MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The Wisconsin Legislature’s budget committee has approved Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal reducing the number of years adults can receive welfare benefits.
The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee approved the change Thursday. The panel is working on changes to Walker’s budget before it goes to the full Senate and Assembly for debate, likely in June.
Democrats objected to the change, but were outvoted 12-4.
Walker’s proposal would lower from five to four years the total period that adults can receive welfare benefits over their lifetime under the Wisconsin Works program. Federal law sets a five-year limit, but states are allowed to make it shorter.
The average person stays on the program for just short of two years.
The change would save Wisconsin $3 million over two years.
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) - A fatal bat disease is spreading across Wisconsin.
The state Department of Natural Resources says over-winter surveillance shows white-nose syndrome or the fungus that causes it is now present in eight counties. The agency announced Thursday that bats in Grant, Crawford, Richland, Door and Dane counties have tested positive for the disease. The fungus has been confirmed in Iowa, Dodge and Lafayette counties.
DNR officials say the bat population at the original point of infection in Grant County has dropped 70 percent. The agency doesn’t disclose the location of threatened species.
The agency has imposed decontamination requirements for researchers and spelunkers to prevent the disease from spreading as well as an outreach campaign to educate commercial cave and mine visitors about the disease.
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MILWAUKEE (AP) - Authorities say all passengers and crew members were safely evacuated after a fire broke out in the engine of an Amtrak train in Milwaukee.
Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari says the fire was detected around noon Thursday in the Chicago-to-Milwaukee passenger train.
Magliari says the fire was contained to the engine compartment of the locomotive and was quickly extinguished by the fire department. He says there were no injuries to the 51 passengers and three crew members.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Magliari says a 1 p.m. Amtrak departure from Milwaukee was canceled.
The incident in Milwaukee comes amid scrutiny of the deadly Amtrak derailment Tuesday in Philadelphia.
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) - A married same sex couple has filed a federal lawsuit against the Wisconsin Department of Health Services saying their birth certificate form did not allow them to put both of their names down as parents.
Chelsea and Jessamy Torres filed the lawsuit Wednesday in federal court in Madison. They allege that DHS refused to supply a birth certificate form that allowed both women to name themselves as parents of their son born to Chelsea Torres on March 15.
The complaint says DHS routinely provides opposite sex parents with birth certificates allowing them to name both spouses as parents. The lawsuit asks that the policy be ruled as unconstitutional and that DHS be barred from continuing its current practice.
DHS spokeswoman Stephanie Smiley had no comment Thursday.
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