WED AM News: Lawmakers reintroduce bipartisan advanced practice registered nurse bill; GOP bill would add physician assistant to Controlled Substances Board

May 7, 2025

— Lawmakers are reintroducing a bipartisan bill they say would help the state’s health care workforce by changing regulations for advanced practice registered nurses.

The APRN Modernization Act was highlighted yesterday during a news conference at the state Capitol, where both Dems and GOP legislators expressed confidence in getting the bill signed into law.

The legislation authorizes registered nurses in the state to practice independently, without needing a collaborative agreement with a doctor, according to an overview from the office of Sen. Patrick Testin, R-Stevens Point. He noted many nurses in the state have been calling for this change in some form for “the better part of a decade and a half” and 27 other states have enacted similar laws.

Testin pointed to “dire” workforce problems for frontline health care in Wisconsin, noting both red and blue states across the country have moved to free up APRNs to provide more patient care in this way. He added no state that has enacted “full scope authority” for these nurses has moved back to the more restrictive model.

“By empowering our APRNs to operate at the highest scope of their practice, there is no question that they’re going to stand up and deliver top-quality health care for the patients in every corner of the state, especially in our rural and underserved areas,” he said.

He praised the Dem lawmakers that joined him for the press conference for having “worked tirelessly” to get the bill over the finish line, adding “we have a deal in place” with Gov. Tony Evers that he will sign the legislation into law if it makes it to his desk.

Sen. Kelsa Roys, D-Madison, yesterday said “it’s great to be part of something bipartisan in the Capitol” as she touted the bill.

“We know that too many Wisconsinites in every part of the state struggle to access affordable, high-quality health care, and that’s really what this is about,” she said. “That’s why we were all able to come together, because we believe that every person in Wisconsin deserves that high-quality health care.”

She said APRNs provide “excellent, high-quality health care” and the bill would allow them to provide that care to even more patients.

Meanwhile, Rep. Lisa Subeck, D-Madison, said “we all agree” that nurses should be able to practice at the top of the scope for their profession. And Sen. Rachel Cabral-Guevara, R-Appleton, referenced her own background as a registered nurse and said she looks forward to getting the bill through committee this month and over to the Assembly.

When asked what it took to get Evers’ support for the bill, Testin said disagreements on previous iterations of the bill related to the number of years required before an APRN could practice independently without a collaborative agreement with a doctor. After conversations with “many stakeholders up here,” bill authors settled on four years, which Testin called “a step in the right direction.”

Plus, he said authors added language to the bill to give the state’s Medical Examining Board “a little bit more teeth” and options for enforcement when someone is making false claims. He also said a provision in the bill would allow nurse anesthetists that practice in critical access hospitals without an anesthesiologist to “continue to provide those services” related to pain management.

Testin said even “after a lot of give and take,” not everyone involved is completely happy with the final product but that means “we landed somewhere in a good spot.”

Watch the news conference at WisconsinEye.

— A GOP bill would add the chair of the Physician Assistant Affiliated Credentialing Board to the state’s Controlled Substances Board, a move that authors say will ensure better representation for PAs.

Sen. Jesse James, R-Thorp, and Rep. Barbara Dittrich, R-Oconomowoc, are circulating a co-sponsorship memo for the bill to other lawmakers.

They say PAs are “integral” to fighting the opioid epidemic and addressing controlled substance use as frontline health care providers, but aren’t currently represented on the Controlled Substances Board, which oversees Wisconsin’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.

“This update will strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, enhance public health efforts, and ensure the Board benefits from the perspective of all major prescribing professions,” authors wrote, arguing the change would be an “important and commonsense update” to the board.

The board currently includes nine members, including the chairs of the Pharmacy Examining Board, the Medical Examining Board, the Dentistry Examining Board, and the Board of Nursing, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau.

The co-sponsorship deadline is 4 p.m. May 15.

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— Gov. Tony Evers has reappointed one person to the DATCP board while adding a new member.

Evers reappointed Cindy Brown, the current chairman of the board, and most recently, the president of Chippewa Valley Bean. Brown was also president of the Global Pulse Federation.

Evers also appointed Andy Hatch, who has apprenticed with several master cheese makers and studied dairy science at UW-Madison. Hatch now owns Uplands Cheese, a dairy farm in Dodgeville.

Both were appointed to six-year terms.

See the release.

— The Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation has named Kathryn Dunn as its new president and chief visionary officer, following prior President Wendy Baumann stepping down earlier this year.

The WWBIC Board of Directors yesterday announced Dunn’s appointment. She was previously the group’s vice president from 1993 to 1997 and has been vice president of programs and operations since 2024. Before that, she was working for the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, playing a role in crafting the group’s latest strategic plan, according to the announcement.

Dunn was chosen from 70 candidates following a nationwide search. Kate Hill, WWBIC’s board chair, is praising her experience in various nonprofit organizations, understanding of the group’s work and passion for economic development.

“I am confident that Kathryn will build upon WWBIC’s remarkable legacy and continue to advance our mission of ‘Putting Dreams to Work’,” Hill said in a statement.

See the release.

— The latest episode of “Talking Trade” features the final segment of a recent event focused on the Trump administration’s tariff plans, held at Carroll University’s Shattuck Recital Hall in March.

Talking Trade hosts Sandi Siegel and Ken Wasylik joined Carroll University Business School Dean Tim Sullivan and Prof. Alexandra Sielaff for the discussion.

Watch the show here and find coverage of the event here.

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