Senate, Assembly Scheduled To Vote On Several Bills

The state Senate and Assembly will meet Wednesday to take up a number of bills, including proposed changes to regulations on selling homemade baked goods in Wisconsin and a plan to add Wisconsin to a list of states calling for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Wisconsin Senate

The state Senate is scheduled to take up a bill that would let unlicensed bakers sell homemade baked and canned goods in Wisconsin.

The debate comes a couple weeks after a judge ruled Wisconsin’s ban on selling homemade baked goods is unconstitutional. The bill up for a vote would let businesses that make less than $7,500 a year from their sales go without regulation.

The bill has not yet been taken up by the Assembly.

Another proposal scheduled for a vote would create criminal penalties for possession or use of a credit card skimmer. Skimmers are used to steal consumers’ credit card information from things such gas pumps or ATMs.

This bill also has not yet been taken up by the Assembly.

The Senate is also expected to take up a bill that would make several changes to laws concerning voucher schools. Under the plan, the voucher schools would no longer have to meet certain requirements to receive state money, including student attendance, grade level promotion and academic growth. Voucher school teachers would also be required to pass criminal background checks.

The bill has not yet been taken up by the Assembly.

Wisconsin Assembly

The constitutional convention bill up for a vote in the Assembly would add Wisconsin to a list of almost 30 states requesting the addition of a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Such an amendment would hold the federal government to spending only the amount of money it takes in. Opponents say that would make it harder for the government to do things like respond to natural disasters and economic downturns.

The bill has not yet been taken up by the Senate.

Another bill on the Assembly schedule is the so-called REINS Act, which would limit the power of state agencies to write some environmental and workplace regulations by requiring legislative approval for any rule that would cost businesses or taxpayers more than $10 million.

Opponents argue that devalues the expertise of state agencies on certain issues and unwisely opens up rulemaking to the political process.

The bill has already passed the state Senate. If it passes the Assembly, it will go to Gov. Scott Walker’s desk for his signature.