Contact: Anne Lupardus, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2162
Also Signs Bill to Help Prosecutors Convict Child Molesters, 25 Other Bills
Governor Doyle today signed Senate Bill 477, which establishes licensing requirements for midwives who are not nurses. By establishing a licensing procedure for Lay Midwives, the bill makes it legal for them to perform midwifery services, thereby providing more options for home birth to prospective parents.
“For parents who choose home birth, it is important to make sure that midwifery is practiced under a regulatory framework so they know that their midwife is properly trained and accredited,” Governor Doyle said. “The new licensing requirements will help to make sure that births performed by midwives are safe for the baby and mother.”
The bill requires that applicants for midwifery license hold a valid professional midwife credential from the North American Registry of Midwives or the American College of Nurse Midwives, and prohibits unlicensed individuals from using the title of midwife. The bill gives responsibility and authority to the Department of Regulation and Licensing for establishing and enforcing these rules.
Governor Doyle thanked Senators Glenn Grothman and Julie Lassa, as well as Representatives Gregg Underheim and Sondy Pope-Roberts for their work on this bill.
Governor Doyle also signed Assembly Bill 970 provides that in a criminal proceeding where a person is accused of first-degree sexual assault or first-degree sexual assault of a child, evidence of similar convictions may be used to prove the character of the person.
“As a former prosecutor myself, I strongly support this effort to give our prosecutors more tools to go after dangerous child predators,” Governor Doyle said. “Previous convictions are often a strong indicator of their character and should be useful as evidence in their trial.”
Governor Doyle thanked Representatives Scott Suder and Bobby Gronemus as well as Senator Dave Zien for their work on the bill.
Governor Doyle also signed the following bills:
Senate Bill 95 calls for basic continuing education requirements for dental hygienists so as to provide better safety for patients.
Governor Doyle thanked Senator Carol Roessler, as well as Representatives Curt Gielow and John Lehman for their work on the bill.
Senate Bill 350 provides that no condominium bylaw or rule or provision in a condominium declaration or deed may prohibit a unit owner from displaying a political sign in his or her condominium, although a bylaw or rule may regulate the size and location of political signs.
Governor Doyle thanked Senators Luther Olsen and Russ Decker, as well as Representatives Steve Freese and Josh Zepnick for their work on the bill.
Senate Bill 369 requires the court to set the amount of birth expenses a father must pay, determine whether periodic payment is applicable, and determine eligibility to pay for low income individuals. The bill enables county child support programs to recover additional expenses that are used to reimburse the state for the Medicaid program.
Governor Doyle thanked Senators Carol Roessler and Julie Lassa, as well as Representatives Steve Kestell and John Lehman for their work on the bill.
Senate Bill 380 allows an aesthetician to serve on the Barbering and Cosmetology Examining Board, but the bill does not change the number of members on the board.
Governor Doyle thanked Senator Alberta Darling, as well as Representatives Curt Gielow and Bobby Gronemus for their work on the bill.
Senate Bill 404 creates a refundable individual income tax credit for personal property taxes that an individual pays on any aftermarket addition made to a recreational mobile home.
Governor Doyle thanked Senators Luther Olsen and Julie Lassa, as well as Representatives Debi Towns and Louis Molepske for their work on the bill.
Senate Bill 429 streamlines the legal framework for state optometrists and their clients by including licensing and examination processes that previously required additional certification.
Governor Doyle thanked Senators Ron Brown and Judy Robson, as well as Representatives Jean Hundertmark and Sondy Pope-Roberts for their work on the bill.
Senate Bill 457 makes confidential all information and documents a hospital provides to DHFS under the trauma care system, as well as all information given to DHFS or any trauma advisory councils in connection with performance improvement activities.
Governor Doyle thanked Senators Ron Brown and Sheila Harsdorf, as well as Representatives Curt Gielow and Judy Krawczyk for their work on the bill.
Senate Bill 527 eliminates the authority of the Joint Survey Committee on Retirement Systems to hire a research director and staff and also abolishes the Retirement Research Committee. Instead, the Legislative Council Staff must provide legal and research staff services.
Governor Doyle thanked Senator Glenn Grothman, as well as Representative Sue Jeskewitz for their work on the bill.
Senate Bill 536 deletes from the 2001-03 authorized state building program a project for DHFS identified as “Transitional Halfway House” and also eliminates the committee that is to assist the state in determining the location of the transitional facility.
Governor Doyle thanked Senators Mary Lazich and Jeff Plale, as well Representatives Jeff Stone and Mark Gundrum for their work on the bill.
Senate Bill 547, which requires the Department of Health and Family Services to treat the counties of Dane, Iowa, Columbia, and Sauk as a single labor region for Medicaid nursing home reimbursement.
Governor Doyle thanked Senator Dale Schultz, as well as Representatives Steve Freese and Sheryl Albers for their work on the bill.
Assembly Bill 7 removes the Managed Forest Land program eligibility requirement that the 10 contiguous acres required for enrollment in the program be located in a single municipality. The bill will allow for some pieces of land less than 10 acres that previously were not eligible to be entered into the Managed Forest Land program.
Governor Doyle thanked Representatives Sheryl Albers and Bobby Gronemus, as well as Senators Luther Olsen and Julie Lassa for their work on the bill.
Assembly Bill 36 requires that all county jails establish a prisoner classification system by January 1, 2008. This system will be used to determine prisoner housing assignments, type of supervision necessary, and delivery of services and programs to the prisoners. The classifications will be made using criteria such as gender, presence of mental illness, and whether or not a prisoner has been convicted.
Governor Doyle thanked Representative Don Friske and Senators Luther Olsen and Julie Lassa for their work on the bill.
Assembly Bill 38 changes the penalty for people who violate operating restrictions while holding an instruction permit or graduated driver’s license to $50 for the first offense and not less than $50 nor more than $100 for each subsequent offense.
Governor Doyle thanked Representatives Don Friske and Leon Young, as well as Senators Luther Olsen and Julie Lassa for their work on the bill.
Assembly Bill 143 provides that the District Attorney and a defendant’s attorney are entitled to have and keep a copy of the pre-sentence investigation report in a criminal proceeding. The bill also says that if the defendant is unrepresented, the defendant may view, but not keep, a copy of the report. All of these parties must keep the report confidential.
Governor Doyle thanked Representative Karl Van Roy, as well as Senators Robert Cowles and Julie Lassa for their work on the bill.
Assembly Bill 295 provides that when a town is divided into wards, the annual town meeting must be held in the town or in any other town, village, or city in the same county or in an adjoining county.
Governor Doyle thanked Representatives Dan LeMahieu and John Lehman, as well as Senators Glenn Grothman and Roger Breske for their work on the bill.
Assembly Bill 450 increases the penalties of an underage driver found to have a blood alcohol content above 0.0 to up to $400 to strengthen deterrence of drunk driving of young drivers and increase traffic safety.
Governor Doyle thanked Representatives Mark Gundrum and Josh Zepnick, as well as Senator Carol Roessler for their work on the bill.
Assembly Bill 521 modifies current law relating to termination of parental rights and adoption. This bill will implement broad support that will facilitate faster adoptions, assist first time adoptive parents, and result in more efficient court proceedings involving termination of parental rights.
Assembly Bill 596 requires local governments on whose behalf forfeitures, assessments, and surcharges are collected for violation of ordinances to share the cost of collection.
Governor Doyle thanked Representative Ann Nischke and Senator Neal Kedzie for their work on the bill.
Assembly Bill 660 prohibits the Department of Family and Health Services from petitioning the court or tribal court to transfer back to the county or the tribe the custody of a child whose parent relinquished their custody when the child was 72 hours old or younger.
Governor Doyle thanked Representatives Steve Freese and Terry Van Akkeren, as well as Senator Carol Roessler for their work on the bill.
Assembly Bill 717 expands the list of felonies that are subject to the felony murder sentence extension to include, among others: first-degree and second-degree reckless homicide, battery, mayhem, false imprisonment, and kidnapping. This bill also corrects cross-references to the felony murder statute that imply intent is an element of felony murder.
Governor Doyle thanked Representatives Lee Nerison and Mike Sheridan, as well as Senator Dan Kapanke for their work on the bill.
Assembly Bill 725 establishes an alternative procedure for the enforcement of certain forfeiture violations. If an individual fails to appear in court, the court may consider the nonappearance as a plea of guilty and enter a default judgment, and may decide to issue a summons or arrest warrant.
Governor Doyle thanked Representatives Joel Kleefisch, Louis Molepske, Jr., as well as Senator Alberta Darling for their work on the bill.
Assembly Bill 739, which creates an exception to the number of “Class B” liquor licenses that a municipality may issue for an opera house or theater for the performing arts operated by a nonprofit organization. The bill limits a license issued under the exception to the retail sale of liquor only for consumption on the premises where sold and only in connection with ticketed performances.
Governor Doyle thanked Representatives Joan Ballweg and Terese Berceau, as well as Senator Luther Olsen.
Assembly Bill 742 provides that if the holder of a permit to operate an establishment changes the organization of its business, the permit holder may transfer the permit to the new business as long as the establishment remains at the same location and at least one individual who had an ownership interest in the old business has an ownership interest in the new one.
Governor Doyle thanked Representatives Jeff Wood and Jason Fields, as well as Senators Glenn Grothman and Julie Lassa for their work on the bill.
Assembly Bill 934 expands the definition of patrol boats and allows for the exemption from most boating laws and ordinances for a patrol boat responding to an emergency.
Governor Doyle thanked Representatives Kitty Rhoades and Bobby Gronemus and Senators Sheila Harsdorf and Julie Lassa for their work on the bill.
Assembly Bill 935 creates specific information signs identifying businesses located near a highway on USH 151 beyond USH 41 to CTH “WH” northeast of Fond du Lac in Fond du Lac County.
Governor Doyle thanked Representatives John Townsend and Terese Berceau, as well as Senator Carol Roessler for their work on the bill.
