The Wisconsin State Senate voted on a bill to help more senior citizens live independently and deliberated a bill that would make it easier to build on wetlands, as well as discussing other legislation Tuesday.
A bill lifting the enrollment cap on FamilyCare, a program helping senior citizens to live independently rather than in nursing homes, passed unanimously.
Senator Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee, said the limit on program enrollment "put Wisconsin at risk of losing $1.75 billion in federal Medicaid funding."
"The cap was a bad scheme to achieve a short-term budgetary fix," Carpenter said.
Also, a debate on a Republican bill that would ease restrictions for building on or near wetlands ran long enough to call for a third reading of the bill. The Senate plans to reconvene at 12:01 Wednesday morning for further consideration.
The Wisconsin Wetlands Association recognizes the need for more efficient regulation, but opposes the bill overall for its lack of "strong protection measures" for wetlands.
"This bill will cause significant damage and will lead to a loss of valuable wetlands," the WWA stated in a release Jan. 31.
However, Representative Jeff Mursau, R-Crivitz, a co-sponsor of the bill, said in a statement the legislation would help speed up the permit process and encourage development.
The Senate also addressed various other pieces of legislation. The deadline for the Special Task Force on UW Restructuring to submit its report on the future of the UW System was pushed back to January 2013.
Last week, Gov. Scott Walker announced he would use a portion of federal funds provided to Wisconsin homeowners affected by foreclosure to combat the budget deficit. An amendment that would ensure homeowners get all the funds was voted down Tuesday 17-16.
In a symbolic move one year after the governor announced his Budget Repair bill, Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, motioned for legislation that would restore collective bargaining rights for public workers. The motion did not pass.
