State government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. (FE)

Prohibiting retailers from accepting certain returns This bill prohibits a retailer from accepting a return of food products, personal care products, cleaning products, and paper products during the public health emergency declared on March 12, 2020, by executive order 72, or during the 30 days immediately after the end of that public health emergency. The bill contains exceptions, allowing retailers to accept returns of food, personal care, cleaning, or paper products made within seven days of purchase and returns of adulterated or defective food, personal care, cleaning, or paper products. Under the bill, retailers may accept returns of other types of products.

2.

campaign finance Communications relating to public health emergency Currently, under Wisconsin's campaign finance law, a person elected to a state or local government elective office who becomes a candidate for a national, state, or local government office may not use public funds to pay the cost of materials or distribution for 50 or more pieces of substantially identical material during the campaign season. This bill exempts from this prohibition communications during the public health emergency declared on March 12, 2020, by executive order 72, that relate to the public health emergency.

3.

Correctional system Death of an inmate Under current law, if an individual dies while he or she is in the legal custody of the Department of Corrections and confined to a correctional facility located in this state, an autopsy on the deceased individual must be performed. Under this bill, for the duration of the public health emergency relating to COVID-19, if an individual who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 dies, the coroner or medical examiner may perform limited examination of the deceased individual instead of a full autopsy, which may include an external examination of the body of the deceased individual, a review of the deceased individual's medical records, or a review of the deceased individual's radiographs.

4.

courts and procedure Liability exemption for persons who manufacture, distribute, or sell emergency medical supplies This bill establishes a civil liability exemption for persons who manufacture, distribute, or sell emergency medical supplies to respond to the public health emergency during the public health emergency related to COVID-19 declared by the federal secretary of health and human services or the national emergency related to COVID-19 declared by the president. The bill defines “emergency medical supplies” to mean any medical equipment or supplies necessary to limit the spread of, or provide treatment for, a disease associated with the public health emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including life support devices, personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies, and any other items determined to be necessary by the secretary of health services. Under the bill, any person engaged in the manufacturing, distribution, or sale of emergency medical supplies who donates or sells, for a price not to exceed a certain amount established in the bill, the emergency medical supplies to a charitable organization or governmental unit to respond to the public health emergency related to COVID-19 is immune from civil liability for the death of or injury to an individual caused by emergency medical supplies donated or sold.

The bill also provides that any charitable organization that distributes free of charge emergency medical supplies received from a manufacturer, distributor, or seller is immune from civil liability for a death or injury caused by the emergency medical supplies.

5.

Economic development Plan to provide support to major industries This bill requires the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to submit a report to the legislature and the governor by June 30, 2020, that includes a plan for providing support to the major industries in Wisconsin that have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 public health emergency, including tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, construction, retail, and services.

6.

Education Pupil examinations; public health emergency exception for the 2019-20 school year Under current law, school boards, independent charter schools, private schools participating in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, Racine Parental Choice Program or Wisconsin Parental Choice Program and, under some circumstances, a private school participating in the Special Needs Scholarship Program are required to annually administer examinations adopted by the state superintendent of public instruction to pupils in the fourth, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh grades. These examinations are commonly referred to as the Wisconsin Student Assessment System, which include The Forward Exam, ACT ASPIRE, the ACT, and Dynamic Learning Maps. Under the bill, the requirements to administer the WSAS do not apply in the 2019-20 school year.

Current law also requires school boards, independent charter schools, and private schools participating in a parental choice program to annually administer a standardized reading test developed by the Department of Public Instruction to third grade pupils. Under the bill, requirements to administer the third grade standardized reading test do not apply in the 2019-20 school year.

Under current law, school boards and independent charter schools are required to evaluate teachers and principals using an educator effectiveness evaluation system that considers pupil performance on statewide assessments. Under the bill, school boards and independent charter schools are prohibited from considering pupil performance on statewide assessments in evaluating teachers and principals in the 2019-20 school year.

School and school district accountability report for the 2019-20 school year The bill prohibits DPI from publishing a school and school district accountability report in the 2020-21 school year.

Under current law, DPI is required to publish a school and school district accountability report each year by November 30. To measure school performance and school district improvement, particularly measures related to pupil achievement in reading and math, DPI uses data derived from pupil performance on statewide assessments administered in the prior school year. The bill also changes references to accountability reports published in a specific school year or years to the most recently published accountability report or reports to account for the fact that, under the bill, DPI will not publish an accountability report in the 2020-21 school year.

Waiver of laws and rules related to parental choice programs, the Special Needs Scholarship Program, and independent charter schools; schools closed by the Department of Heath Services or a local health officer Under the bill, during the public health emergency declared on March 12, 2020, by executive order 72, if the Department of Health Services or a local health officer closes schools for ten or more school days during a school year, DPI may waive state education statutes, or rules promulgated under those statutes, related to 1) a parental choice program or the SNSP, 2) private schools participating in a parental choice program or the SNSP, or 3) independent charter schools. Under the bill, DPI may also establish alternate deadlines for requirements in education laws or rules if the original deadline occurs between the date the schools are closed and 120 days after the day schools are reopened or the original deadline relates to another event that occurs during that same period.

Under current law, upon request from a school board and a public hearing, DPI may waive school district and school board requirements in a state education statute or rule. However, under current law, a school board may not request, and DPI may not grant, a waiver from state education statutes and rules related to certain topics, including the health or safety of pupils, confidentiality of pupil records, and pupil assessments.

Exceptions in parental choice programs and the Special Needs Scholarship Program; schools closed by the Department of Heath Services or a local health officer Current law allows DPI to bar a private school from participating in a parental choice program or the SNSP in the current school year if the private school fails to comply with specified program requirements. For certain program violations, current law allows DPI to bar a private school from participating in the following school year. Current law also allows DPI to withhold program payments if a participating private school fails to comply with program requirements.

Under the bill, during the public health emergency declared on March 12, 2020, by executive order 72, if a participating private school is closed by DHS or a local health officer for ten or more school days during a school year, DPI may not withhold program payments or bar the private school from participating in the parental choice program or the SNSP in the current or following school year if the private school demonstrates to DPI that the failure to comply with the program requirement was due to the school closure.

Under current law, a private school participating in a parental choice program must maintain a cash and investment balance that is at least equal to its reserve balance. Under the bill, during the public health emergency declared on March 12, 2020, by executive order 72, this requirement does not apply in a school year during which the private school is closed by DHS or a local health officer for ten or more school days.

Private schools; waiver for hours of instruction in the 2019-20 school year Under the bill, in the 2019-20 school year, upon request from a private school, DPI may waive any requirement related to a private school providing hours of instruction.

Wisconsin Parental Choice Program; application deadlines for the 2020-21 school year The bill extends two deadlines related to pupil applications to attend a private school in the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program in the 2020-21 school year. First, under the bill, a private school participating in the WPCP may accept WPCP applications for the 2020-21 school year from pupils until May 14, 2020, rather than April 16, 2020, under current law. Second, under the bill, private schools participating in the WPCP have until May 29, 2020, to submit information to DPI about the number of WPCP applications the private school received from pupils for the 2020-21 school year. Under current law, private schools participating in the WPCP are required to submit this information to DPI by May 1, 2020.

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