suggestions made to lessen the negative impact on children that were not adopted.
SB 461 Governor’s Read to Lead Program – WCCF supported the grants for literacy and early childhood development, and
assessing kindergarten pupils for reading readiness. However, we had concerns about the legislation because it did not
include accountability provisions.
SB 45 Administration of Medication to Pupils – WCCF opposed legislation that no longer requires a nurse that distributes
medication to pupils to have a bachelor’s degree from an approved nursing program. Under ACT 86, the school nurse can
be approved by the district if he or she has successfully completed a course, determined to be satisfactory to DPI, in public
health or community health.
SB 466 Elimination of Tenants’ Rights – WCCF opposed this bill that prevents tenants from reporting concerns to a
building inspector or elected official until they notify the landlord in writing and give the landlord time to make repairs;
allows landlords to use illegal contract provisions without consequences; allows the landlord to take property left behind;
eliminates the right of local cities and counties to prohibit landlords from evicting under certain circumstances (i.e., over
Christmas); and deletes other tenants’ rights provisions.
SB 15 Repeal of Traffic Stop Data Collection – WCCF opposed legislation that repealed the collection of data regarding the
driver and occupants of each motor vehicle at traffic stops.
SB 114 Earmark Transparency Bill – WCCF supported legislation that would require biennial budget bills to be
accompanied by reports listing all the earmarks in the bill.
SB 487 Medicaid Payer of Last Resort – WCCF supported this bill that enhanced Medicaid third-party liability claiming
ability, to ensure that Medicaid is truly the payer of last resort. This policy was part of the Medicaid efficiencies proposed by
DHS in the fall of 2011. It would expand the state database to self-funded plans and limited benefit coverage. The
Department estimates savings of between $1.1 million and $1.6 million GPR.
Voice Votes – The following bills were passed by voice voting in both houses of the legislature.
AB 291 Use of Cell Phones for Probationary Licenses – WCCF supported legislation that bans the use of cell phones for
probationary licenses holders while driving, unless there is an emergency, and providing a penalty.
SB 353 Use of Seclusion and Restraint in Public Schools – WCCF supported legislation that limits the use of seclusion
and restraint on pupils in public schools.
SB 536 Prosecution for Trafficking a Child – WCCF supported legislation that increased the age of prosecution for
trafficking of a child from before the victim reaches the age of 24 to 45; adds to the list of crimes that a victim may be
compensated; and allows for termination of parental rights if parent commits trafficking of a child.
AB 30 Safe Families Act – WCCF opposed this legislation because when the need arises; parents should have the
opportunity to delegate custody of their children to people they know and trust. However, when an agency steps into the
middle of the arrangement and facilitates the placement of a child with a family who is unknown to the parents, an
additional set of safeguards for child safety should be set in place. While numerous improvements were made to this
legislation , it did not include these safeguards.
AB 93 Purchase of Tobacco Products for Minors – WCCF supported legislation that would prohibit the purchase of tobacco
products for distribution to minors.
AB 259 Treatments of Concussions and Other Head Injuries Sustained in Youth Athletic Activities – WCCF supported
legislation that creates guidelines for treating concussions and other head injuries sustained in youth athletic activities.
AB 397 Caylee’s Law – WCCF supported legislation, named after Caylee Anthony, that provided a penalty for failure to
report a child’s death or a missing child.
SB 377 Change of Terminology for Those with Intellectual Disability – WCCF supported legislation that eliminates the
words “mentally retarded” and “mental retardation” in statutes and replaces them with “intellectual disability.”
SB 502 Case Planning for Child Placed in Out-Of-Home Care – WCCF supported legislation that made changes to
permanency planning for a child placed in out-of-home care; including concurrent planning, trial reunifications, and
planned permanent living arrangements.
SB 173 Release of Juvenile Records to Law Enforcement – WCCF supports the goal of this legislation. SB173, as
amended by Substitute 2, was passed and provides for the disclosure of information contained in the juvenile portion of
CCAP to law enforcement officials, other courts (including municipal courts), and attorneys acting on behalf of a
child/juvenile without having to get prior approval of a court operating under Chapter 48 or 938. Overall, WCCF supports
the notion that parties involved should have timely access to the information they need to perform their role in the system,
and the substitute bill addressed a number of WCCF’s initial concerns about the breadth of information that could be
obtained. However, it does not sufficiently address the mechanisms by which the information will be accessed nor does it
contain other safeguards as to how that information may be recorded so that subsequent proper use is ensured.
affecting children and families.
Act 10 Budget Repair Bill and 2 Year Budget Bill – WCCF opposed both of these bills because of a variety of cuts and
changes including: the cuts to the Earned Income Tax Credit and Homestead Tax Credit; cuts to Medicaid and allowing
major policy changes to be made without going through the Administrative rules process or holding public hearings;
authorizes the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to reduce eligibility for the subsidy program (WI Shares),
increase co-pays, begin waiting lists and decrease reimbursement rates. Those changes could supersede state statutes,
without rulemaking or any legislative oversight; largest cut ever to K-12 education; deep cuts to the University System and
Technical College System and more tuition increases; repeals the current provision allowing undocumented students to
pay in-state tuition rates, providing they have lived in Wisconsin for three years before graduating from high school and
promise to file for permanent residency as soon as possible; cuts for local mass transit; and cuts to public health
programs and youth aids that will lead to more costs in the future.
SB 380 Remove the Cap on Family Care – WCCF supported legislation that removed the cap on Family Care and similar
programs that provide community-based long-term care. The Joint Finance Committee must review and approve
expansion of Family Care into the 15 counties that don’t already have it. A change that we didn’t support allows the
committee to block expansion by refusing to schedule a vote.
AB 7 Voter ID – WCCF opposed legislation that Wisconsin citizens are required to provide a photo ID to vote at the polls.
This legislation creates one more barrier for our most vulnerable citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote. Due
to court injunctions, a photo ID is not currently required to vote. However, appeals have been filed, and the situation could
change before the election.
SB 147 Extended Unemployment Insurance Benefits – WCCF supported legislation that adopted a new temporary
mechanism for determining when jobless workers in Wisconsin are eligible for a period of federal-funded extended
unemployment benefits. WI can temporarily look back three years, rather than two, in comparing the current
unemployment rates to the corresponding period in preceding years to determine whether Wisconsin meets the criteria for
an extended benefits period.
SB 93 Conceal Carry of Weapons – WCCF opposed legislation that allows citizens to conceal and carry weapons and
firearms.
SB 237 Repeal of the Healthy Youth Act – WCCF opposed legislation that repeals the Healthy Youth Act. School Districts
can now choose to teach abstinence only sex education, eliminating education on contraception.
SB 426 Tougher Penalties for Violations of Public Assistance Programs – WCCF opposed legislation that will punish
families for intentional program violations by making it easier to disqualify people from receiving future W-2 benefits or
emergency assistance and creating a graduated scale of penalties for program violations. There were a number of
suggestions made to lessen the negative impact on children that were not adopted.
SB 461 Governor’s Read to Lead Program – WCCF supported the grants for literacy and early childhood development, and
assessing kindergarten pupils for reading readiness. However, we had concerns about the legislation because it did not
include accountability provisions.
SB 45 Administration of Medication to Pupils – WCCF opposed legislation that no longer requires a nurse that distributes
medication to pupils to have a bachelor’s degree from an approved nursing program. Under ACT 86, the school nurse can
be approved by the district if he or she has successfully completed a course, determined to be satisfactory to DPI, in public
health or community health.
SB 466 Elimination of Tenants’ Rights – WCCF opposed this bill that prevents tenants from reporting concerns to a
building inspector or elected official until they notify the landlord in writing and give the landlord time to make repairs;
allows landlords to use illegal contract provisions without consequences; allows the landlord to take property left behind;
eliminates the right of local cities and counties to prohibit landlords from evicting under certain circumstances (i.e., over
Christmas); and deletes other tenants’ rights provisions.
SB 15 Repeal of Traffic Stop Data Collection – WCCF opposed legislation that repealed the collection of data regarding the
driver and occupants of each motor vehicle at traffic stops.
SB 114 Earmark Transparency Bill – WCCF supported legislation that would require biennial budget bills to be
accompanied by reports listing all the earmarks in the bill.
SB 487 Medicaid Payer of Last Resort – WCCF supported this bill that enhanced Medicaid third-party liability claiming
ability, to ensure that Medicaid is truly the payer of last resort. This policy was part of the Medicaid efficiencies proposed by
DHS in the fall of 2011. It would expand the state database to self-funded plans and limited benefit coverage. The
Department estimates savings of between $1.1 million and $1.6 million GPR.
Voice Votes – The following bills were passed by voice voting in both houses of the legislature.
AB 291 Use of Cell Phones for Probationary Licenses – WCCF supported legislation that bans the use of cell phones for
probationary licenses holders while driving, unless there is an emergency, and providing a penalty.
SB 353 Use of Seclusion and Restraint in Public Schools – WCCF supported legislation that limits the use of seclusion
and restraint on pupils in public schools.
SB 536 Prosecution for Trafficking a Child – WCCF supported legislation that increased the age of prosecution for
trafficking of a child from before the victim reaches the age of 24 to 45; adds to the list of crimes that a victim may be
compensated; and allows for termination of parental rights if parent commits trafficking of a child.
AB 30 Safe Families Act – WCCF opposed this legislation because when the need arises; parents should have the
opportunity to delegate custody of their children to people they know and trust. However, when an agency steps into the
middle of the arrangement and facilitates the placement of a child with a family who is unknown to the parents, an
additional set of safeguards for child safety should be set in place. While numerous improvements were made to this
legislation , it did not include these safeguards.
AB 93 Purchase of Tobacco Products for Minors – WCCF supported legislation that would prohibit the purchase of tobacco
products for distribution to minors.
AB 259 Treatments of Concussions and Other Head Injuries Sustained in Youth Athletic Activities – WCCF supported
legislation that creates guidelines for treating concussions and other head injuries sustained in youth athletic activities.
AB 397 Caylee’s Law – WCCF supported legislation, named after Caylee Anthony, that provided a penalty for failure to
report a child’s death or a missing child.
SB 377 Change of Terminology for Those with Intellectual Disability – WCCF supported legislation that eliminates the
words “mentally retarded” and “mental retardation” in statutes and replaces them with “intellectual disability.”
SB 502 Case Planning for Child Placed in Out-Of-Home Care – WCCF supported legislation that made changes to
permanency planning for a child placed in out-of-home care; including concurrent planning, trial reunifications, and
planned permanent living arrangements.
SB 173 Release of Juvenile Records to Law Enforcement – WCCF supports the goal of this legislation. SB173, as
amended by Substitute 2, was passed and provides for the disclosure of information contained in the juvenile portion of
CCAP to law enforcement officials, other courts (including municipal courts), and attorneys acting on behalf of a
child/juvenile without having to get prior approval of a court operating under Chapter 48 or 938. Overall, WCCF supports
the notion that parties involved should have timely access to the information they need to perform their role in the system,
and the substitute bill addressed a number of WCCF’s initial concerns about the breadth of information that could be
obtained. However, it does not sufficiently address the mechanisms by which the information will be accessed nor does it
contain other safeguards as to how that information may be recorded so that subsequent proper use is ensured.