Madison, WI – This afternoon, the Assembly Committee on Rules met to finalize the calendar for Wednesday’s floor session in the State Assembly. Among the items placed on the final calendar was a veto override for Assembly Bill 76 (AB 76), a measure that seeks to align Wisconsin’s training requirements for certified nursing assistants (CNAs) with the requirements in place at the federal level.
As one of several legislators who came forward to formally request a veto override for AB 76 following Governor Tony Evers’ decision to veto the bill in late November, Rep. Rick Gundrum (R – Slinger) issued the following statement to commend the Assembly Committee on Rules’ decision to place the veto override on Wednesday’s calendar:
“As AB 76 was working its way through my committee and the legislative process in both houses, the message from stakeholders was clear: bringing Wisconsin’s CNA training requirements into alignment with federal law is one of the most common sense solutions that can be pursued in the short-term to help our long-term care providers alleviate the workforce shortage being experienced throughout the state.
Clearly, this was a message that resonated on both sides of the aisle, as AB 76 was introduced and passed through the Assembly and Senate with bipartisan support before being met with Governor Evers’ veto pen. Unfortunately, Gov. Evers and the bill’s detractors adopted the specious position of equating more government regulation with better health care outcomes, all the while overlooking the valuable on-the-job training that CNAs receive in addition to the mandated training requirements.
It is my sincerest hope that the Assembly can once again reach the two-thirds vote that will be needed to overcome the veto in both houses and reduce a barrier to entry for CNAs in Wisconsin. In streamlining the regulatory process, we will put our providers in a better position to serve our most vulnerable citizens.”
