Rep. Jerry O'Connor

Maddy summaryAJR 25 is a joint resolution that formally proclaims April 24, 2025, as Holocaust Remembrance Day and April 27, 2025, to May 4, 2025, as Holocaust Days of Remembrance in Wisconsin. This resolution aims to raise public awareness throughout Wisconsin about the Holocaust and its impact on world history and shared humanity.

Maddy summaryAB 120 proposes to increase the staffing of the Office of School Safety, which operates under the Department of Justice. The bill authorizes an additional 14.2 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions for the department. These new positions, funded by general purpose revenue, would become effective on October 1, 2025. The stated purpose of this increase is to support and enhance school safety initiatives.

Maddy summaryAB 88 addresses civil actions and law enforcement responses related to riot and vandalism activities. The bill prohibits government officials from limiting or restricting law enforcement's authority to arrest individuals or quell such disturbances. It also creates a new civil cause of action, allowing individuals who suffer injury or property damage from riot or vandalism to sue those who committed the acts or provided material support. Victims may seek compensatory damages, an order for property repair, and legal fees, regardless of whether criminal charges are filed. The bill also defines "rioting" and "incite" for these purposes.

Maddy summaryAssembly Bill 44 allows advanced practice nurse prescribers to pronounce the date, time, and place of a patient's death for the purpose of preparing death records. This bill amends existing statutes to include advanced practice nurse prescribers in the list of professionals legally authorized to make such pronouncements. To do so, the advanced practice nurse prescriber must be certified to issue prescription orders, have been directly involved in the patient's care, and follow accepted medical standards. This change primarily affects advanced practice nurse prescribers and the process of death record preparation.

Maddy summaryAssembly Bill 12 grants "state agency status" to physician assistants and advanced practice nurse prescribers who volunteer their services. This status applies when they provide uncompensated healthcare services for local health departments or school districts. For local health departments, this covers services requiring medical oversight, and for schools, it includes immunization programs. By gaining state agency status, these providers would be considered agents of the Department of Health Services for specific legal protections, such as representation by the attorney general, provided they adhere to state protocols.

Maddy summaryAssembly Joint Resolution 32 designates the first full week in May as Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week in Wisconsin. This resolution aims to raise awareness about Tardive Dyskinesia (TD), a condition associated with antipsychotic medication use, and emphasizes the importance of early detection and routine screening for individuals prescribed these medications.

Maddy summaryAssembly Bill 134 changes the effective dates for provisions within 2023 Wisconsin Act 126. It establishes July 1, 2025, as the general effective date for most of Act 126. However, the bill specifically delays the implementation of a detailed list of sections from Act 126 until December 1, 2027. This means that certain legal requirements or changes introduced by Act 126 will take effect at a later date than originally planned.

Maddy summaryAssembly Bill 8 establishes a legal framework for "direct primary care agreements" between health care providers and patients. These agreements allow patients or their employers to pay a direct subscription fee for a defined set of primary care services, rather than billing an insurer on a fee-for-service basis for those specific services. The bill outlines criteria for valid agreements, including requirements for written contracts, clear disclosures that these are not health insurance, and rules regarding termination and patient selection. It prohibits providers from declining or terminating an agreement solely based on a patient's health status or other protected characteristics.

Maddy summaryAJR 37 is a joint resolution that declares May 2025 as Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders Awareness Month in Wisconsin. This aims to increase understanding of these inherited connective tissue disorders among both medical professionals and the general public.

Maddy summaryAB 228 creates specific provisions for tax incremental financing (TIF) districts that contain qualified data centers, affecting local legislative bodies and data center developers. It exempts these "data center districts" from a 12 percent limit findings requirement when being created or having their project plans amended, provided all project costs are related to the data center. However, a project plan for such an excepted data center district cannot later be amended to include costs unrelated to the data center. Additionally, the value increment from these excepted data center districts cannot be included when calculating the 12 percent limit for other TIF districts.