Assembly comes up short in trying to override Gov. Evers' veto on training for nurse aides

MADISON - The Assembly came up short Wednesday of overriding a veto of legislation for nurse aides after three Democrats flipped their stance on the legislation.

The failed attempt to override the veto was a victory for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and a setback for Republicans who control the Assembly.

The move came two months after the Assembly came just shy of overriding three of Evers' budget vetoes. No Wisconsin governor has had a veto overridden since 1985. 

The Legislature last year approved Assembly Bill 76 to contend with a shortage of nurse aides. The bill would have required the state to stop requiring that nurse aides get more hours of training than what federal regulators require.

The Assembly passed the bill 66-31 in May. That two-thirds threshold was just what supporters would have needed to override the veto.   

But on Wednesday, three Democrats who supported the bill last year changed their position. They are Reps. Steve Doyle of Onalaska, Beth Meyers of Bayfield and Don Vruwink of Milton.

Ahead of the vote, Republicans urged those three to stay on their side. Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke of Kaukauna issued three news releases this week naming the three Democrats with targets on their backs.   

“I encourage Rep. Vruwink to again vote to do what’s right by his constituents, and not yield to strong-arming that would turn him from a representative to a party puppet," Steinke said in one of his news releases. 

Vruwink said his view on the issue has changed as he's watched nurse aides give his brother top-notch cancer treatment because of their extensive training.

"I want the best care for him. He deserves it," Vruwink said. "I’m not going to get bogged down or feel guilty because from what I have observed, my opinions might change. What’s most important to me is that my loved ones have the best care they can get."

Rep. Warren Petryk, a Republican from the Town of Washington in western Wisconsin and a lead sponsor of the bill, said the measure was one of many small ways to address a shortage of nurse aides that is creating problems for health care facilities across the state.

"It is a crisis that has been coming for decades and now it’s time to take action," he said.

Assembly Democratic Leader Gordon Hintz of Oshkosh said Republicans were focused on the veto override because they weren't willing to take up more pressing issues. 

"This is what happens when you don’t have an agenda. You recycle a bill that we’ve already had a debate on," Hintz said.

In a veto message Evers published in November, he said he blocked the bill because he thought there were other ways to address the shortage of nurse aides.

"I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to providing less training for those who care for our state's most vulnerable citizens," he wrote. "Research has shown that higher training standards result in better outcomes for patients, lower staff turnover and higher job satisfaction."

If the veto had been successful in the Assembly, it would have next gone to the Senate. Republicans control that house 19-14 and would have needed to find three Democratic votes if all Senate Republicans backed an override. 

Also Wednesday, the Assembly approved a pair of bills to help curb the spread of Lyme disease, which is transmitted by deer ticks and causes a skin rash, fever, headache and fatigue. The disease can spread to joints, the heart and nervous system if left untreated. 

Senate Bill 296 would require the state Department of Natural Resources to post signs about the disease in state parks and on state trails. Senate Bill 297 would ensure insect repellent was sold at state parks. Both passed without opposition.

The Senate approved those bills in October and they head to Evers for final approval.

Contact Patrick Marley at patrick.marley@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @patrickdmarley.