The WiAHC Legislative Committee is charged with developing the association’s legislative priorities and providing direction and support on public policy that impacts Wisconsin’s home health care industry. The committee, which meets once a month, also evaluates legislative and regulatory issues of importance as they arise and leads WiAHC’s lobbying and grassroots advocacy efforts. The committee recently acted on the following items:

·         State Funding for Nurse Educators

WiAHC’s 2023-24 Legislative Agenda includes a priority to strengthen Wisconsin’s home health care workforce. More specifically, WiAHC is working to secure additional state funding to increase the supply of nurse educators in Wisconsin. As such, the WiAHC Legislative Committee recently approved a member-driven grassroots advocacy campaign to encourage the WI Legislature to provide $10 million in additional funding to boost the state’s Nurse Educators program.

The Nurse Educators program was established two years ago to support nursing education and increase the number of nurses in Wisconsin by providing grants to nurses enrolled full-time in doctor of nursing or mater of nursing programs. Grant recipients must commit to teaching at an approved Wisconsin nursing school for at least three years post-graduation. Providing additional funding for this program is more important than ever, as nursing education programs across the state are struggling to turn out enough graduates to meet the growing demand for nurses in Wisconsin.

Please be on the lookout for a WiAHC Advocacy Action Alert asking you to contact your state lawmakers and urge them to support $10 million in funding for the Wisconsin Nurse Educators program as part of the state budget bill.

• Legislation to Expedites Health Care Occupational Licensing in Wisconsin
• Speaking of workforce challenges in the home health care industry, many of our members have had trouble and experienced delays securing occupational licenses from the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS). The licensing backlog at DSPS is exacerbating the state’s health care workforce shortage crisis, and WiAHC has been encouraging policymakers to address the problem. In fact, the WiAHC Legislative Committee recently voted to support Assembly Bill 144, legislation to expedite occupational licensing in Wisconsin.

This bill requires the state to grant preliminary occupational credentials to health care professionals. More specifically, the bill requires DSPS to grant a preliminary credential to an individual who has met all the requirements for a permanent credential, including having completed all education, training, supervised experience requirements. In addition, an applicant for a preliminary license must also: 1.) Attest that they do not have a disqualifying arrest or conviction record; 2.) Verify that the position they have been hired for is within the scope of their practice; and 3.) Confirm that they have applied for a permanent credential. Finally, the health care employer that hired the applicant must verify that the individual has – to the best of the health care employer's knowledge – completed the required education, training, and supervised experience necessary for a permanent credential.