Legislature Finishes for 1996

The Legislature completed its 1996 session in mid-May. Among the highlights of its final two weeks:

The good news

Support Staff: Approved a bill to calculate creditable years of service for educational support personnel on a school-year basis.

School Calendar: Killed a bill that would have allowed school boards to establish the school calendar. That means the establishment of a school calendar is still a mandatory subject of bargaining.

MPS School Closings: Killed a bill that would have allowed the Milwaukee Public Schools superintendent to close “failing” schools. That means MPS does not have the authority to abrogate collective bargaining agreements.

Leave: Killed a bill that would have gutted the Family and Medical Leave law. That means employees can continue to substitute earned sick leave in lieu of unpaid family and medical leave.

Council #1: Approved a two-year contract with WEAC Council #1, which represents 750 teachers and education professionals at 85 state institutions. The agreement provides a pay increase of 3.49% over two years and an additional two days of vacation. Members also have ratified the agreement.

Technology grants: Approved an extra $10 million for a program helping schools access technology. The bill changes the way telephone companies are taxed. Sen. Robert Jauch (D-Poplar) said the extra $10 million can be used by schools for computer purchases, wiring and teacher training.

The bad news

DPI Funding: Took no action to replace any of the funding it stripped from the Department of Public Instruction last year.

Medical Savings Accounts: Approved a bill creating “medical savings accounts.” The bill creates tax-free savings accounts for workers to use for medical bills. WEAC and WFT opposed the measure because it “undermines the most fundamental concept of insurance — the spread of risk across a broad spectrum of insureds.”

Elections: Killed a bill which would have provided financial resources so the Elections Board can electronically record campaign finance data information. WEAC supported the “Citizens Right to Know” bill.