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Recently, the Wisconsin Legislature adopted several new statutes related to family law.  This is the third installment of those legislative changes, and the adoption of the Uniform Deployed Custody and Visitation Act is one of the more substantive additions to this series.         

2021 Wisconsin Act 161, or the Uniform Deployed Custody and Visitation Act, is a piece of Uniform Law Commission Legislation (hereafter, “Code”), which is currently enacted in 14 states.[i] Effective March 13, 2022, in Wisconsin, it…
Continue Reading Statutory Updates in Family Law, Part III

We reported recently that the court of appeals has asked the supreme court to review a case challenging the ballot question that led to the adoption of Marsy’s Law in Wisconsin. As reported here, on the same day the court of appeals issued its certification, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down the adoption of Marsy’s Law into the Pennsylvania Constitution based on similar challenges being made in the pending Wisconsin case. The Pennsylvania decision is available at this
Continue Reading Marsy’s Law Challenge Succeeds in Pennsylvania

Asian Mother with daughter of mixed Chinese and African American ethnicity at home indoors posing playfully for portraits smiling and being silly

As it stands, Wisconsin has no training requirements for those who volunteer and are appointed as a guardian, but a bill currently before the Wisconsin Legislature may change that.

Senate Bill 92 proposes a list of requirements and training that a potential guardian must go through before taking guardianship.

Over time, it has become clear that some guardians can lack the adequate knowledge and or resources necessary for effectively carrying out their role. It is of vital importance to…
Continue Reading The Proposed Guardian Training Requirement: Consequences for Petitioners

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On November 7, 2021, 2021 Wisconsin Act 82 (the “Act”) went into effect and established new statutory requirements that immediately apply to Wisconsin law enforcement agencies. This Legal Update summarizes the key obligations of Wisconsin local law enforcements agencies arising out of the Act, including the requirement to create, collect and share employment information as part of their recruitment and hiring processes. The Act applies to all law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin, defined as state “governmental unit[s] or political…
Continue Reading Wisconsin Law Enforcement Agencies Have New Recordkeeping and Sharing Obligations

As represented by several recently introduced bills, there are some interesting proposed changes to family law in Wisconsin. These proposed changes would allow for a more efficient handling of certain processes and events among parties who seek or are divorced or separated.
Financial Exchange: 2021 Senate Bill 604
Senate Bill 604 was introduced Oct. 8, 2021. This bill expands Wis. Stat. section 767.54, regarding the requirement of parties to exchange financial information each year when there is an…
Continue Reading Update: Proposed Changes to Family Law in Wisconsin

Disabled senior man in a wheelchair in a office
Disabled senior man in a wheelchair in a office

In January 2022, a new law goes into effect limiting “surprise” medical bills, or bills insured patients receive for out-of-network care, either in emergency settings, or from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities. Congress passed the No Surprises Act as part of the 2020 year-end omnibus spending bill and, while many details of the No Surprises Act are still forthcoming as federal agencies engage in the necessary rulemaking (which may not be complete by the Act’s effective date), health care…
Continue Reading Surprise! It’s the No Surprises Act

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Shopko… Briggs & Stratton… Appvion (formerly Appleton Papers)… Harnischfeger… Bon-Ton… JHT Holdings… Arandell… Golden Guernsey Dairy. We tend to think of these companies as our own — Wisconsin-based, some with storied traditions here, employers of family members and friends — but all of them have one thing in common: they filed for bankruptcy protection in another state. Recently proposed congressional legislation aims to reduce the number of such extraterritorial filings.
Current Bankruptcy Venue Law
The venue, or location of…
Continue Reading Cause for Reform: The Bankruptcy Venue Reform Act of 2021

Wisconsin is joining the growing number of states that are allowing restaurants and taverns to sell cocktails to-go. Today, Governor Evers signed Assembly Bill 32 into law, which allows restaurants and taverns to sell wine or intoxicating liquor by the glass for consumption away from their premises. This means that restaurants and taverns will be able to sell mixed drinks and glasses of wine, to-go, in sealed, tamper-proof containers.

Prior to the passage of Assembly Bill 23, restaurants and…
Continue Reading Fish Fry and an Old Fashioned, To-Go Please

On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed into law the next wave of COVID-19 relief, titled the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). While ARPA’s $1.9 trillion in financial stimulus has taken the spotlight, the law also includes several changes that will impact retirement plans, most notably defined benefit pension plans.
Funding Shortfall Amortization Extension
ARPA permanently extends the shortfall amortization period from seven to 15 years. Additionally, ARPA permits plans to reamortize any previous funding shortfalls over…
Continue Reading American Rescue Plan Act of 2021: Impact on Retirement and Executive Compensation Plans

Presently, 36 states have legalized medical marijuana and 15 have legalized full adult (i.e., recreational) use.  It is anticipated five more will be added to that column in 2021.  Three of the four states contiguous to Wisconsin have either medical marijuana (Minnesota) or both medical and adult-use (Illinois and Michigan).  So what’s in store for the Badger state?

Governor Evers recently announced that he intends to include provisions for both medical and adult-use marijuana in his upcoming budget as…
Continue Reading Is Marijuana Reform Coming to Wisconsin?

On Sunday, December 27, 2020, President Trump signed the legislation providing government funding and a long-anticipated coronavirus relief package (the “Bill”). The wide-sweeping Bill contains a number of key provisions that will impact both public and private sector employment in 2021. Of particular significance to employers is that:

  • The Bill does not extend the mandates of the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (“EFMLEA”) or the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (“EPSLA”) enacted under the Families First Coronavirus

    • …
    Continue Reading COVID-19 Relief Bill – What Employers Need to Know Heading Into 2021