Bills to Watch: Arts in School, Citizens United, CAFO Permits

LRB-1258

This bill, authored by Rep. Joel Kitchens, would require the Department of Public Instruction to report data on the percentage of students in each school who participate in music, dance, drama or the visual arts. The bill proposal follows findings of a study in La Crosse that found students who participated in music earned higher test scores. The proposal is circulating for co-sponsorship until Feb. 4.

LRB-0534

Under current law, operators of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) must pay $345 annually for a permit. Of that fee, $95 goes toward funding the permitting program, with the remainder going toward the state’s general fund. This bill would require the entire $345 fee to fund the permitting program. The change is an attempt to provide more resources for a program that most recently had a 21-percent backlog of permits. The proposal is circulating for co-sponsorship until Feb. 5.

LRB-0906

As the nation navigates the complicated world of gambling, paddlewheel raffle operators will get some relief in Wisconsin. This bill, co-authored by Sen. Andre Jacque, would allow paddlewheel raffles (in which a contestant pays a fee to spin a giant wheel and earn a prize) to operate under their Class B raffle licenses. According to the co-sponsorship memo, groups that have been holding such raffles are being notified of a possible Class I Felony because paddlewheel raffles are not protected under the Class B license. This bill would fix that. The proposal is circulating for co-sponsorship until Feb. 7.

LRB-1201

This bill would create an advisory referendum on the Nov. 2020 ballot in Wisconsin. The referendum would ask voters to support an amendment to the United States Constitution aimed at overturning the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court case on campaign finance, Citizens United v. FEC. The proposal is circulating for co-sponsorship until Feb. 8.