On May 13, the state Assembly voted overwhelmingly – 96 to 1 – to approve Assembly Bill 23, a bill to create a state palliative care council.  This follows the Assembly Health Committee’s 14-1 vote on March 13 to advance this bill to the full Assembly.  WiHPCA has worked closely with the authors of this legislation – state Representative Patrick Snyder (R-Weston) and state Senator Jesse James (R-Thorp) – to both draft and advance this legislation.

This bill would establish a council of individuals with palliative care and other medical expertise to consult and advise the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) on this type of specialized medical care with the intent of increasing awareness and utilization of palliative care throughout Wisconsin. Also, this legislation would require DHS to create a statewide palliative care consumer and professional information and education program, as this type of specialized care is often misunderstood. 

Now, Assembly Bill 23 has been referred to the state Senate.  It’s also important to note that the Senate Health Committee voted unanimously – 5 to 0 – on March 14 to recommend approval of the Senate companion bill – Senate Bill 39 – to the full Senate for consideration. 

WiHPCA’s government relations team continues to aggressively lobby the Legislature to continue to move this legislation through the legislative process.