Legislative Activity for the week ending 01-22-16
Posted by wsdsaadmin on Feb 9, 2016 in All News, Legislative Updates | Comments Offon Legislative Activity for the week ending 01-22-16
Hello everyone,
On Thursay 01-21-16, RJ, Dave Graves and myself participated in two meetings on behalf of WS&DSA. The first meeting was with the Attorney General and his staff pertaining to the recent FCC ruling, which set rate caps for inmate calling. Dean Meyer led the discussion and asked the AG to explore action against the ruling. The AG agreed to have his staff review the ruling to determine if the FCC overstep their jurisdiction. The AG asked about the revenue generated from the calls and various uses for those additional funds. Dean explained that in many cases those funds support inmate programs. Several other states are considering action including Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Following that meeting, we participated in the meeting with several other law enforcement groups (BSSA, Chiefs, WPPA, and the Milwaukee Police Assn) to discuss several bills. Below is a list of the bills discussed and a summary of the status and next steps.
Forfeiture (AB 537/SB 521): As you know, the Senate Committee on Labor and Government Reform will hold a public hearing on SB 521 on Tuesday, January 26 at 10:00 AM. The Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety will hold a public hearing on AB 537 on Tuesday January 28. Sheriff Cramer plans to come testify on behalf of WS&DSA at the hearings. At the meeting yesterday, we discussed working as a coalition in opposition of these bills. The law enforcement groups will be issuing a joint memo to the committees outlining our concerns. We will have that for your review by Monday.
Tetrahydrocaccabinols (SB-221/AB 228): The Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety passed SB 221 last week with a vote of 3-0. The bill is now available for a floor action in the Senate. There has been no Committee vote on AB 228. The AG is very concerned about this bill and feels it could led to a market for THC products in Wisconsin. Sen. Wanggaard and Rep. Krug (the authors) are pushing hard for these bills to move forward. At the meeting, all the LE groups agreed to closely monitor and meet with key legislators on the consequences of this bill. We will continue to keep you updated.
DNA Expungement Bill (SB 398/AB 621): As you recall, we were working with DOJ and Rep. Knudson on an amendment to this bill to address our/DOJ’s concerns regarding retention of the DNA records for multiple charges. Rep. Knudson offered an amendment to address this concern. In addition to Assembly Amendment 1, the attached amendment (15a1593_P1) was also drafted. DOJ is reviewing this additional amendment to ensure it addresses the concern. We will continue to work with DOJ and Rep. Knudson and keep you updated.
SWAT Reports (SB 297/AB 380)/No Knock (SB 296/AB 381) / Legislative Oversight Committee Bill (LRB 3838): We have been closely monitoring these three bills that add unnecessary oversight and reporting for law enforcement. The bills were briefly discussed at the meeting yesterday and it was the consensus among everyone that these bills do not have much momentum in either house.
School Reporting Bills (SB 492/AB 517): The group yesterday also discussed two bills that deal with the reporting of incidents in schools. SB 492 and AB 517 are not companion bills, but are rather two competing bills that address school reporting. These bills do not have a direct impact on law enforcement and place the reporting burden on the schools. We will continue to monitor.
Alicia’s Bill (SB 546/AB 666): As you recall, both the Senate and Assembly committees held public hearings on these companion bills last week. Sheriff Johnson testified at the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety hearing. The Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety passed the bill out of committee last week. The AG asked the LE groups for additional support on this bill, as it is receiving pushback from legislators on the far left and right. The groups plan to issue a joint memo in support. We will provide a copy of the memo for your review before it is finalized.
Parole Agents Bill (AB 360): This bill allows parole agents to carry a firearm and to go armed in a public building and tavern. The group yesterday discussed an overall concern with this bill and BSSA expressed their opposition. The Chiefs have registered against the bill as well. Based on the WS&SDA legislative committee’s previous correspondence on this bill, we will register WS&DSA against AB 360. Note there is no companion bill and no Senators on the bill, so it is unlikely to get much traction in the Senate.
Sexual Assault Amnesty Bill (Draft attached): Lastly, we wanted to follow up with you regarding the Sexual Assault Amnesty Bill. Rep. Ballweg’s office has reached out again to check to see if WS&DSA has any input or would be willing to support the bill. This bill would provide amnesty for UW students from a drinking ticket for assistance with reporting a sexual assault. Yesterday, several groups mentioned they would be supporting this bill. Please let us know if WS&DSA would like to support this bill.
Lastly, here is the link to your bill tracking report: www.hamilton-consulting.com/documents/WSDSA_Tracking.pdf
Let us know if you have any questions.
Thanks!
Caty McDermott
The Hamilton Consulting Group, LLC.
10 East Doty Street, Suite 500
Madison, WI 53703
mcdermott@hamilton-consulting.com
Phone (608) 258-9506
Fax (608) 283-2589